One of the most important decisions parents make for their children is where to send them to school. Public school, magnate school, charter school, Christian school, or home school, are just some of the choices facing parents. In addition to the economic considerations a family must make when choosing a school, parents must also wade through concepts such as progressive education, classical education, common core, differentiation, learning styles, collaborative learning, problem-based learning, and STEM - just to name a few.
The overall guiding consideration, however, should be the understanding that the school a child attends will significantly help to form that child’s worldview. In other words, because students spend a majority of their day in the presence of their teachers, the way they view the world and learn how to make decisions will be greatly influenced by those teachers. “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40
This is why we, at Grace Christian Academy, believe that GCA is the best choice that Christian parents can make when choosing a school for their children. Our mission is to assist families by helping to equip students in embracing Biblical truth; striving for academic excellence; and modeling Christ-like leadership to influence homes, churches, and the community for Christ. We assist families in providing a sound education for their children through the integration of faith and learning while being committed to teaching a Biblical worldview in the development of basic spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social skills.
There are five areas that make Grace Christian Academy the right choice for Christian families: spiritual, academic, community, athletic, fine arts.
The overall guiding consideration, however, should be the understanding that the school a child attends will significantly help to form that child’s worldview. In other words, because students spend a majority of their day in the presence of their teachers, the way they view the world and learn how to make decisions will be greatly influenced by those teachers. “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40
This is why we, at Grace Christian Academy, believe that GCA is the best choice that Christian parents can make when choosing a school for their children. Our mission is to assist families by helping to equip students in embracing Biblical truth; striving for academic excellence; and modeling Christ-like leadership to influence homes, churches, and the community for Christ. We assist families in providing a sound education for their children through the integration of faith and learning while being committed to teaching a Biblical worldview in the development of basic spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social skills.
There are five areas that make Grace Christian Academy the right choice for Christian families: spiritual, academic, community, athletic, fine arts.
Academic Value
Grace Christian Academy takes a traditional, or classical, view of education. This traditional view has been developed and honed for over 2,000 years and has produced the greatest thinkers, artists, and inventors in the West. Ironically, it has taken modern educators just 50 years to dismantle this system in public education. However, just because we have a traditional philosophy at GCA does not mean that we don’t pay attention to the latest brain research and best practices, incorporating that which works.
Traditional education was divided up into three categories: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These areas are the basis in how we approach education at Grace.
Elementary Years: Students in this age group have been gifted by God to be little sponges. These “grammar” years are characterized by memorization and the acquisition of facts. Rote memorization has been frowned upon in the modern era, but the latest brain research has actually begun to change that opinion. William R. Klemm, PhD, senior professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University, points out: “We think and solve problems with what is in working memory, which in turn is memory of currently available information or recall of previously memorized information . . . Numerous studies show that the amount of information you can hold in working memory is tightly correlated with IQ and problem-solving ability.”
In addition to the acquisition of facts, students in the elementary grades slowly begin to learn how to apply those facts to solve real world problems and situations.
Junior High: Students in this age group have been gifted with inquisitiveness and the desire to argue so we develop their ability to reason and discern truth. The facts they have learned in math and science are now applied in more complex ways. Students at this age move from learning how to read to reading to learn. Problem solving is more prevalent in all of their activities. One of the differences, however, is that students are not just learning how to apply their knowledge to solve problems, but they are also learning how to identify the problem in the first place.
High School: During these “rhetoric” years, students continue to acquire facts, learning how to reason and discern truth. Students also continue to problem solve but they are stretched by requiring them to consistently use all of the academic disciplines to do so. In high school, students learn in greater detail the skill of taking their knowledge, whether math, science, history, Bible, etc., and organizing it to be communicated in both written and oral formats. At Grace, we have added numerous electives from which students may choose so that the academically talented student will always have the opportunity to be challenged and pushed while the student who needs to be presented with concepts over a greater length of time will also have the chance to develop the academic gifts given by God.
While not following the Trivium of Classical Education to the letter at Grace, we have had great success in preparing students for life and college with this traditional philosophy. We are cognizant that in the 21st century there are a set of skills required for a person to be successful no matter what profession. These skills include the following:
Traditional education was divided up into three categories: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These areas are the basis in how we approach education at Grace.
Elementary Years: Students in this age group have been gifted by God to be little sponges. These “grammar” years are characterized by memorization and the acquisition of facts. Rote memorization has been frowned upon in the modern era, but the latest brain research has actually begun to change that opinion. William R. Klemm, PhD, senior professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University, points out: “We think and solve problems with what is in working memory, which in turn is memory of currently available information or recall of previously memorized information . . . Numerous studies show that the amount of information you can hold in working memory is tightly correlated with IQ and problem-solving ability.”
