FAQ: The Master's Study

Is this a school that meets every day?

The Masters Study is a school for home schoolers that serves to enhance what you are teaching at home. From kindergarten through third grade, students attend classes once every other week. From fourth grade through high school, the students meet once a week.

What kind of school is it?

This is a history-based liberal arts program that follows the Classical Christian philosophy. Classes that are not part of a liberal arts program are occasionally available as electives.

What do you mean by “Classical”?

TMS encourages parents of prospective students to read Christine Miller’s essay for an explanation of the basic characteristics of a Classical education.
In 1947, Dorothy Sayers gave a lecture to her collegues at Oxford which, in turn, spurred a new awakening of this approach.
Rev. Douglas Wilson of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho was one of the early renewers of Classical Christian education and has distinguished himself through prolific writing on the subject.
Andrew Kern, of the Circe Institute, continues the work of cultivating individuals and organizations pursuing the prize of Classical Christian Education. If there is any man alive today who is true-to-the-heart of Classical Christiany, it would be Andrew Kern!

Why liberal arts?

History, art, music, and drama comprise the core curriculum in our program. High schoolers also study literature and writing. We are training young people to develop an understanding of the history of Western Civilization and beyond. In this way, Masters Study students develop insight into understanding the world view of individuals and their culture.

What is a “world view”?

A person’s world view is the belief system that guides and directs his decisions and actions in every facet of life. There is no such thing as neutrality. Everything we do is guided by our world view. We want our children to think like Francis Schaeffer who founded the L'Abri Fellowship, thereby understanding the world view of a given culture and time period, so as to impact our current culture for Christ.

Tell me about the classes.

All classes are taught from a Biblical world view. Each covers material from the time period simultaneously studied in history class. For example, this year we will be studying the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. How did the political, religious, and cultural events affect each other? How do we see God's hand working through the events of this time, and what impact did it have on future generations? The art classes will cover art basics appropriate to the age level, and the work they will imitate will be from this period. Music, drama (and for the high schoolers, literature and writing) will work the same way, corresponding to what is being taught in history and the other core classes. So when high school students are reading Taming of the Shrew in Literature, they'll also be acting out parts from the story in Drama class.

You mentioned electives. What is available?

Ballet, Physical Education, Orchestra, and Sporting for Future Men.

What’s Sporting for Future Men?

It's a sporting activity where the dads and sons meet once a month to do sports, but also to work on character development and verse memorization. The goal is to help young men learn to master control of body, mind and soul in the spirit of 1 Thessalonians 4:4.

What curricula do you use?

Tapestry of Grace is our curriculum for history. Many families in our school use it at home. It provides everything you need except math and science (like world view. training, literature, writing, geography, government, fine arts, and more). Marcia Somerville and her husband Scott Somerville, Home School Legal Defense lawyer, wrote the curriculum. Though not an academic curriculum, Future Men by Doug Wilson is the inspiration for Sporting for Future Men.

But I don’t want to do the same historical period as you this year.

If your children are younger, this is not a problem. They can absorb the facts and piece it together as they develop. As they grow older, however, it may be more overwhelming for them to juggle an intense study of two different time periods. Again, the purpose of this group is to enhance what you are doing at home at the younger levels.

In order to provide like-minded support for older students, it is necessary that high school students use Tapestry of Grace in their home curriculum, studying the same time period we are covering in Masters.

What’s the schedule?

For students in kindergarten through third/fourth grade, classes meet every other Friday morning beginning September 9 at College Park Church. Fourth through twelfth grade students will meet every Friday. Please see the calendar for more details.

Is there a dress code?

Girls wear white shirts with khaki or navy skirts, pants, or skorts. Boys wear white shirts with khaki or navy pants.

What is the cost?

The non-refundable registration is $95 per child. Children in the five- to six-year-old class are $350. Children ages seven through thirteen (8 th grade) are $490. High school students are $590. These fees do not include the registration cost. Except for the registration, fees are paid in full, twice a year, or on a monthly basis.There are additional costs for supplies for art classes.

For multiple child discounts. Please contact us for further information or refer to your parent handbook.

Ballet costs: The first semester is $100 per girl; the second semester is $150 per girl.

Physical Education: The first semester is $100 per boy for every week or $40 for the main weeks (days when all TMS students attend core classes); the second semester is $150 per boy for all weeks or $75 for the main weeks.

