FAQ

What classes does this class count for? How many credits can I give?

Logic: 10 units per year (5 per semester) of Logic/Critical Thinking

The Inklings: 30 units per year (15 per semester), or three high school classes of British Literature, Philosophy, and Bible/Theology

Foundations of American Thought: 35 units per year (20 first semester, 15 second semester), or three high school classes of American Literature, American History, Government, and Bible/Theology

Faith of our Fathers: 30 units per year (15 per semester), or three high school classes of World Literature, World History, and Bible/Theology.

Shakespeare: 10 units per year (5 per semester) of Fine Arts or British Literature.

Other credits for Inklings, Foundations, or Faith can be given in place of one or more of the recommended courses as long as it is within the humanities (English Language Arts, History, Philosophy, Social Science, Theology, Bible) and compatible with the curriculum (e.g. you cannot give American History credit for Inklings). Foundations of American Thought counts as 35 units because a semester of government is included.

My ISP or umbrella school will only give 10 units or one class worth of credit for my student's participation in Torrey Academy. What should I do?

If your ISP is hesitant to award a student the full 30 to 35 units of credit for completing a Torrey Academy class, we suggest that you refer your school representative to our website, specifically to the Course Descriptions and pages. If you are already enrolled in a Torrey Academy class and have received your course materials, it would also be helpful to show your school official your Torrey Academy Handbook and your students class notebook which further document the nature of the course and the amount of coursework. The scope and depth of study along with the time invested more than fulfill the requirements for high school graduation credit as recommended. If your school official has further questions, please direct them to contact us.

How much time will this class require each day or week?

Because Inklings, Foundations, and Faith are each worth at least 30 units or three classes, your student should expect to spend an average of 20 hours per week on Torrey Academy work, including class discussions, reading, and written and other assignments. A Torrey Academy class should thus make up half to two-thirds of the student's semester course load.

The above time commitments are appropriate, because Torrey Academy classes are challenging, honors-level courses. If a student considers their education to be a "full-time job," they should expect to spend 30-40 hours a week on it. Since a regular course load is 5-6 classes, Torrey Academy should take up about half of that time, leaving time for other college prep course requirements such as math, science, and foreign language.

Because Logic and Shakespeare are each worth 10 units, or a single class, your student should expect to spend an average of 6-7 hours a week on them, including class time, reading and written and other assignments.

What other classes should my student be taking in addition to Torrey?

In addition to physical education and fine arts electives, math, science, and foreign language are also required for high school graduation and college admission. We recommend enrolling a new Torrey Academy student in only one or two additional academic classes during their first semester in a Torrey Academy class. This is, of course, variable depending on the student's abilities and extra curricular commitments. Many students may find three additional classes with Torrey to be a manageable load. If you are unsure about what your student can handle, we advise erring on the side of caution, as the transition to the unique experience that is Torrey Academy can be somewhat overwhelming during the initial semester.

A practical way to evaluate whether a proposed school schedule will work is to add up the estimated weekly hours of all school related activities. If the total is 40 hours a week or under, the schedule is doable. If the total is much more than 40, a commitment or two will probably need to be eliminated. Please see our Suggested Course Schedule for a couple examples of how Torrey Academy might fit in with a college-prep high school course plan.

Extra-curricular activities such as theater, band, youth group, job, and ministry, also contribute to the amount of academic course work a student can take. If you are counting some of the student's extracurricular activities as fine arts or business electives, you can add the credit-earning hours spent on that activity to the curricular total to get your 40 hours per week.Extra-curricular activities such as theater, band, youth group, job, and ministry, also contribute to the amount of academic course work a student can take. If you are counting some of the student's extracurricular activities as fine arts or business electives, you can add the credit-earning hours spent on that activity to the curricular total to get your 40 hours per week.

Outside of the 40 hours, how much is too much? That varies from family to family and from individual to individual. Our rule of thumb is to make sure there is time for each student to participate in corporate worship, private prayer and devotions, and household chores, and to reserve eight hours of sleep time per night and sufficient "down time" and physical activity throughout the week. We all know the value of healthy, well-rounded, not-overly-stressed schedules.

We would like to take a family vacation/go on a mission trip during the school year. Is it ok if our student misses class for a couple weeks?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Missing assignments and class discussions will negatively affect the student's grade, since all course work in Torrey Academy is required, and letter grades are given by the tutor each semester. If the student works ahead over the summer, does work on the trip, or makes up work within the semester, then his grade will be maintained. Apart from the grade, the student's experience in the class will be compromised if they miss out on a significant portion of the ongoing class conversation that builds over the course of the year as students bond as a class, and discover new insights together.

We do not recommend missing any significant amount of class time and are reluctant to make special arrangements. In extreme circumstances wherein a significant amount of work is missed and not made up, the family might consider working with the tutor to earn only 2 classes worth of credit and to "excuse" the missed work. However, the tutor will not be able to reflect this special arrangement in the official grade report submitted each quarter and semester; parents will be solely responsible for documenting and reporting credits and grades in such circumstances.

Does my student have to be a "gifted" or "bright" student to make it in this class?

No; we expect the students in Torrey Academy to be at varying levels of reading, writing, and thinking ability. We believe that the best way to become a good reader is to read good books and write and talk about them with friends who can help you think critically about what you've read. We also believe that the best way to become a good writer is to read work written by good writers and to practice writing with clearly communicated expectations combined with plenty of personalized feedback. Torrey Academy provides these opportunities.

