About Vita Beata
What is Vita Beata?
"Vita Beata" is a Latin phrase which means "the good life" or "the happy life".
You might ask, what does this have to do with online discussion groups or education in general?
Sir Richard Livingstone was a prolific writer, who along with his peer T.S. Eliot, warned Britons in the midst of World War II of the many social and political challenges that would be confronting them when the war ended. Among his many concerns was the education of British citizens. In examining the purpose of education, Livingston cited a three-fold purpose:
to enable students to one day earn a living;
to enable students to become valued contributors to society; and
to help students come to understand the meaning of the good life
It is in this spirit that Vita Beata discussion groups exist. We are all on a journey to understanding what it means to be living the good life, and this community enables students and their families to grow together!
We are not affiliated with Memoria Press or its family of schools, but our mission is similar, to help families promote the true, the good, and the beautiful by utilizing Memoria Press materials. It should be noted that Memoria Press materials are both classical and Christian in nature, and thus our faith statement is the Apostles’ Creed, the most ancient and widely accepted expression of the basic beliefs of the Christian faith. We welcome students of all faiths, but we ask that you respect our distinctly Christian identity.
Reference: Simmons, Tracy Lee. Climbing Parnassus. ISI Books, 2002. Page 42
How does Vita Beata work?
Vita Beata is designed to provide supplementary reflection and discussion for homeschooled children using specific literature, Classical Studies, history, and supplemental American Studies curricula designed by Memoria Press.
Under parental guidance students will cover the assigned reading and student guide pages throughout the week in order to come to discussion ready to participate. (Please note that Vita Beata is a 32 week program with its own schedule that will vary from the MP lesson plans.) Parents are to ensure the material is read and the questions in the student guide are answered (orally with a parent or in writing) prior to class time.
Weekly discussions for elementary literature, American Studies, and Famous Men classes will last about 45 minutes. Middle school and high school literature, classical studies, and history classes will be 45 minutes - 1 hour. Classes may vary in length depending on the number of students in a class and how well they participate. The moderators will use the Memoria Press Teacher guides to facilitate coverage of comprehension questions and discussion questions as well as their own Socratic questions to cover the material. Students will be encouraged to share any enrichment activities they may have completed, and some moderators may provide review games that cover material on MP quizzes and tests.
Classes meet in their virtual classroom at their assigned time each week. Our lower school classes will have up to 10 students per class and our upper school classes will have up to 12 students per class.
See here to be sure you have a system that will support the online classroom platform.
Vita Beata begins August 26th, 2025 and ends by May 22nd, 2026. There are no classes Nov 24-28 (Thanksgiving), Dec 15-Jan 5 (Christmas / New Year's), March 2-6 (Spring Break), and March 30-April 3 (Holy Week).
If you have any questions about this or any other aspects of this group, please contact admin@vitabeata.org.