Sporting for Future Men: $15 per boy

Master's Youth Orchestra: $250/year; payments can be done $50 /month starting in September and finishing in January.

How do I register?

You can download an application on our website. Email us with questions at info@themastersstudy.org or call 317-517-7254. Registration forms and the initial $95 fee are due at the time of registration and is not refundable.

I have more questions.

Feel free to send questions our way at info@themastersstudy.org or call 317-517-7254.

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FAQ: Tapestry of Grace

What is Tapestry of Grace?

Tapestry of Grace (TOG) is a history curriculum prepared by Marcia Sommerville, wife of Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Scott Sommerville. TOG incorporates many other subjects (see next question). She has broken down the study into four historical eras, according to the Classical approach: The Ancients; Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation; Classical and Baroque; and Romantic and Modern Times.

For each of these eras, she has written a curriculum that can be used for all grade levels. How’s that? There are four age groups used: Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric. Why don’t we just call it lower and upper elementary, junior high, and high school? Well it’s not quite broken down into those age groups, though it’s close. For a clear explanation of these levels, see Christine Miller’s overview.

What is the philosophical basis for this curriculum?

This is what Marcia Sommerville, author of the curriculum, explains on her web site:

"As Christians, we believe in a sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient God who rules and reigns in all the details of history.

• We believe that He created all the earth and its inhabitants for His divine purposes.
• Therefore, all of history glorifies Him and teaches us something about Him.
• Knowing history helps people to know our origins and sense our destiny. It humbles us, reminding us that we are creatures, finite, small, and completely in God’s power. We do not deny that human beings have free will, nor that our choices are real, and have real consequences. But, in our modern world where we seem to have so much control, it is important for our children to learn that their lives are to fit into God’s plan, not that they are only required to 'make room' in their busy lives for Him.

"Acts 13:36 says For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. Our children will serve God's purposes in their generation! How good for them to participate wholeheartedly in trying to discern those purposes and fulfill them willingly and actively!

"Of the historical content itself, Tapestry of Grace covers two very different, but complementary, elements.

1. First, it covers major historical flow and themes. These are the broad moves of God in history. They are the aspects of His plan that recur again and again.
2. Second, it covers the facts of history: the individual events and people and dates which make up that flow and illustrate those themes, and which are not repeated.

"In the course of studying these two main elements, the following disciplines are integrated into the students’ studies:

• Biblical, Christian World view Development
• Historical Reading Literature
• Writing Instruction
• Vocabulary
• Time Line
• Hands-On Projects
• Geography Government
• Finel arts
• Choir
• Church History
• Discussion Notes "

Why does TOG devote two whole years of study to only 200 years of history?

This curriculum is first World view driven and second High-School driven. The following is explained on the TOG web site:

"World view driven: this plan is primarily focused on teaching parents how to direct their children in developing a God-centered, Biblically accurate World view The majority of the issues your children face, and the schools of thought they will encounter in defending the gospel to the lost and dying world they will encounter, developed during the last 200 years. To be sure, we must understand the human story from its inception to understand he problems we face today, but the 'intellectual air' we 'breathe' today was more informed by the events and philosophies of the last two centuries than in the thousands of years that went before. Thus, Tapestry of Grace focuses more time and attention on those 200 years.

"High School driven: the meat of a World view is most often developed during the High School years. Since most families want their children to finish high school in 4 years, it seems logical to allow the high school study pace to dictate the entire plan. The focus of Grammar and Dialectic years is on first building basic 'fact banks' and then on beginning to make thematic sense of those fact banks. Since there is no definitive pace to this process, again, it seems logical to allow the needs of our high school ers to dictate the structure/pace."

What sorts of books are included in the curriculum?

It is not in keeping with the Classical philosophy to use text books as resources. The Great Books of literature, historical fiction, and biographies generally comprise the reading list, although some children’s texts, such as Dorling Kindersley or Usborne books are referred to, according to each family’s preference. Mrs. Sommerville has compiled a list of suggested books for each historical era and each age level. A sampling of these books is mentioned on the FAQ page of her web site We also rely on All Through the Ages by Christine Miller as an excellent book list.

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FAQ: Home Education

Do you lead and/or teach every subject everyday?

