Deacon Brad Watkins, Charles McCants, and Rob Kirkendall were joined on this special episode by alumni brothers Fr. Leo Dornan, CO and Seminarian Ben Dornan, as well as Seminarian Jorge Sotelo for a conversation following their visit for morning Mass.

In this episode we discuss the ideal classroom and challenges to the learning environment as well as brief conversation about what it really means to get a low grade on a test or quiz.

This week Deacon Brad, Dr. Noland, and Mr. McCants have a conversation about why believe in the importance of doing hard things - especially children being allowed and encouraged to do hard things, even if it sometimes means they fail or fall short of the goal.

Deacon Brad, Jake Noland, Kelly Jackson, and Charles McCants sit down to discuss STMA's athletics program and the many positives that can come with participating in sports for student athletes.

Deacon Brad, Kelly Jackson, and Charles McCants discuss some of the good outcomes we are seeing at STMA, and on an ongoing basis.

Following on last week's episode, this week Deacon Brad, Mrs. Jackson, and Mr. McCants talk about aligning with standards, and specifically how "Formation Notices" are a piece of the work we do at the school.

Dating back to ancient Greece, one definition of academy is an institute that holds and maintains standards. This is certainly a core principle of STMA and its founder/chairman, Mr. Robert Luddy. The challenge, as they say, is that your standards are what you allow and tolerate, and far too many schools have significantly lowered standards over recent decades with regard to behavior, dress, and academics. This seems to put STMA in an odd place locally via compare and contrast among student peers and parents, making us the supposedly "strict" school in the area - despite all the evidence to the contrary.

One of the unique and vital skills for successful people in all walks of life is the ability to anticipate. Unfortunately, it is a trait that is less and less common in young people today. Much of this stems from how the majority of schools educate children, but also how parents are raising their children. From math and science, to literature and philosophy, and even into sports, leadership, and business, the ability to anticipate the needs of others, what someone else is likely to do, or how things will change in the future, is vital. This becomes even more important as we prepare for the revolution that is to come with AI and SAI technology that is, to some large extent, computer based anticipatory programming. In terms of student formation, if they are not taught how to do this, if they are not allowed to try it and fail, they will likely find future employment and success more challenging. We believe strongly that STMA's classic liberal arts education model uniquely targets this sort of learning and formation.

Deacon Brad, Kelly Jackson, and Charles McCants discuss the types of families and students who see the best outcomes from the formation that STMA offers, as well as those families/students who may not find the school to be the best fit.