Science Education through a Christian Worldview

I love my job. What a blessing to work with this amazing staff to try—in whatever way possible—to inspire awe in our students for this complex world. Come on, that is a worthy, daily challenge. Oh, wait, I can also begin each science class with prayer to the designer of everything? Outstanding.

But, why science? There are a lot of topics being taught at The River Academy, so why tackle Physical Science, Biology, Physics and Chemistry? Easy. I am, and will always be, fascinated by the intricacies of living organisms, patterns within the laws of motion, our immense galaxy (let alone the universe), and the countless reactions of simple elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Man will never have it all figured out, but it is sure fun to try.  

Do I always succeed in prompting this same fascination in our students? Absolutely not, but maybe along the way our students also learn practical life skills like organization with lab journals and collaboration through problem solving, projects, and debates. How satisfying to see 9th grade teams vivaciously debate energy production. Why?  Because they are willing to examine and communicate to each other about real world problems that they may have never given a single thought to before. That is good stuff.

Our textbook is a regular, secular text by choice because we want our students to banter evolution alongside creationism. Armed with a Christian worldview, our students should have already discussed ever changing theories on how the universe and life began with and without including God’s perfect design. People in this world will challenge them. Let’s be honest: their friends already are, so it is wise to figure out where these ideas are coming from for a ready response.

Science should be hands-on and teach us that we can make guesses and be wrong. We can use our logic to problem solve and make corrections as needed. Our students should find it challenging to remember the details in the DNA code. They need to be willing to make mistakes as they attempt to understand the protein pumps in plasma membranes of each and every cell of their bodies. May they also appreciate that plants are way cooler than us because they can make their own food through photosynthesis.  

Do I hope that our students will leave TRA and become employed in a science field? Sure. But, it is more about instilling curiosity for the unknown and feeling humbled by the vastness of creation and the Creator. It is those light bulb moments when a student realizes that the moon changes its position constantly and is the reason our oceans have tides. It is fun to watch students help and challenge each other to solve puzzles as they ask “why?” and “how?”. 

So, as a teacher, is it possible to explain the stunning, mathematical order within the countless elaborate systems of our bodies, on this Earth and beyond? It is sure worth a try. 

2024 Secondary Chapel: Do you believe this? How then will you live?

At The River Academy, our Christian faith is not merely one of many cultural distinctives for our school profile, rather, it is the very heartbeat of who we are and all we do. This is why our students and staff take time to gather together once a week for chapel. For secondary students, this means a thirty-minute midweek meetup each Wednesday morning at 8am to seek the Lord together through singing and Scripture. 

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of schoolwork and sports and social life, gathering for chapel once a week is an oasis for quieting our hearts and finding refreshment and re-anchoring in the One who gives us truth and life and purpose in all we do. At the River, we don't view chapel as a religious requirement but as a happy huddle in the name and love of Jesus.  

In the beautiful gym where we meet, there hang four big, bold banners reminding us of the main distinctives of our school: Christian, Classical, Joyful, Relational. But the truth is that the following three virtues must flow from the first. A passion for sharp-minded lifelong learning, glad-hearted gusto for life, and strong bonds of committed camaraderie—one with another, ultimately flow from the Spirit of God, who made us for such good things, and flow through the saving grace we get in Christ. It is only as fully-alive Christians that we can fully enjoy education classically, joyfully, and relationally.  

In distinction from our individual Bible classes, though, chapel time helps us draw near the Fountain of our faith all together, as a body of believers. After all, even in the rhythms of school life, our faith is not walked out in isolation, but together in community. So, each Wednesday morning it is a joy to stand side-by-side and sing together of our hope in Jesus, led by a student worship team. Then we sit together for a brief message from the Bible, given by a staff member, student, or guest speaker. Parents are always welcome and encouraged to attend this special time together.

Practically, it helps our secondary students to see and appreciate one another in this chapel context: all together, side-by-side, singing and praying—not sentence-writing and problem-solving—so that when we are doing those academic activities throughout our classroom hours, it's not just as fellow students but hopefully in the spirit of brothers and sisters in Christ. Gathering corporately to hear reminders from the Bible about things like grace-based forgiveness helps us then walk it out in mutual accountability in the hallways and on the playfield.  

The truths we’re reminded of in chapel also come up regularly during our instructional time, either organically in discussion or through intentional integration by the teacher. The overall yearly chapel theme gives a unifying flavor and framework for our fellowship and focus as we follow Jesus through another school year together.  The past two years our chapel themes have been “Abide in Christ” and “All Things New.”  This year, we’re exploring the relationship between what we believe and how we behave through the theme: BELIEVE - with the L-I-V-E letters lit up to focus on this relationship between what we really believe and how we really live. 

Would you join us in praying for our secondary chapel times this year? May they be saturated by the Spirit of God, marked by humble reverence, caring camaraderie and sincere celebration, and may we then walk out well the commands of our king, side by side and bell to bell.

think!Mathematics: Math is a Language

Rhetoric, the crown jewel of Classical Education, was praised in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with no or little emphasis placed on mathematics. Yet with each passing century and decade, classical circles have begun to recognize and praise the true value of students' understanding regarding the depth and complexity of mathematics. Many math programs teach the procedures of mathematics, but very few, if any, have understood that mathematics is its own language, and therefore its basic concepts must be understood at the earliest levels—just as any other language program.

As TRA continues to grow and improve, the administration conducted an evaluation with the elementary teachers and, as a result, changed the elementary mathematics program this summer in grades K-5 (we will add Grade 6 for the 25/26 school year). When contacted, many Classical Christian schools throughout the nation consistently praised one mathematics program above any others.

This robust new program, think!Mathematics, will continue to allow TRA to meet the needs of all students while retaining a high level of academic rigor. It is a Singapore-based program that is similar to our former Math in Focus program, however, this program more intentionally immerses students in math study with the underlying philosophy that mathematics is a language that must be understood in its own right. The program is structured so that every student is met exactly where they are in their level of understanding while also challenging them to keep building their understanding of the language of mathematics.

Each day’s lesson is structured to take around 60 minutes and includes five key components: explore, structure, journal, reflect, and practice. It differs from Math in Focus by including an anchor task, journaling, one lesson a day, one lesson spiraling, variation from lesson to lesson (within a unit), and a deeper understanding rather than surface-level learning. It also includes an amazing digital teacher toolkit and provides them with more ongoing training and support. This program also helps keep parents more accurately informed of what their children are learning in class each day.

Teachers have received training on this new program and are excited about the opportunity to teach math in this way. Further opportunities for professional development will also be available throughout the upcoming school year. We will also have a Family Math Game Night on Wednesday, November 6th from 6pm-7pm to help parents better understand this new program (more info to follow). 

Please see the diagram below that captures the overall philosophy of the program. Thank you for continuing to partner with us as we seek curriculum solutions that align more closely with our education model and better support our mission to educate the next generation of Christian leaders well. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

In Christ,

Mike Picciottoli

Head of School