Friday Feature: Aquinas Learning

Colleen HroncichNecessity is the mother of invention. This simple phrase sums up the origins ofAquinas Learning.Rosario Reilly was a homeschooling mom and coordinator of a local homeschool co ‐​op. While she liked having the community, there were a lot of unknowns with the co ‐​op. She had to teach different classes each year, and she never knew who would return from one year to the next. She still had to be the primary curriculum planner for her children.She wanted something that was still flexible but had a bit more structure. They tried outClassical Conversations, which gave Rosario much of what she was looking for —she loved the once a week meeting and that they were paying trained mentors who were committing to teach for the full year.Rosario inquired about offering Classical Conversations as a Catholic group but was told it wasn ’t possible. So, she started researching classical education and found some differences in the more recent neoclassical approach and the ancient classical model that stretches back to Aristotle and was used by Catholics for centuries. Rosario decided to embrace this Catholic heritage and create a classical education program that would incorporate the liberal arts, the sciences, and the great ideas of Western civilization.In 2009, Rosario launched Aquinas Learning in Manassas, Virginia, with 40 students. She designed it to be family friendly —the content is divided into three cycles and every level...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs