Letters to the Angelicum Academy

DEAR ANGELICUM . . .

Thank you for the wonderful seminars. I think they are the highlight of John's week. I am delighted to see how much he enjoys reading and discussing the great books... Thank you again for helping form these young people.

Sincerely, Pamela Shea

Yesterday, we received with great enthusiasm a carton full of our second grade textbooks. Maja and I are anxious to begin another year together and find the materials beyond our expectations for which we thank you.

Best regards,

Ursula Ruiz

Benjamin our son is really enjoying the Socratic Discussions at the Angelicum. What a blessing they are!

Sandy Harrison

I just received the materials for my son's preschool program and am excited about getting started next week.... Thank you for your kind assistance and for a great curriculum!

Cindy & Stefan Szponder

. . .The girls and I have enjoyed the Angelicum curriculum this year . . . My daughters have mentioned many times throughout the year how much they enjoy their new curriculum. The daily lesson plans make our school schedule much easier and I must say the Socratic discussions on Paltalk have left the girls something to look forward to every other week. I have noticed their ability to think critically has blossomed.

Mrs. Evelyn Walsh

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Your program is like the filet mignon of homeschool programs!

Mr. John O'Rouke
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I have been studying homeschooling methodology and curriculum for three years, struggling to find just the *right* materials for my children. I've read and/or looked at just about everything out there on the market, it seems.  I just never felt completely satisfied with anything that I found.  Namely, I was looking for a truly classical, literature-based Catholic curriculum that would expose my children to the kind of books that would be formative for my children's souls, providing examples of beauty, virtue and truth (even if it came disguised as a fairy tale). But I also was very picky about the other subjects as well, especially wanting them to have a lot of hands-on science experiences, and to be encouraged to think things through themselves and not just memorize something out of a textbook. I just wasn't willing to compromise in any subject.  And, of course, I wanted to have a very strong Catholic framework for the whole thing. I thought it was impossible. Every other 'literature-based' program I looked at used books that related to the subject area but were not necessarily that high of quality in and of themselves, or the actual educational value was low. And so many of the Catholic programs emphasize workbooks and memorization instead of really teaching the children to think and find answers for themselves, and they seem to fall short on hands-on activities and good books.

 After discovering your program, I was very excited, hoping it was everything it claimed to be, but I really couldn't tell for sure until I had the materials in my hands to look over carefully. Well, let me just tell you that your materials exceed my greatest expectations! The Philosophy program if fantastic, and Harcourt Science is unbelievably wonderful!  It's more than I ever hoped to be able to find.  I was trying to make up a curriculum this good all by myself by collecting a variety of materials and using the best parts of each. It was just too complicated, especially considering I have four children to attend to at different ages and grade levels.  It's so wonderful to know that my best efforts could never have brought me a program this thorough and matching to my standards this exactly, so by signing up my son with your program not only do I gain a superior curriculum, but I get the support gained from the lesson plans (a huge plus!) and all the other services you provide.  I am ecstatic!  I can relax knowing my kids are getting a truly fabulous curriculum and I don't have to pull it all together and plan it out all by myself.

 Anyway, I just had to tell someone at Angelicum how *wonderful* I think the materials to be, and to thank you so much for your program!

Cathi Horning
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We are so delighted to be a part of Angelicum Academy, and I am also delighted to see the program growing and prospering.  Thanks for your hard work.

Blessings,

-Carolyn
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Thank you very much for your help. I see now that all the compliments you guys get are well deserved!! I'll be in touch, when my enrollments are processed.

Moura Regan
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Thank you so much for your quick response which really put me at ease completely.  I am most satisfied with your academy and with the personal help.  Thank you so much for also helping me with deciding on what books are essential and what are not since I am on a tight budget.

Grethal 
(T.O.R.C.H. Member)

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Thanks so much for your comments and observations. Gloria will be joining you again in the fall.  I can only thank God for the Angelicum Academy. It is EXACTLY what I had been looking for!  God bless you all.

