Our Philosophy of Education

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Christian education should be formative, not informative. Therefore, we partner with parents to provide education for mental, physical, and spiritual formation through a joyful culture that passionately seeks truth. The art of learning, as fostered through the *Trivium and Quadrivium, mentally equips the student for continued education throughout life. We employ rigor, not as an aim, but as a means for building strong work ethic in students. Most importantly, this education, infused with God’s Word, equips the student to rightly order their love of God as the utmost, thereby laying a spiritual foundation for virtuous Christian living.   

*Liberal Arts:  The Trivium is the art of words and the Quadrivium is the art of numbers 

Articles for further reading:

EDUCATION'S DISCARDED IMAGE: C. S. LEWIS AND THE THEOLOGICAL TRADITION OF THE LIBERAL ARTS

CHRISTOPHER PERRIN ARTICLE

To study humanity is to study the image-bearers of God. The Humanities encompass history, literature, and theology, as well as a host of other fields of study. We live in a world of academic specialization, yet we can’t fully understand the entire story of humankind, and God’s redemption of it, when the study of history is disjointed from the people and the stories they told. Our study of Humanities is therefore intentionally integrated so that students see the connections between literature and history through a Scriptural lens. Students metaphorically travel through ancient, medieval, and modern societies on an annual rotation. For each era of time studied, literature is intentionally chosen to reveal truth, recognize virtue and vice, and develop biblical discernment. The reading of literature, with deep reflection and discussion, is tantamount to a Liberal Arts education and is at the heart of our Humanities course. Diving into story provides a position of innocence for students as they train their skill of discernment to recognize that which is true, good, and beautiful. 

Beauty is a modern apologetic for the Christian faith, especially in a culture dominated by visuals. It is more important than ever to train our eyes to recognize that which is true, good, and beautiful. The transcendentals are objective because God offers these standards throughout Scripture and they are reflected in the visible universe. The complexities and intricacies revealed in God’s creation deserve our careful attention. As image-bearers observing God’s detailed creativity, we should become “sub-creators” who intentionally reflect God’s beauty back to Him. Artistic expression is rhetorical and reveals what we believe. As Christians we should thereby be producers of good art, and not just consumers of the world’s art. Accordingly, at Chicago Christian Academy we hold the recognition of beautiful art, as well as the skill of creating beautiful art, in high regard.  

At Chicago Christian Academy Bible will be interwoven into the fabric of each class, but we also want to ensure that children have a deep understanding of Scripture.  Therefore we  will have a daily devotional as well as working through New City Catechism daily.   Once a week we will hold a robust chapel where we join together in worship and learning.  Within each humanities course we will discuss Christian worldview while also surveying the Bible for deeper understanding.   Where secondary doctrinal discussion takes place we will default to orthodox beliefs as outlined within our Statement of Faith but will encourage teachers and children alike to come from a position of humility within those necessary discussions.  

Quadrivium

The quadrivium is part of the seven Liberal Arts and lays the foundation for understanding the Cosmos and all that God has created.  We start with arithmetic and build a mastery in the language of numbers, we then move to numbers in space where we see geometry throughout creation.  The study of the cosmos (general science) is the study of numbers in space and time, finally the study of music is the study of numbers in time. The more we understand the concepts in mathematics, and science, the better we understand  our world  and, most importantly,  the Triune God who created it. Ultimately, we study the Quadrivium so that we are equipped to cultivate, innovate and glorify God

Arithmetic 

Mastery in the language of numbers is paramount to being able to interpret the world around us and this language reveals God himself as a God of order and truth.   We build skills in arithmetic and intentionally work to develop a rich sense of numbers  so that they are a language the student can use fluently.   Mathematics teaches objective truth as we solve problems and come to a provable answer, it is therefore not a secular subject but by its very nature is gospel infused as it tells the story of how God ordered the universe.  It is ultimately a creative endeavor, it should be a joy filled discovery of ordered things not laborious with an end of pragmatism.  The intricacies of math reveal an infinite God of infinite detail.  

Geometry

Understanding numbers in space gives us a deeper understanding of our surroundings.  Geometry applies to every object that we see and touch and, likened to all of math, is provable truth.  A deep application of geometric skills lays the foundation for building, for construction, for understanding dimensions and thereby understanding more of God’s creation. 

Science (Cosmos - numbers in time and space)

Science

We understand and know God’s design through studying the world around us, and this knowledge helps build our understanding of God Himself.  Science reveals the supernatural complexity of God’s design and thereby faith cannot be separated from science. We want science to invigorate fascination, therefore we will employ pedagogy that cultivates a holy curiosity for God’s world.  We want students to master concepts that lay the foundation for further studies in science while building the skill of hypothesis, observation, and conclusion while deeply understanding that all truth is God’s truth and we therefore can look at science with anticipation of truth being revealed.  

Music (Numbers in time)

Music is integral to the culture of Chicago Christian Academy. As Christians we are called to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19–21), and as part of the Quadrivium, music is the intersection of numbers in time. Therefore within the Christian Liberal Arts, music is both a spiritual and academic skill to be honed. At Chicago Christian Academy, we build music fluency through formal training and aim to lift our voices to glorify the Lord by weaving choral singing throughout the day.  Students explore various genres of music to help develop an ear for what is true, good, and beautiful. By dedicating intentional time for learning rhythms and growing in musicality, and leaning into a robust choral program, students are equipped to worship the Lord with their voices.

“The final aim and reason of all music is nothing other than the glorification of God and the refreshment of the spirit.” –Johann Sebastian Bach

Music is integral to the culture of Chicago Christian Academy. As Christians we are called to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19–21), and as part of the Quadrivium, music is the intersection of numbers in time. Therefore within the Christian Liberal Arts, music is both a spiritual and academic skill to be honed. At Chicago Christian Academy, we build music fluency through formal training and aim to lift our voices to glorify the Lord by weaving choral singing throughout the day.  Students explore various genres of music to help develop an ear for what is true, good, and beautiful. By dedicating intentional time for learning rhythms and growing in musicality, and leaning into a robust choral program, students are equipped to worship the Lord with their voices.

“The final aim and reason of all music is nothing other than the glorification of God and the refreshment of the spirit.” –Johann Sebastian Bach

At Chicago Christian Academy we will study Latin following three years of English grammar skills. Latin reinforces English grammar as students apply their knowledge to a new language. Latin is a well-ordered language and delivers a solid foundation to understanding language in general. Latin builds a solid vocabulary foundation and helps hone etymological skills, as it is the base of our legal and medical terms as well as being the root of all Romantic languages. Latin is also the language of Rome, which was the culture in which Christ came. Many foundational documents for the Christian Church were written in Latin. The clear communication of Latin makes it not only a beneficial language to study but also an excellent language to be able to translate and interpret for deeper understanding.