Does my student need to meet any special requirements or prerequisites?

Prerequisites for Logic and The Inklings are the ability to read at a basic high school level, the ability to write complete sentences and paragraphs, and a willing attitude. Excessively lazy or apathetic students will find this class unbearable, however bright they happen to be. Basic word processing and typing skills are also necessary.

If you are planning in advance, we always recommend as a good writing foundation the STAR composition classes for seventh through ninth grades and IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing).

Is the Curriculum difficult?

No. We have designed the curriculum to be very accessible. The authors in the Inklings class are fun to read since they write at the common or "lay" level. Students at many levels thoroughly enjoy reading fiction by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, just to mention a few.

What if my student is a slow reader, or has a learning disability?

Our commitment to you as the parent and to your student is to ensure that the student spends no more than 20 hours per week on a Torrey Academy core class, or 10 hours per week for Logic and Shakespeare. This means that if, under your supervision, your student is honestly working their hardest and doing their best work and is consistently spending more than the specified time per week, we will lower the work load for your student. If you think that this is the case, you will need to log and document the times your student works on Torrey Academy for a couple of weeks. The log should be shown to the tutor, so he can work with you to find ways to improve efficiency and/or to lower the workload.

Can my first year student take the Foundation of American Thought class instead of or before taking Inklings?

Yes, only if the student is a graduating senior. This is to accommodate seniors who still need U.S. History, American Literature, and/or Government credits to graduate. However, we almost always recommend Inklings as the place to start. Students who will be juniors or younger must begin with Inklings. We hold to this policy because we believe that Inklings is the best introduction and foundation for the other two classes both in terms of academic rigor and in spiritual formation. Even those who have participated in other honors and/or classical programs have found our courses to be very challenging. We want to ensure the best possible chance for success and satisfaction, and we believe taking Inklings first does this.

Can my second year student take Faith of our Fathers instead of Foundations of American Thought?

Yes, only if the student is a graduating senior and has completed Inklings.

Who should take Logic?

Logic is considered a prequel to the core Torrey Academy classes, and is best taken as a freshman, but can be taken by any student in 9th-12th grade. Logic helps many students succeed in Torrey Academy, and so we recommend that all Torrey Academy students take it. Many students currently in a core class take Logic concurrently.

Can my student take Inklings as a 9th grader?

Yes. If your student is emotionally and socially mature enough, can write an essay, and is able to work at a fast enough pace to keep up with the quantity of assignments within the 20-hour-per-week average work time, your student is probably ready to start Torrey Academy. To see if your student is prepared for the curriculum, have your student read a copy of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. If your student understands the main ides more or less and can finish the book within a week (10 to 20 hours), please call or email Torrey Academy to request permission from the Senior Academic Administrator to sign him up for Torrey!

Who can take Torrey Academy Shakespeare?

Students who are concurrently enrolled in Foundations or Faith, or students who have completed all three core Torrey Academy classes, may sign up to take Shakespeare. We do not allow Logic or Inklings students to take Shakespeare because the class was designed as intense preparation for the requirements of the Torrey Honors Institute. Discussions will assume that students are more mature and can develop ideas without as much hand-holding from the tutor, and written assignments are less structured, and encourage more independent work than in Inklings. This is not only developmentally appropriate, but appropriate for students who are about to enter college. We do not allow non-Torrey students to take Shakespeare because we think the core Torrey Academy classes are the best preparation for this class.

Should my student take Shakespeare if he is not planning on going to the Torrey Honors Institute?

Yes! Skills required for success in THI will also help students attending any college. Students in Shakespeare will learn to better articulate their ideas, both written and verbal, will continue to learn to think well, read well, and write well. If your student is in Foundations or Faith, or has completed all three core Torrey Academy classes, sign them up for Shakespeare!

What are my responsibilities as the parent for a class of this type?

Parent involvement is absolutely essential for the student's success. Parents will need to supervise computer time, proofread writing assignments, and, very importantly, oversee the student's time management and scheduling for the class assignments. Whether or not the parent has time to read the books, continuing the discussions from class at home is extremely valuable to the student's experience. Being able to address the same foundational questions at home as in class fosters unity within the family and supports the student's journey toward a personal faith. It also gives you as the parent the opportunity to share your beliefs with your student on the key issues of faith and living. Additionally, it is necessary for parents of Logic students to review homework and in-class assignments with their students and to read enough of the text to be able to help their students with their homework and test preparation.

Additionally, parents are required to serve as parent helpers at least once a semester. Parent helpers will assist the tutor with tasks such as recording attendance, passing back assignments, and notebook checks. Being a parent helper is also your opportunity to see what a Torrey Academy discussion is like, and to more fully understand what your student is learning.

Please note that we do not allow parents to sit in on days when they are not serving as a parent helper, in order to allow the students to flourish in discussion without worrying about "performing" for multiple observers. Instead, we encourage you to ask your student about discussion topics after each class in order to continue the discussion at home.

What work is required for the core classes?

Students will:
• Read an average of 125 pages of primary source material each week
• Complete at least one substantial written assignment each week
• Participate actively in weekly group discussions
• Completion of assigned course work for Torrey Academy students is required, and students receive documentation of course completion and a grade for their efforts