In addition to the acquisition of facts, students in the elementary grades slowly begin to learn how to apply those facts to solve real world problems and situations.
Junior High: Students in this age group have been gifted with inquisitiveness and the desire to argue so we develop their ability to reason and discern truth. The facts they have learned in math and science are now applied in more complex ways. Students at this age move from learning how to read to reading to learn. Problem solving is more prevalent in all of their activities. One of the differences, however, is that students are not just learning how to apply their knowledge to solve problems, but they are also learning how to identify the problem in the first place.
High School: During these “rhetoric” years, students continue to acquire facts, learning how to reason and discern truth. Students also continue to problem solve but they are stretched by requiring them to consistently use all of the academic disciplines to do so. In high school, students learn in greater detail the skill of taking their knowledge, whether math, science, history, Bible, etc., and organizing it to be communicated in both written and oral formats. At Grace, we have added numerous electives from which students may choose so that the academically talented student will always have the opportunity to be challenged and pushed while the student who needs to be presented with concepts over a greater length of time will also have the chance to develop the academic gifts given by God.
While not following the Trivium of Classical Education to the letter at Grace, we have had great success in preparing students for life and college with this traditional philosophy. We are cognizant that in the 21st century there are a set of skills required for a person to be successful no matter what profession. These skills include the following:
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Our goal is to help students obtain these skills to the extent of their ability. Additionally, Grace Christian Academy has begun the process of becoming a true STEM school. STEM is the acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Even students who are not pursuing a career in one of these categories will benefit from a STEM education as they will be acquiring many of the skills listed above.
We would like caution parents as they are considering the right school for their child. Just because a school labels themselves a STEM school that does not mean they really are one. Being a STEM school is more than just adding an elective class or two, or purchasing certain software. Being a STEM school means that the school educates students to use science, technology, engineering and math skills at all grade levels to solve real world problems.
Probably the most important reason why Christian parents should consider choosing GCA for their children is that every class is taught from a biblical perspective. That means that students learn that our God is a God who communicates and since we are created in His image we must learn to communicate effectively as well. The world around us was created by God and science will help us to understand the wonders of that creation. God is working His plan through human history, so that in learning history we are learning more about our God. All of creation is mathematical, and in learning math we not only learn more about God’s creation, but we actually learn the language of math, which some say is God’s primary language. In technology and in the arts we learn to live out our image in greater depth by being creators ourselves. Learning a foreign language allows us to grow closer to another people who God loves just as much as ourselves. Finally, in learning the Bible, we see God’s plan unfold before our very eyes, and we learn the Gospel message.
Finally, a description of Grace Christian Academy academics would be incomplete without a description of the godly, professional, dedicated teachers God has brought to Grace. In our elementary and secondary programs we have a total of 22 teachers. All of them have bachelor’s degrees in their field. Of those 22 teachers, nine also have master’s degrees with a tenth teacher completing his within a year. Two have two master’s degrees and one will be completing his doctorate this year.
We would like caution parents as they are considering the right school for their child. Just because a school labels themselves a STEM school that does not mean they really are one. Being a STEM school is more than just adding an elective class or two, or purchasing certain software. Being a STEM school means that the school educates students to use science, technology, engineering and math skills at all grade levels to solve real world problems.
Probably the most important reason why Christian parents should consider choosing GCA for their children is that every class is taught from a biblical perspective. That means that students learn that our God is a God who communicates and since we are created in His image we must learn to communicate effectively as well. The world around us was created by God and science will help us to understand the wonders of that creation. God is working His plan through human history, so that in learning history we are learning more about our God. All of creation is mathematical, and in learning math we not only learn more about God’s creation, but we actually learn the language of math, which some say is God’s primary language. In technology and in the arts we learn to live out our image in greater depth by being creators ourselves. Learning a foreign language allows us to grow closer to another people who God loves just as much as ourselves. Finally, in learning the Bible, we see God’s plan unfold before our very eyes, and we learn the Gospel message.
Finally, a description of Grace Christian Academy academics would be incomplete without a description of the godly, professional, dedicated teachers God has brought to Grace. In our elementary and secondary programs we have a total of 22 teachers. All of them have bachelor’s degrees in their field. Of those 22 teachers, nine also have master’s degrees with a tenth teacher completing his within a year. Two have two master’s degrees and one will be completing his doctorate this year.
