Our Philosophy of Education

The educational philosophy of North River Christian Academy (John 17:17; II Cor. 13:8) is founded on the truth that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God which contains this truth (II Pet. 2:20-21). It is further based on the belief that God is the creator and sustainer of all things and that mankind's greatest need is to be in a right relationship with Him. We acknowledge that man is a sinner by nature and choice, and possessing a fallen intellect, cannot of himself know God or please Him. This is only possible by choosing to accept the free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, thereby committing one's life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (John 6:40). 

We desire for the Word of God to permeate all areas of our curriculum, and not be just a separate subject taught on a purely intellectual basis (Rom. 10:2-3, I Cor. 2:10-16). It is from this view of the spiritual needs of the students that we approach the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical aspects of the whole child. 

Intellectually, it is God's desire for His people to learn to love Him with all their minds and be transformed through the renewing of their minds to see all of life and learning from His perspective (Matt. 22:37; Rom. 12:2). Since God has revealed Himself to us, not only through His Word but also through His Creation, a God-focused, thoughtful study of His Creation reveals to us His glory and aspects of His righteous character (Gen. 1; Ps. 19:1; Isa. 6:3; 1 Tim. 4:4). This philosophy causes us to diligently study God's Creation and pursue high academic standards as a means of equipping students to become credible, effective, Christ-like leaders in every sphere of influence God has prepared for them (II Tim. 2:21, Phil. 2:15). 

Socially, God has created us to live in community (Ps. 133:1) and to function as salt and light in human society (Matt. 5:13, 16). We therefore need to provide opportunities for appropriate interaction within the community of believers characterized by purity, forgiveness, and mutual respect, as well as teaching the skills to successfully impact society with mercy, justice, and truth. (Gal. 6:10, I Pet. 3:15) 

Emotionally, since God desires a relationship with us that is genuine and exuberant (II Sam. 6:5; Mark 14:6-9) and relationships with others marked by humility and selflessness (Phil. 2:3-4), the school must provide emotional coaching and a safe environment through enforcement of discipline policies. 

Physically, because we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14), we must be intentional about using P.E., athletics, health, nutrition, and instruction about purity to ensure that we teach good stewardship of our bodies. (II Cor. 6:16) 

We further believe that God has instituted the family as the major arena of teaching for children. We therefore seek to be of assistance to families by providing a message to students that is consistent with that given in the Christian home and church. We recognize the authority of the parents and do not seek to replace them in authority but rather to assist only (Eph. 6:1-2). We desire to cooperate closely with parents in every phase of the development of the students within the framework of our stated purposes. 

In summary, North River Christian Academy is to be a biblically-based (Prov. 1:7), academically excellent (Prov. 4:7), affordable assistance (I John 3:17) to Christian families (Deut. 6:7) who want to equip their children to influence the world for Christ and develop leaders with well-trained intellects subject to righteous character (Prov. 4:5, 18).