Freedom Mountain Academy —
Academic Studies

The academic curriculum at Freedom Mountain Academy consists of literature and expository composition, science, history, ethics, and math or independent studies.

Our goal at Freedom Mountain Academy is to reawaken your sons' or daughters' love of learning, untapped potential for creative and analytical thought, and the belief in themselves they once held as little children. Through the structure of our academic program, combined with the hours of time available for thinking "the long, long thoughts of youth," FMA students can become reflective, rather than reactive, thinkers. Classroom studies then lead naturally to the thinking skills required in mountaineering and search-and-rescue training. Students are able to connect with, and build on, ideas presented in the classroom through experiences gained in the mountains and on the farm.

As the school year unfolds, our students awaken to the excitement of History and Literature. Because we make these subjects more comprehensible and relevant to today's teens, students develop an understanding of human interaction that expands their ability to successfully plan a meaningful future.

Etymology and Writing Skills expand students' vocabulary, in turn increasing their ability to think in a more articulate way. Students discover that words are primary building blocks of thought, and the more specific and precise their words are, the more precise their thinking and resulting conclusions will be.

FMA's humanities curriculum (Literature, History, and Ethics) is also structured to provide students with a sense of high adventure through "expeditions of the mind" that explore provocative ideas dating from ancient times to the present.

Within mankind there exists a hunger for ideas that are uplifting and ennobling. High-quality literature feeds this hunger and inspires young minds to dream grandly of high, adventurous goals, to strive toward and transcend them, and to evolve spiritually. The FMA literature program includes: Antigone, by Sophocles; Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell; The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis; The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand; Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; April Morning, by Howard Fast; As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen; The Dry Divide, by Ralph Moody; Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl; The Last Capitalist, by Robert Mirvish; The Home Place, by Fred Gipson; and The Richest Man in Babylon, by George Clasen.

Reading good literature alone is not enough to feed one's awakened sense of the magnificent. A student in pursuit of genuine education (in contrast to mere training) must receive instruction in the techniques of effective, articulate expression. To this end we provide a study of the Greek and Latin etymological contributions to the English language. Concurrently students receive instruction in the techniques of writing literary reviews and evaluating authors' styles and the themes of books they have read. In addition, our program includes a comprehensive review of language basics and introductory business writing.

A proper study of history should enable a person to chart a course through life that results in accomplishment and the sense of satisfaction that comes from a life well lived. At Freedom Mountain Academy we study the history of human progress, an examination of the societal conditions that preceded and gave rise to the 19 civilizations prior to our current one, all of which arose before the liberating inventions of the steam and internal-combustion engines. Our study of the high morale and societal cooperation required to overcome the daunting toil and dangers confronting the pioneers of these civilizations provides deep insight into the challenges and dangers facing mankind today.

Denied animal instincts, humans must guide themselves through life on the motivation provided by their attitudes. Attitudes are strongly held answers we develop to such questions as, "What does this person, object, or idea mean ... to me?" Our answers to these questions are based on inputs we receive directly from our five senses and indirectly from the opinions or ideas of other people. Moreover, our attitudes are strongly influenced by the ethics of our day and our personal moral code. Freedom Mountain Academy students learn the vital difference between the words "moral" and "ethical" and discover how ethical relativism has been used to undermine the moral foundations upon which this country was founded.

Because of the variation in age and academic background of our students, those who require or desire math credits during the FMA year are enrolled in an appropriate course from one of several excellent and accredited distance-learning courses available. During the independent study hour, FMA students taking math or other independent study courses are proctored.

The study of nutrition -- the chemistry of human life -- considers how the interactions of enzyme and vitamin catalysts with nerve and muscle function affect our ability to think and act with maximum clarity and energy. This study ties in with the organic gardening that is part of the afternoon work chores at FMA. Thus the students' academic study relates directly to the methods used to grow many of the nourishing fruits and vegetables that make up a large part of the school diet. Moreover, extensive mountaineering work provides a fascinating laboratory for the ever-changing weather characteristics of the Appalachian Mountains. Basic principles of meteorology and geology studied in the classroom contribute significantly to the students' ability to "read" the mountains and the approaching weather when we are in the field.