HMA Philosophy

We believe that education should be principle-based. The purpose of education is to develop both character and competence. The study and application of true principles invites individual moral excellence and public virtue; classics in all disciplines best convey principles of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Recognizing that each individual is created by God with unlimited potential, we respect and trust the individual's autonomy to do the hard work of wrestling with principles and ideas. We offer him or her the transformative opportunity to practice, fail, try again, and succeed. We call this the Liber Cycle. The process develops self-directed learners equipped with the ability and passion to pursue the skills, abilities, and knowledge needed to fulfill their unique missions.

We honor the parent's role as their child's primary mentor. More information about this can be found in the Libraries of Hope.

We believe in honoring the natural phases of development. We aim to nurture hearts and inspire natural curiosity while also teaching core fundamental principles and fostering a love of learning. We believe learning is richer and more substantive in a variety of learning environments. We believe failure is essential to learning, and work to create a safe place in which we can practice failure.

HEART

The heart is the means through which circulation is carried on and life is preserved; it is the chief part, the vital part, the vigorous or efficacious part, it is the seat of understanding; the will, or determined purpose; it is courage, spirit and strength.
-Webster 1828

MIND

The mind is the intellectual or intelligent power in man; the understanding; the power that conceives, judges, or reasons. It is intention, purpose, design, inclination, will, desire, and remembrance.
-Webster 1828

ACADEMY

The academy is derived from the Greek word Akadēmos, Plato's garden, a gathering place of dialogue, lecture philosophy, hypothesis, and exploration.

HMA Creed

We believe God created individual men and women and endowed them with agency, unlimited potential, and the ability to govern themselves.
We believe families are ordained of God and that the most important work we do is found within the walls of our homes.
We believe that a liber community should spark curiosity and a love of learning in children, youth and adults.
We believe that to inspire our scholars to own their education, we as parents need to continue our own education.
We believe education should nurture hearts, mold character, and develop the mind.
We believe that hearts are nurtured in large part through music, art, poetry, stories and nature.
We believe families, institutions, communities and nations rise or fall, flourish or fail, at the hands of their leaders.
We believe leadership should be the exercise of moral influence, not coercion, in the service of leading others to new and lofty heights in the human experience.
We believe governments are institutions of men that derive their power from the consent of the governed.
We believe, whether in our homes, communities or institutions of work and worship, each of us is called to lead at some point in our lives and that principles of Well-Educated Heart and Leadership Education best prepare leaders to successfully answer those calls.
We believe individuals and communities thrive when men and women are pursuing and living their personal missions.

HMA does not follow any specific doctrine or denomination, but rather operates under basic Christian values such as loving thy neighbor, seeking peace in the community, and nurturing the hearts of our children. There is no formal or specific religious or doctrinal training within our commonwealth.

Please visit the Libraries of Hope for more information on the basis behind our commonwealth's values. All are welcome!