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Educational
Philosophy and Goals
of Neighborhood Christian
School
The educational philosophy of Neighborhood
Christian School is based on a God–centered view of truth and man as
presented in the Bible. Since God created and sustains all things
through His Son, Jesus Christ, the universe and all life are
dynamically related to God and have the purpose of glorifying Him. This
especially is true of man who was made in God's image, different in
kind from all other creation, with the unique capacity to know and
respond to God personally and voluntarily. Because man is a sinner by
nature and choice, however, he cannot in this condition either know or
honor God in his life. He can do this only by being born again through
receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and thus be enabled to do
God's will, the ultimate purpose of his life.
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The entire process of
education is seen as a means used by the Holy Spirit to bring the
student into fellowship with God, to help him become mighty in the
Spirit, to assist him in developing a Christian mind, to enable him to
think God's thoughts, and to train him in Christlike character
qualities so that he can fulfill God's total purpose for his life
personally and vocationally. He is taught the Bible so that he may
understand God as well as his own true nature and so that he may
function as a whole person, spiritually, mentally, physically, and
socially. He is taught to see all truth as God's truth and to integrate
it with and interpret it by God's Word. He is educated as an individual
with his own unique abilities and personality who learns to live and
work with others at home, in the church and in a changing secular
society. He interacts with and is taught by parent and teacher models
who are themselves born again and have this perspective on life.
The authority for such an education comes both from God's command that
children be taught to love God and place Him first in their lives and
from the fact that parents are responsible for the total education and
training of their children. Working in cooperation with the parents,
Neighborhood Christian School becomes a partner in giving this
education.
From this philosophy stems the following goals of Neighborhood
Christian School:
For the intellectual growth of the
student, Neighborhood's goals are to:
- promote high academic standards within
the potential of the individual as uniquely created by God and to help
the student realize his full academic potential;
- help the student communicate by teaching
the fundamental processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and
mathematics;
- teach and encourage the use of good study
habits;
- motivate the student to pursue
independent studying areas of personal interest;
- develop creative and critical thinking
and the proper use of Biblical criteria for evaluation;
- develop good citizenship through
developing understanding and appreciation of our Christian and American
heritage of responsible freedom, human dignity and acceptance of
authority;
- discuss current affairs in the various
fields and relate them to God's plan for man;
- produce an understanding and appreciation
for God's world, an awareness of man's role in his environment and his
God–given responsibilities to use and preserve it properly;
- engender an appreciation of the fine arts
through the development of the student's understanding and personal
expression.
For the spiritual and moral
growth of the student, Neighborhood's goals are to:
- teach the Bible as God's inspired Word
and to develop attitudes of love and respect toward it;
- teach a child to pray and grow in
intimacy with Jesus Christ;
- lead the pupil to a decision of
confessing Christ as Savior and Lord;
- develop a desire to know and obey the
will of God daily;
- equip the student to carry out the will
of God daily;
- impart an understanding of each
Christian's place in the church;
- develop proper attitudes toward godliness
and sin as they grow in the "fruit of the Spirit";
- teach submission to authority;
- encourage the development of
self-discipline and responsibility;
- help the student develop for himself a
Christian world view by integrating life and studies with the Bible; and
- teach the basic doctrines of the Bible
(see our Statement of Faith).
For the personal and social
development of the student, Neighborhood's goals are to:
- help the student develop his personality
by accepting himself as a unique individual created in the image of God
and by developing his own capabilities;
- teach the student to treat everyone with
love and respect since they, too, are made in God's image;
- make the student a contributing member of
his society;
- promote responsible understanding of time
as a God-given commodity;
- show a realistic and Biblical view of
life and work and provide skills both for personal relationships and
for future endeavors;
- develop both good and proper attitudes
toward marriage and the family and also the understanding and skills
needed to establish God–honoring homes;
- promote physical fitness, good health
habits, and wise use of the body as the temple of God;
- impart a Biblical attitude toward
material things and to encourage students to use them for God's glory.
For working with the family of
the student, Neighborhood's goals are to:
- cooperate closely with the parents in
each phase of the student's development, especially as it relates to
Neighborhood's school program;
- help the parents understand the school's
purpose and program;
- aid the family in Christian growth and
help in the development of a Christ–centered home;
- assist parents in keeping up with the
changing culture and its effects on the home and implications for their
children;
- encourage regular attendance and
involvement in a local church as a way to honor God and experience
Christian growth and fellowship.
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