Lucia
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First off, your customer service is superb!  I was astonished to receive the Saturday telephone call to allay my fears about a "bounced" registration, and also to take my books order over the phone. Said books, then, arrived at my home long before I would have expected them. I do pray that God will sustain each of you at TAA, and bless your hard-wroking endeavours! . . . Thank you again for your gracious help thus far.

Mrs. Antonia W. Colias

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Congratulations on the completion of Angelicum Academy's first year!  We are so glad that Cole was a part of it.  He's finishing his non-Socratic coursework and looking forward to a "lazy" summer.  This was a fairly heavy academic year for Cole with the Socratic Seminar and two courses in addition to the regular curriculum.  He seems to have survived and thrived!  We want you to know that the Socratic Seminar was the engine which drove the year for him!  He absolutely loved it! He'd always been a prodigious reader, but reading the great books and discussing the great ideas was something that energized and elevated his thinking.

We want to thank you.and all the people involved with the Angelicum Academy for a tremendous experience. What you offer the homeschooling students is not to be found elsewhere! We're looking forward to another great year!

 Dr. Peter and Ruthmarie Lawler

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Yesterday we received the 3^rd and 4^th quarter tests that you sent and today we received Brian's graded work. Thanks!  You ladies are very quick! 

Carolyn

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Thank you for your quick response!!.I am so excited I can't even express it, Drs. Quinn, Nelick and Senior made a huge impact on my life.  It is unfortunate that those men were not followed around by video recorders so we could continue to learn.

Debbe
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I teach at a Catholic high school and would be MOST interested to know of resources to use for teaching philosophy at the tenth grade level.The Angelicum Academy appears to be (judging from the site) a wonderful contribution to our society, and our culture.  Thanks you!  In Christ,

 Sister M. Regina
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Thank you so much for your reply. It was very helpful. And thank you so much for Angelicum Academy. I am really looking forward to beginning to use your courses this year. I am so pleased with the flexibility you offer to parents and your selection and recommendations of what you have found to be the finest teaching materials. I have not enrolled in any particular homeschool program in the past because I was not able to use materials I already owned or particularly liked. I want to enroll her in a classical program where I will ultimately make the decisions in her education, but where she will have accountability outside the home and where she can receive a diploma. Angelicum Academy is just what I have been looking for! And thank you for the lesson plans!

God bless all of your staff,

Fran
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Dear Angelicum Academy,

WOW! Am I impressed! I completed an online order for some lesson plans and a music book/CD on Tuesday, August 7, at 3:49pm. By just before 9:00pm on the same day I received an email telling me my order had been shipped.  I was amazed. But the real surprise came when it was in my mail box at noon on the 9th.  I have never received such service anywhere. And this is your busy time!  It is so helpful to receive the materials so quickly so that I can integrate them into my school planning right away. I have never been quite this late in planning my school year. Thank you and keep up the good work! I will tell my friends of my wonderful experiences so far with your staff and store.  May God continue to bless your apostolate.

Lynn Kovacs

[Editor's Note:  Please allow approximately 2-3 weeks for normal delivery. We are happy for the unusual case presented here, but it is not the norm. See our shipping policies for detailed information by clicking here.]
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By the way, that science text is excellent!! It is the most perfect textbook I have ever found for my autistic son.  It relates the part to the whole nicely, is completely logical in progression within the book and between the grades, and provides perfect presentation using experiments first and then the information. I have also heard raves from special needs parents about Shurley Grammar. (Both of mine actually are gifted in that area, at least so far.)  My daughter Meg is dyslexic and Sean is autistic, and we have had to find many resources for them in unusual places.

My children are both looking forward to the discussions!

Kristen McGuire
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Angelicum Staff -

My name may cause some of you to cringe, remembering the problems that I ran into with my order. However, you can relax because I am writing to say how much I appreciate the patience and kindness I received even when I was frustrated and complaining. Looking back, I regret that I was so impatient and less than kind - I hope you'll forgive me.  Thank you for fixing the problems and being such good Christian examples. 

