Our Story
About us
Loreto Learning focuses on building critical thinking and communication skills to help children connect more deeply with their families and with the world.
We believe that thinking well and communicating effectively help people feel confident and make a meaningful impact on the world around them.
We believe that these skills are key to a deeper human experience and can be enhance by technology.
Our Story Starts in early 2021
After being out of the classroom full-time for over a year, I felt ready to start teaching again in a part-time capacity. I wanted to continue to grow my own family, but I also felt the call to continue teaching.
It was right around COVID, and many schools were still not allowing their students back on campus or would cancel classes if too many students got COVID. So my sister decided to homeschool, and I was happy to help her.
As I homeschooled my nieces and nephews, I realized that they missed opportunities to learn from discussions and debates with students their age and studying the same topics. This was one of my main methods of teaching when I taught in the classroom. My students would always look forward to our history debates, and it was the most rewarding thing for me to see them debate and challenge each other respectfully and based upon the merits of ideas and evidence.
From Homeschooling My Own Family to Helping Other Homeschooling Families
My eyes gradually opened to the amazing benefits of homeschooling. I also really appreciate the fact that homeschooling is very much family-centered.
Kids spend more time with their parents, brothers, and sisters when they homeschool. In addition, they have more time and freedom to explore interests and to weave those seamlessly into “school”. I have become a fan.
So it became a mission for me to help support homeschooling students so that they could also experience the fun and depth of learning through discussions and debates.
And that’s how Loreto Learning started! It’s now become a family venture, with my husband Eric also teaching classes and using his expertise as a former classroom teacher.
Thanks for reading our story! We’re glad you’re here, and we can’t wait to support you in your education journey!
Blessings,
Emmi McCabe
Founder, Loreto Learning
Our Mission and Core Values
At Loreto Learning, our mission is to empower young people to think, create, and communicate virtuously and effectively in a tech-driven world. We aim to help them forge meaningful connections with themselves, their families, and the world around them.
A Faith-Driven Mission
Though we currently don’t have religion classes or explicitly teach religion, the way we behave, teach, think, and interact with others are driven by our Christian faith.
We believe that every person is unique and unrepeatable, and therefore deserves to be treated with profound dignity.
We subscribe to an unchangeable truth and the man was created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, though we may expose students to ideas like utilitarianism and relativism, we challenge the logic of these fads and guide students to understand the critical errors in these lines of thinking.
Growing Up in A Tech-Driven World
Despite 94% of teachers acknowledging the importance of critical thinking, there are significant concerns about whether students are developing these skills effectively.
Teachers report that technology can both aid and inhibit critical thinking development. Many educators feel they lack the resources and training to teach these skills effectively (Reboot Foundation) (Critical Thinking).
Integration with Curriculum: Effective critical thinking education should combine basic knowledge with critical thinking exercises rather than treating them separately. This approach helps students develop deeper understanding and better problem-solving abilities across various subjects (Critical Thinking).
Recent studies highlight that while digital platforms are a significant part of teens’ lives, they also face challenges in communication.
For instance, about 54% of teens report it would be difficult for them to give up social media, indicating a strong dependency on these platforms for social interaction. Moreover, social media has both positive and negative impacts on teens’ communication skills, with many reporting feeling more connected to friends but also experiencing pressure and drama online (Pew Research Center).
Technology offers tremendous opportunities for learning and skill development, but it also presents challenges like distraction and potential addiction.
It’s important to guide young people to use technology as a tool for growth and expression rather than as a source of distraction (MIT SOLVE).
Media Literacy: Media literacy is crucial for fostering informed civic dialogue but is still not widely taught in schools. Only 31% of schools require media literacy courses, despite the recognized need for such education to combat misinformation and foster critical evaluation of information sources (Reboot Foundation).
Future Skills: The rapid pace of technological advancement means that today’s youth must continuously adapt and learn new skills. Critical thinking, adaptability, and lifelong learning are essential for thriving in the 21st-century workforce (MIT SOLVE).
Conclusion
Loreto Learning is dedicated to addressing these challenges by providing young people with the tools and skills they need to think critically and engage in meaningful public dialogue.
We guide students to use technology as a tool for advancing critical thinking, human connection, and creative expression – not as a source of addiction and distraction.
Through classes like history debates, mock trial, and junior filmmaking, we help students build a solid foundation for lifelong learning and active citizenship.