Hello! I’m Ellen Finnigan, founder of Teach to the Text. I received my B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. I have been teaching literature and writing online to mostly homeschool students, in one form or another, since 2008—and loving every minute of it! Most recently I taught at Kolbe Academy for nine wonderful years.
The pursuit of truth is what we are born for. It is what makes us human! Truth is best pursued in conversation with others and with the past.
I aim to make classical education more accessible and affordable for homeschool families, and students who might be suffering from low expectations or just looking for a good challenge. I believe in this day and age, all students should have access to great teachers, regardless of where they live, what school they go to, or whether they are enrolled in a school at all, and parents should be able to partner with them more directly.
Admittedly, live classes on a regular schedule can help keep students accountable. We don’t currently offer that here. But live classes can also be crowded and expensive (not to mention all the technological hoop-jumping and bureaucratic rigmarole they entail!) Parents always pay a premium for a live teacher, and especially when it comes to the Great Books, there never seems to be enough time for discussion.
I hope that the model I’ve created at Teach to the Text will allow teachers to share the best of what they have to offer — with more students; meanwhile, parents will never pay for more curriculum than they want or more teacher than they need. I hope students will enjoy a more leisurely form of learning, with the option to focus on the assignments and enrichment opportunities that speak most to their interests and will be of most benefit to them at this stage of their academic career. Meanwhile, there will always be a person behind every product, should you need more help, guidance, teaching, or support.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have inquiries, requests, or suggestions. I look forward to growing Teach to the Text with more offerings — and more excellent teachers! — in the years to come.
God bless,
Ellen Finnigan
Hello!
I am Ms. Finnigan, founder of Teach to the Text. I received a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. I have been teaching literature and writing online to mostly homeschool students, in one form or another, since 2008—and loving every minute of it!
The pursuit of truth is what we are born for. It’s what makes us human! Truth is best pursued in conversation with others and with the past. I aim to make classical education more accessible for homeschooling families, students who want to supplement their learning, and students who are just looking for a good challenge. In this day and age, I believe all students should have access to great teachers, regardless of where they live, what school they go to, or whether they are enrolled in a school at all, and parents should be able to partner with them more directly.
Admittedly, live classes on a regular schedule can help keep students accountable, and can sometimes be fun and engaging. We don’t currently offer that here. But with enrollment in a live class comes a level of standardization with regard to expectations and pacing, and the pressure to “keep up” that doesn’t work for every student. Live online classes can also be crowded and expensive, not to mention all the technological hoop-jumping and bureaucratic rigmarole they entail! Parents always pay a premium for a live teacher, and especially when it comes to the Great Books, there never seems to be enough time for discussion.
I hope that the model I’ve created at Teach to the Text will allow teachers to bring the best of what they have to offer, including the ability to help the students who need them most when called upon, while assuring that parents are never paying for more curriculum than they want or more teacher than they need; meanwhile, students can relish and enjoy the Great Books using a more leisurely form of learning, focusing on the assignments and enrichment opportunities that speak most to their interests and will be of most benefit to them at this stage of their academic career.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have inquiries, suggestions, or requests. I look forward to growing Teach to the Text with more offerings — and of course excellent teachers! — in the coming months and years, and I look forward to serving you “in the classroom”!
God bless,
Ellen Finnigan
What makes for an excellent teacher?
Excellent teachers experiment to improve. Trial and error takes time. So we value creativity and experience.
An excellent teacher loves what they teach, but they also love who they teach. Excellent teachers are passionate and personable.
Knowledge is a must. It can be gleaned from formal education or real world experience, but is only deepened from years of teaching.
Does that sound like you? Would you enjoy teaching to the text instead of teaching to the test?
“I have known Ms. Finnigan for almost 10 years, and she has taught all four of my children in an online school setting. Before we began the high school online curriculum, I was fearful of being able to pass on the knowledge of a classical education – Greek Literature, Roman Literature, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Great Dialogues of Plato, Creative Writing, poetry, etc…. I had never read those Great Books, nor was I a strong writer. Ms. Finnigan assuaged my fears, and she began the process in my children’s minds of them being able to think critically about a piece of literature. By her ability to bring their own viewpoints out in class by participation and discussion, without any particular bias on her part, she opened their minds to a deeper analysis of these works, along with a deeper analysis of themselves. How fortunate a student is to have Ms. Finnigan as a teacher!”
– Elyse Williams
Socrates didn’t teach in a school, yet he was one of the greatest teachers of all time! He just wandered around the town square in a toga, asking people questions. Makes you wonder if we haven’t made this whole “education thing” a little overly complicated.
As a teacher, he didn’t think he was imparting wisdom to anyone; rather, he and his students were pursuing truth together, learning together. When he argued with people, he never tried to embarrass them. He never tried to “win”. He just asked questions.
He believed there was nothing so final or so obvious that it couldn’t be questioned. He asked great questions, so his students learned to ask great questions too.
Socrates believed that the soul was eternal and the purpose of life was to pursue wisdom. He talked about a “voice” that spoke to him, and told him what to do and what not to do. He tried to stay true to himself, to his calling, his values, his principles. He made choices in accordance with his beliefs, and he believed that those choices had eternal significance. He believed that if you lived the right way, then you would go to live with the gods after you die.
Like Socrates, we believe in asking the big questions and trying to find the answers. We are on a quest for wisdom and insight, wherever that may lead us.
Socrates didn’t teach in a school, yet he was one of the greatest teachers of all time! He just wandered around the town square in a toga, asking people questions. Makes you wonder if we haven’t made this whole “education thing” a little overly complicated.
As a teacher, he didn’t think he was imparting wisdom to anyone; rather, he and his students were pursuing truth together, learning together. When he argued with people, he never tried to embarrass them. He never tried to “win”. He just asked questions.
He believed there was nothing so final or so obvious that it couldn’t be questioned. He asked great questions, so his students learned to ask great questions too.
Socrates believed that the soul was eternal and the purpose of life was to pursue wisdom. He talked about a “voice” that spoke to him, and told him what to do and what not to do. He tried to stay true to himself, to his calling, his values, his principles. He made choices in accordance with his beliefs, and he believed that those choices had eternal significance. He believed that if you lived the right way, then you would go to live with the gods after you die.
Like Socrates, we believe in asking the big questions and trying to find the answers. We are on a quest for wisdom and insight, wherever that may lead us.