 - name withheld
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Good Morning,

That was an efficient way to send the tests [via email] ---thanks so much!  I'm very impressed that you are able to even function at all so soon after moving [to WA].  I can sincerely appreciate the effort it takes just to do the routine things.

Thanks again,

Susan
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We are very pleased as a whole with the Angelicum curriculum.  My children actually love grammar now (which surprises me to no end). We have struggled with this subject for the past four years and now they love it.  Thank you.

Best regards,

Evelyn Walsh
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I'd like you and all at Angelicum to know that we are very pleased with the program. This year is the most structured and the most rigorous of our six years of homeschooling, and the transition has been a good one for Andrew and Brian. They are handling the increased demands well, and are learning a lot. I think it is both reassuring and challenging to them to know that an outside authority is overseeing and evaluating their work. This is the first year that I have purchased a curriculum, and I am enjoying having lesson plans already done for me! I hope to enroll our daughter Elizabeth in Angelicum next year, for 5th grade.

Happy New Year!

Martha Ea

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My son is involved in the Socratic Discussion with the Angelicum Academy.  You do not need to have typing skills.  A small microphone is used and the child just talks into the microphone.  They receive a reading assignment and a list of questions for that reading via email that the teacher/parent is to discuss with the child before the discussions.  The group he is involved in is the 3rd grade group.  It has helped him to be more confident and secure in expressing his thoughts about things.  He would always look to us after making a comment on something and say "Am I right?"  Now he makes a statement about something and has more confidence in his answers and ability to think for himself. This new ability for him has lead us into some very interesting conversations whereas before he would just listen and not express any thoughts on the subject. I would recommend it for anyone, child as well as adult. . . . 

Pax Christi,

Catherine
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Ds is enrolled as a sophomore with The Angelicum Academy, and is very happy. So are we. The Socratic Seminars provide him with intellectual stimulation and challenges which we could not duplicate anywhere else. The readings are challenging, the weekly seminar a good mental stretch and workout. He does their curriculum for the most part, although he has substituted a more visual approach in math. We've also added in a few things (logic and rhetoric) but at a very slow pace. I supplement the Seminar with my own writing assignments from time to time. We review grammar and diagramming pretty much daily ... in small doses. Sort of homeopathically.

Angelicum has made my life much easier, and ds's academic life more interesting and focused. He loves the seminars ... I do NOT exaggerate. . . . These solid Catholic men of intellect are wonderful mentors for high schoolers. They keep very good order, and combine delightful senses of humor with the ability to discuss deep issues. It was the answer to our prayers that TAA was up and running in time for ds to enroll as a freshman.
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My 9th grade dd does the Angelicum Socratic discussions. I LOVE them (she does too) & feel they're VERY beneficial to her (being able to discuss lit w/about 20 students & 2-3 highly qualified instructors is something I couldn't provide myself).

My comments are based on our experience with the high school program. The reading list was set in late summer. (I think it's posted on their web site.) I believe the readings are very rigorous & time-consuming, yet of a very high quality. (I do have her do lots of work beyond what Angelicum recommends; perhaps the reading wouldn't seem so time-consuming if one did only the Angelicum recommendations.) The students also write a paper about every 3 weeks (graded by one of the Angelicum teachers). At the end of each semester, the students have a one-on-one oral exam (excellent practice for dealing with test preparation & being graded by someone else & being forced to think "on your feet"). . . . As someone else stated, the students speak into a microphone & don't need to know how to type. I'd strongly recommend against auditing; I believe that homeschoolers especially need to learn how to verbalize their thoughts & then be confident enough to "speak up".
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We are enjoying the curriculum and feel we are finally with a program that will teach our children how to think and  wonder.

Pax Christi,
Laurie Boyne

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I think your curriculum is beautiful.  I happened on your website the other day and was quite impressed.

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God's Blessings to You.

Hi.  We have four children, aged 17 months - 8 years. TA seems to be the best choice for us.  We are quite impressed by everything that we have learned about Classical Education and even more impressed by the program offered by TA.  We are truly blessed to have found you. Our excitement builds daily........

 In Christ,

George and Lisa Graas
Radcliff, KY

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