We recognize that you have choices when it comes to your child's education and some of those choices are free. Over the next few weeks, we hope to show a few of the ways investing in your child’s education by placing them here at The River Academy will pay long-range dividends.
The first question I want to tackle is: Will my child be academically prepared for life beyond TRA? While there are many directions I could go in answering this question, I know I need to narrow it down, so to start I am going to tell you what I will NOT be addressing today:
Will my child be able to be successful in college? While this is certainly a valid question, our track record of numerous graduates going on to successful college careers in a variety of universities around the country speaks for itself.
Will my child score in the top tier when it comes to standardized testing as a result of their TRA education? Our students do score well, but this is not a primary objective of our education here at The River Academy
Will my child’s k-12 education prepare them to land a high-level position post-college? Your crystal ball may work better than mine, but I have stopped shaking it recently in hopes of finding answers to life's pressing questions . . .
Instead, I want to tackle this question by telling you what I know to be true about how TRA will prepare your students academically.
First, we are reclaiming the lost art of critical thinking. Look no further than a quick scan of Facebook to see that logic and critical thinking are a thing of the past. Gone are the days when newspapers were a place for thoughtful critique and dialogue. Did you know this is how our Constitution was ratified? Three authors wrote a series of articles published in multiple newspapers across the country in what came to be known The Federalist Papers. These were countered (in those same news sources) by The Anti Federalist Papers.
This is a far cry from our current public forum. And it is what we are seeking to recover here at The River Academy. Why you ask? Well, partially because we believe logical and critical thinking to be an essential tool to promote human flourishing. Without it, one is “tossed to and fro by every wind of teaching” (Ephesians 4:14) that comes along But also, because we want our graduates well equipped to lead in whatever sphere they find themselves, and we think these critical thinking skills will set them apart from their peers.
Second, we are reclaiming a generalists education. What is a generalists education you ask? Great question. Did you know that a large portion of the world's greatest leaders over the last 50 years have had a Liberal Arts Education? A Liberal Arts Education (AKA Classical Education) is aimed at giving students a broad exposure to a wide range of subjects and ideas in order that they be well rounded in their understanding of the world and the ideas which have shaped it.
At The River Academy, we don’t have some of the specialty electives you might find at other institutions in our valley and we do this on purpose because we believe there is a core body of knowledge our students need to have before they go on to specialize in a particular subject area. Said another way - we want students who are well-read, and exposed to the great ideas which have shaped our world before they go on to do world-shaping of their own. This is why our kids read a lot. Check out this image of two of our students (one 7th and one 12th) next to a sample of the books they will read from seventh through twelfth grade at TRA. When students graduate from our school, they will be good generalists - experts in many areas - not just a few.
Lastly, we are reclaiming the art of skillful communication. It has been said that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” And nowhere has this been more clearly seen than in the timeframe leading up to World War II where Joseph Goebbels nicknamed the “poison dwarf” led one of the most successful propaganda campaigns in history. This assault which effectively overthrew the German form of balanced government and convinced an entire nation to submit to the leadership of Adolf Hitler was very successful (in a not so good way). One of his more famous (if not nefariously motivated) quotes was: “he who controls the medium controls the message and he who controls the message controls the masses.”
At The River Academy, we agree that the art of communication has tremendous power to shape our future world. With this in mind, we want our graduates to be well equipped in their ability to communicate - both in writing and in speech. This is why all of our graduates will complete a
Thesis paper and presentation each year they are enrolled in our High School program. The crowning moment of this education is the Senior Thesis. For a sample of a recent presentation go here. And while we believe artful skill of communication will equip our graduates to change the world, we take even more delight in the way it equips them to serve their Creator.
Eric DeVries, Head of School