When students are young and you’re just starting out, there ism’t a lot of material to cover. At the most, you will be covering phonics, some basic math, and practicing writing. You don’t need to spend more than about two hours a day on these basic subjects, and yes, much of this time is spent with the child. Be careful that you don’t get over ambitious with your kindergartner and find yourself overwhelmed.

As students grow older they do more self-learning and are able to work more independently. With older students we don't teach everything; we can't. There are a few options families have for filling in the gaps: Some teaching can be hired out, the older students can sometimes teach themselves, and sometimes Dad can take over a particular subject in the evenings or on weekends. For science in the younger years you can do nature study and lots of reading. Often parents get them started on a subject and students can take it from there.

How do you schedule your day as a family? Do you plan things out two weeks at a time? Six weeks? No planning at all? How much time does home schooling take?

We do general planning for the entire school year, then short-term planning frequently throughout the year. This is broken down into monthly goals, weekly plans, and daily schedules. Monthly goal planning allows us to change our goals as we see their progress. I highly recommend Managers of their Homes by Terri Maxwell. She has written a wonderful guide for home schooling moms, particularly for those with multiple children, to help them balance housework and home schooling We see a schedule as essential to success.

Do you use the internet at all in your schooling?

We do use the internet to research information. Many wonderful resources are also available online, not the least of which is the Marion County Public Library. One of our favorite home schooling resource sites is Christine Miller’s site on Classical Christian home schooling Most curriculum providers are online and you can purchase your materials directly through their web sites, not to mention the overwhelming collection of sites on varying educational topics, philosophical essays, and a wealth of information in general.

What are some great resources you would recommend?

At Christine Miller’s support loop site, you will find several good recommendations with brief explanations on each. Some of those resources plus a few of our finds are listed below.

1. Discussion Boards listed at Support for Classical Educators
2. For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley;
3. A list of Good and Great books
4. The Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason
5. Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
6. How Should We then Live? By Francis Schaeffer
7. Invitation to the Classics by Os Guiness and Louise Cowen
8. The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers
9. Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Doug Wilson
10. Why Johnny Can’t Read by Rudolf Flesch
11. You Can Teach Your Child Successfully by Ruth Beechick
12. All Through the Ages by Christine Miller.

Do I need to tell the State or local school that we are home schooling?

(This answer only applies to those living in Indiana). If you are pulling your child out of the public schools, the state needs a letter stating as much. If they have never been in the public school system, no letter is needed. The state would love for you to tell them so they can track the numbers, but you give up certain freedoms in doing this. It is our autonomy that has allowed home schoolers to be such a success. For more information, visit the Home School Legal Defense Association web site and specifically visit their page on Indiana’s requirements. In fact, it is a good idea to print the sheet of requirements out and put it in your planning notebook every year.

Is home schooling expensive?

Home schooling can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you make it. It depends on many factors, including what kinds of materials and resources you choose to use, how many children you will be home schooling, and whether or not you will be giving up paid employment in order to home school your children.

You can easily spend a small fortune on all the wonderful learning materials and books available. On the other hand, many excellent free resources are available through the public library, and learning opportunities in the area, such as museums and field trips.

My oldest is a toddler. What should I be doing now to prepare?

The answer is two-fold. With your child, you will want to read, read, and read some more to him. Do puzzles, play with him, and work on character development. Work on first-time obedience and do some simple Bible verse memorization. Proverbs are a good place start. You can also purchase or check out of the library the book Slow and Steady, Get me Ready by June Oberlander. It is a collection of weekly activities you can do with your little one from birth through age 5.

Besides what you are doing directly with your child, read all you can on home schooling and the philosophies directing it. Even within the home schooling culture, there are differences in philosophy. Become familiar with them and get an idea of the different philosophies. Classical is the philosophy of choice for the families involved in The Masters Study. Find out how it’s different from the “Lifestyle Learning” approach (also called Un-schooling), learn about Charlotte Mason and where that approach overlaps with Classical. Again, Christine Miller’s web site is a helpful place to start. She has numerous links to essays that will give you a good overview of what debates are taking place within home schooling circles. Keep in mind that knowing all of this isn’t necessary to home school well, but if your child isn’t ready for academic work yet, you can use the time to inform yourself. The more you know, the better understanding you have of the direction you want to take.

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