What We Believe about Education
- All truths are God's truths. His Spirit guides us to know Him through His Word (the Bible) and His world. He is with us—the fount of wisdom for children, parents, teachers, and administrators—the source of knowledge. Isaiah 28:23-29, Romans 1:20
- The world God created is both spiritual and physical. He gave us soul, body, and mind united. We ought to offer knowledge of God, the world, and humanity to children as unified whole, not boxed into secular and divine subjects. Mark 12:28-31
- He sent His Son to save us and lead us to God. Jesus was the perfect teacher. He taught through stories and enthralled those who listened with awe and wonder about the nature of God and our relationship with Him. Jesus encouraged the habit of attention for He often urged people to listen the first time and understand. Matthew 13:1-17, Luke 8:8-14, Hebrews 2:1-4
- The concepts of authority and obedience bind us all for we must ultimately submit to God. We ought to avoid wielding our authority by playing upon the emotions of children to force them to learn. Children long to know and do not need artificial rewards and prizes if we allow them to think clear, feel deep, and bear fruit well. Matthew 19:13-15, Ephesians 6:1-4, Philippians 2:5-12
- We are all born with a sin nature and make choices for good or for ill. Children must learn that their will and reason, which is open to error due our fallen nature, affects their choices. Learning to direct their will toward God's will, their eyes toward His Son, and their ears toward whispers from the Holy Spirit serves them well in life. Romans 3:18-28, Romans 8:1-3, Matthew 13:9-19
- Children are born persons—not products to be standardized, tested, graded—not percentiles. They are capable of learning far more than we imagine. We ought to offer a way of learning that allows them to ponder and wonder about things beyond the constraints of the three testable R's—the best of literature, art, music, nature study, etc. Psalm 139:8-18, Matthew 11:25-30
