Life @ WCA Staff Mr. Todd Kotila , Headmaster
Mr. Todd Kotila
Headmaster
Mr. Todd Kotila came to Whitefish Christian Academy in May of 2009. Mr. Kotila was raised in Polson where he fell in love with his beautiful and brilliant wife Deanna in the sixth grade. They have two lovely teenage daughters. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula, Davidson Honors College, and graduated with a BA in Classics (Classical Greek & Classical Latin), magna cum laude. From there he traveled to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and Seattle for graduate studies in Theology. Mr. Kotila has taught Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and numerous New Testament and theology classes. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Whitefish Ministerial Association and is a member of Rotary. Mr. Kotila enjoys reading, spending time with his girls, working with his hands and trap shooting. To contact Mr. Kotila, click here.
Headmaster's Chants
If you've not attended one of our chapel services or been on campus to see our chants in action, you may not be familiar with my preferred method of teaching values. These short sayings, where the first phrase initiates an in-unison response from the students, are an ideal way to teach. They encapsulate distilled biblical truths and the Academy's core values. These create a marvelous esprit de corps and provide all of us a means to admonish, exhort and encourage one another.
Reading Resources
Here are few of my favorite resources on a variety of subjects either directly related to or closely associated with Classical Christian Education. They are roughly listed in the order I would recommend reading them.
My top picks:
"The Lost Tools of Learning" Dorothy Sayers (text of a speech)
Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson
The Seven Laws of Teaching, John Milton Gregory
Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, Robert Littlejohn & Charles T. Evans
Repairing the Ruins, edited by Douglas Wilson
The Case for Classical Christian Education, Douglas Wilson
Other good materials:
Education, Christianity, and the State, J. Gresham Machen
The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis
Ideas Have Consequences, Richard Weaver
On Secular Education, R.L. Dabney
Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do About It, Rudolf Flesch
The Paideia of God, Douglas Wilson
Finally, if you're a glutton for punishment try these:
On Christian Doctrine, Augustine (n.b., distinctly Christian vision for liberal arts education)
The Marriage of Philogy and Mercury, Martianus Capella (n.b., non-Christian, Seven Liberal Arts)
Institutiones (or Institutes of Divine and Human Readings), Cassiodorus Senator (n.b., influence on monastic learning)
Institutes of Oratory (or Education of an Orator), Quintilian (n.b., influence on Middle Ages pedagogy)
Timeless winners:
The Bible (all-time #1 book!)
The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution of the United States
The Bill of Rights
Video Recommendations
The Cartel A brisk, incisive and mind-boggling – no other phrase will work – exposé. - Los Angeles Times, The Cartel...takes on the 'unconscionable failure' of New Jersey's public schools. - USA Today
Waiting for Superman Powerful. Compelling. A Revolution. - Time Magazine