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“You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your mind.”
Matt 22:37
Love the Lord your
God with all your heart,…you shall teach this diligently to your children…”
Deut. 6: 5 & 7 selected
Although most Christian schools would agree on certain fundamentals, it is imperative that parents examine the foundational beliefs of any school in which they may enroll their child(ren). We believe the best education provides students with a Christian worldview that seeks to properly understand the world and all its "subjects." We believe all knowledge is inter-related and instructs us about God and ourselves. We teach our students to delight in their academics, diligence and high standards of work and conduct.
God
wants us to love Him with our minds, as well as with our hearts, souls, and
strength (Matt. 22:37). Therefore, we seek to individually challenge children
at all levels and teach them how to learn, through the centuries old proven
classical method. It is our desire to help parents teach their children that
all they do should be done “heartily, as unto the Lord.” (Col.
3:23). Therefore, we seek to encourage quality academic work and maintain
high standards of conduct. This combination, Christ-centered and Classical,
allows us to provide a rigorous educational environment that challenges our
students to live and think from a Christian Worldview.
Please review our foundational documents which define the philosophy on which Annapolis Christian Academy is based. These documents include the key elements of Christianity that are unapologetically taught in various ways through all grade levels. All decisions made by the Board and administration of ACA are defined by and based on these foundational beliefs.
A Christ-Centered
Worldview
God is the Source of all knowledge and truth. As Creator of heaven and earth,
God is central to the understanding of history, literature, mathematics, science,
and every other academic discipline. Any attempt to pursue these subjects
without an acceptance of His centrality is ultimately futile.
Therefore,
ACA offers a Christ-centered education, deeply rooted in Scripture.
All subjects are presented from a Biblical worldview, and all teaching is
integrated around the revealed Word of God.
A Distinctly Classical
Approach
An education at ACA is classical in its structure and form as well as in the
content of its studies. From the Middle Ages through the 19th Century, Western
civilization was built and shaped by leaders who were educated in the classical
tradition. The classical method, proven effective over centuries of use, utilizes
a three-tiered approach to education known as the Trivium,
which follows a child’s natural inclinations for learning.
Students first study the grammar, or essential facts & information, of a given subject. In the second stage known as logic, they are taught sound reasoning and the ordered relationships between these essential facts. Finally, in the rhetoric stage, students learn to clearly and persuasively articulate their ideas and to defend truth in both written and oral form. This rigorous educational training produces students who have the ability to learn independently, to analyze logically, to think critically, and to communicate clearly.
“Classical education equips students to think clearly, to write and argue persuasively, and to understand where philosophies and ideas come from. I am convinced that men and women who are able to do this will always lead those who can't”
Susan Wise Bauer, Co-Author
The Well-Trained Mind
This combination of a Christ-centered worldview and Classical education, steeped in history and the great works of literature, will give the students knowledge of what has come before and will provide them with a greater understanding of civilization and its culture. This broad education bounded by the Christ-centered worldview places education in its proper context, fosters a lifelong love for learning, and most importantly, equips the child to meet the challenges of the future. The ultimate goal of a classical education with a Biblical worldview is to inculcate in the heart and mind of the child spiritual values and godly character that will enable each young man and woman to successfully fulfill God’s purposes for his or her life.
FOUNDATIONAL
BELIEFS
PHILOSOPHY ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
We believe that education, as well as all of God’s creation, is subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In our school this works itself out in curriculum, administration, staff, and lifestyles in and out of the classroom. We strive to teach and to live in accordance with biblical standards. In doing this we hope to influence students to love God with heart, soul, strength, and mind. This framework --viewing all of God’s universe and every second of the day through scriptural spectacles -- is called a biblical worldview. We believe that God commands Christians to train up their children with this kind of a worldview.(Deut. 6:4-9, Eph. 6:1-4)
We
believe that our mission, as a Christian school, is to serve Christian parents
in a setting where all parents want and support the same kind of education
for their children. We also believe that Christians, as children of God, should
utilize the highest possible standards of education for their children. Therefore
we do not offer a remedial program, nor do we operate a reform school. Instead
we strive to recover standards of educational excellence from the past and
bring children of Christian parents up to these standards.
We recognize the primary role of the parents as the educators of their children according to God’s Word. Since parents are charged by God with the raising of their children according to God’s Word, it is imperative that they agree with and sign the school’s statement of faith, giving the school permission to teach their child(ren) accordingly.
We believe that the role of the school is to serve Christian parents by assisting them in their biblical responsibility of “training up” their children’s hearts and minds for God’s glory. The teachers stand in the place of parents in part of the educational process but never usurp parental authority nor responsibility. Our teachers exercise great care in referring questions regarding secondary doctrine issues to parents as described in the school’s Statement of Faith. Parents are expected to be involved in all aspects of the students’ school life, be it academic or extra curricular. Students are held to high standards of conduct and Christian behavior.
We believe that the classical model of education is a time-tested and proven methodology. Therefore recovering and implementing these standards from the past is a worthy endeavor. At the core of this classical model is found the trivium. The trivium consists of three parts: 1) the grammar (knowledge) or basics of a subject, 2) the logic (understanding) or integration of subjects and reasoning about them, and 3) the rhetoric (wisdom) or taking what’s been learned and applying it to the world we live in, usually through persuasive communication. (The model for this type of education is described in Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson.)
We believe that, along with the trivium, Latin should be taught to students starting in the third grade. Latin is the root of several other languages, including Spanish and many English words, and it has great vocabulary-building potential. Students benefit from the study of Latin because it involves a very disciplined approach to grammar which teaches students to think in a structured manner about all grammar.
We believe that a complete education in the Grammar school (K-6th) includes Bible, phonics, reading, history, math, geography, music, art, science, English grammar, and Latin. The secondary school (7th-12th) incorporates additional subjects including logic, rhetoric, Spanish, theology, church history, apologetics, comparative worldviews, and an appreciation of our Christian heritage through studies of Western Civilization and American History. All of the above mentioned subjects are taught as an integrated whole within the framework of a biblical worldview.
We believe that history is “the subject”. History is the story of God’s relationship to His creation. History is the record of the outworking of God’s sovereign plan. In order for a student to formulate a worldview that is God-centered instead of man-centered, history should be taught as a story in its entirety and chronologically beginning with creation. In the curriculum, history should be the framework that integrates all of the “other subjects”.
We believe that a vision for education should be long term and that Christian education is an investment in God’s kingdom for generations to come. We recognize that classical education must be a comprehensive K-12 program in order to be complete.
We believe in operating as a Protestant non-denominational school, independent from any one church or denomination; however, we acknowledge the importance of the local church in the lives of all believers. We believe that we should not align ourselves with, nor be manipulated by, any organization(s), or ideals or philosophies of such organization(s), that do not acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We also believe in the importance of being under the authority of and accountable to an accrediting organization which would have a similar vision, mission, goals, core values, and distinctives.
BY-LAWS ( Download PDF ).
