Solid children’s literature is one way we can give our children a “true culture,” and reading books, many of which I missed out on as a kid, has been one of the biggest unexpected joys of fatherhood for me. After reading the classic Chronicles of Narnia 7-book series to my two oldest, they have listened to the audio versions 5-10 times, depending on the book. I am often amazed at how this story has helped shaped the souls of our boys.
Read MoreColorado offers a variety of public charter school options, including tuition-free classical schools. Why should a parent choose a distinctively Catholic classical education when a "free" classical option is available? OLV President R. Jared Staudt argues that the "Catholic" in Catholic classical education is critical to the formation of the whole person, while attempts to secularize the classical approach fall far short.
Read MoreIn the latest Lepanto Review piece, “Euclid’s Escape Room,” OLV Mathematics and Science instructor Christina Praetzl reflects on her experience teaching classical geometry to OLV 9th graders, including a class adventure in emerging from a very Euclidean Escape Room. Could you make it out in time?
Read MoreA great high school should be like a traditional university: a school with the object of teaching Universal Knowledge, that is, all the essential arts and sciences. While we usually think of the university as the great turning point of a student’s intellectual formation, high school may be the more realistic opportunity for meaningful formation. It is a critical time for students’ formation. By high school graduation, most students have formed habits of mind and spirit that college itself is unlikely to change.
Read MoreCatholic classical educators sometimes gently chastise parents who fret over practicality. “I understand the need for truth, beauty, and goodness,” the practical-minded parent says, “but we all have to live in the real world. How will this education actually prepare my son or daughter for college and the workforce?”
The pressure to get into a respectable college and land a well-paying job permeates our culture. Parents’ anxious response to this pressure can leave them feeling torn – perhaps even guilty. But is this concern inherently wrong – or simply out of order?
Read MoreGet the backstory on Our Lady of Victory (OLV) in this Respect Life Radio podcast interview of R. Jared Staudt, President of OLV. Learn more about OLV's providential founding, unique mission in the Archdiocese of Denver, and close relationship with the global Chesterton Schools Network.
Read More“How can we make our school more Catholic?” This is a real question schools ask, some with perplexity. Is it a new curriculum? Better religion classes? Having the kids come to Mass? The answer is vital for the future of Catholic education. The sociologist Christian Smith notes, from his extensive research on the life of young Catholics, that “we cannot report that Catholic schooling and youth group participation have robust effects on emerging adult faith and practice.”
Read More“The glory of God is man fully alive.” In this famous quote from early Church Father Saint Irenaeus, man’s happiness and God’s glory are integral and cannot be separated. Our true end – in Greek, our telos – is God's desire for us, life to the full. All authentic Catholic education and formation aims for this common goal of raising saints after God’s heart.
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