#45 Zone-2 Your Life: Integrated Excellence with St. Teresa of the Andes and Servant of God Francisco Garcés
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
Zone-2 Your Life: Integrated Excellence with St. Teresa of the Andes and Servant of God Francisco Garcés Humanities Instructor Mr. Rob Kirkendall discusses how to pursue virtuous excellence in all domains given our human limitations and high spiritual calling. He looks to profound examples in the lives of a young Chilean Carmelite nun and an early Franciscan explorer and missionary to the American Southwest. More about : More about St. John Henry Newman's meditation,
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#44 Classical Education: What It Is and Isn't (Part 2)
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, Mr. Charles McCants, and Mr. Rob Kirkendall continue discussing the idea of "Classical Education," and our collective reflections on what it is and isn't from years of experience. Part two of a two part conversation.
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#43 Classical Education: What It Is and Isn't (Part 1)
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, Mr. Charles McCants, and Mr. Rob Kirkendall discuss the idea of "Classical Education," and our collective reflections on what it is and isn't from years of experience. Part one of a two part conversation.
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#42 Purpose and Care
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
After a four month (unplanned) hiatus, Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Mr. Charles McCants dust off the podcast equipment and talk about Purpose and Care.
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#41 Gratitude
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving as a nation, Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Mr. Charles McCants discuss the virtue of gratitude.
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#40 Five Attributes of Outstanding Students
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
In this episode, Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Mr. Charles McCants try something a little different. Before recording we each listed what we believe are five attributes of outstanding students - those all around 95th percentile students we've had the pleausre of working with over our careers in education and formation. During the episode we share our attributes and why we think they're important. Book mentioned in the podcast- .
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#39 Mr. Bob Luddy, STMA Founder and Chairman
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Mr. Charles McCants are joined today by Mr. Bob Luddy, Founder and Chairman of STMA, for a conversation about culture, standards, and integrity among other points of discussion. We remain ever grateful for Mr. Luddy's vision, leadership, and tremendous generosity in support of our mission at STMA, as well as his ongoing efforts aimed at the restoration of culture and the education/formation of young people to the greater glory of God.
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#38 Self-Discipline
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
In this episode, Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Mr. Charles McCants discuss the topic of self-discipline as it relates to student outcomes.
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#37 Holy Obedience
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
In this episode, Deacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Mr. Charles McCants discuss the topic of Holy Obedience as it relates to our faith and lives, especially in connection to the young people we are working to form to the greater glory of God.
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#36 Adriana Watkins lecture - "The Life Is Given Eventually: Joseph Dutton’s Story”
St. Thomas More Academy Podcast
This episode features the story of Joseph Dutton, an American veteran who spent the last half of his life working with leprosy patients in Molokai, Hawaii. This lecture by Ms. Adriana Watkins was given to students at STMA in April 2023. Dutton’s life is a beautiful example of the way God’s Providence follows us through strange turns of fate, and even through our own mistakes. Some very helpful resources made this lecture possible, including: The Joseph Dutton Guild’s reissuing of an old Dutton biography: “The Soul of Kalaupapa,” a documentary about the...
info_outlineDeacon Brad Watkins, Dr. Jake Noland, and Charles McCants discuss accreditation and the fact that is neither necessary nor a guarantor of excellence in schools.
It is commonly held that "Schools must be accredited." But who says, and what is accreditation? What does it do? What are its limitations? We've heard people say, "You can't get into to college if you go to a school that isn't accredited." And yet, STMA, which has never even sought accreditation, has a 100% college placement record over 20 years. Every graduate has successfully placed into four year colleges, including some of the most selective in the country. Add to this the number of homeschool students that go to schools like Harvard and Princeton every year, and it's easy to see that a statement like that is false on its face. More to the point, there are thousands of schools in the United States that are accredited, but truly terrible schools. So in today's episode we take a deeper dive into the myth of accreditation.