Dear Parents and ACCS Friends,
“Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.” – Robert M. Hutchins (1899 – 1977, an American educational philosopher). While this is not a Christian quote per se, we see here a clear connection to our week’s theme verse in Isaiah 32:17 – “The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” A connection and a contrast. What we do as Christian educators is indeed far beyond merely reforming or amusing, but we believe the biblical foundation of our teaching leads to righteous living, quietness and assurance. I find that astounding! The gift we have in our Christian school system is so potent and of such magnitude that it can offer benefits far beyond what a secular education ever could!
“Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.” – Robert M. Hutchins (1899 – 1977, an American educational philosopher). While this is not a Christian quote per se, we see here a clear connection to our week’s theme verse in Isaiah 32:17 – “The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” A connection and a contrast. What we do as Christian educators is indeed far beyond merely reforming or amusing, but we believe the biblical foundation of our teaching leads to righteous living, quietness and assurance. I find that astounding! The gift we have in our Christian school system is so potent and of such magnitude that it can offer benefits far beyond what a secular education ever could!
Our Mission puts it this way: We strive to inspire and partner with Christian parents and churches to educate each generation for a life in Christ. Let’s be even more determined to see that “work of righteousness” supported and nurtured at home and school! What is that, you ask? Definitely not self-righteousness! It’s a realization that we humans are flawed, lost and desperately in need of Jesus in our lives. It is that realization that makes us base our lives on the Word of God and depend on His righteousness to make us righteous.
Our weekly chapels are an important part of what we do at ACCS. I can say that for many, myself included, they have been a blessing! In a way it is humorous that the CRA does not consider activities such as Chapel and Bible classes to be part of the education we provide, but rather as “religious education.” I say that because as a parent who has raised eight children, and who has been part of the Christian education scene for 25+ years, these components are the glue that tie the whole edifice together! Our goal in our chapels is to build on what you are doing as parents, namely to pour Godly and Biblical principles into your children’s lives. That is the foundation that is going to establish them, by God’s blessing, on a good course. When you think of it, please pray for our chapel times. Pray that the Mission Emphasis presentations this month would be used to impact their lives. Pray that a fire for the gospel and for God’s work in this world would be ignited in all of us. Pray that the work of righteousness would be active among us!
Have you been following trends in education? Maybe you’ve heard of this one. 25 Simple Ways To Develop A Growth Mindset. In a nutshell, A “growth mindset,” as Dweck calls it, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a tendency to believe that you can grow. In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she explains that while a “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any meaningful way, a growth mindset thrives on challenge and sees failure “not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.”
The consequences of believing that intelligence and personality can be developed rather than being immutably engrained traits, Dweck found in her two decades of research with both children and adults, are remarkable. She writes:
“Believing that your qualities are carved in stone creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character, well then you’d better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.”
The fixed mindset can negatively impact all aspects of your life, Dweck says, but positively, “not only are people with a growth mindset not discouraged by failure, but they don’t actually see themselves as failing in those situations–they see themselves as learning.”
Are you up for a challenge? The king of Persia has a visitor who will be his new minister of defence. When he comes the king greets him and asks politely, “Would you like a tour of the city?” The visitor says, “Ok.” As the two of them are walking the king points at a beggar with a donkey and says, “That man there is the richest man in the city apart from me.” The visitor asks, “How?” The king replies, “Well, he seems to be smuggling something, but we don’t know when he does it.” So the minister comes up with an idea of having guards search him whenever he goes in or out of the city but this plan does not work. What does the man smuggle? (solution below) …And, less trivially, did you know? God’s wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant… The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.
Partnering with you for a Christ-centred education,
Mr. Richard Sommer, Principal
PS. In the last few weeks, we shared this and we thought we should pass it on to you. Have you left your testimonial on the ACCS website? Here is one:
Are you up for a challenge? The king of Persia has a visitor who will be his new minister of defence. When he comes the king greets him and asks politely, “Would you like a tour of the city?” The visitor says, “Ok.” As the two of them are walking the king points at a beggar with a donkey and says, “That man there is the richest man in the city apart from me.” The visitor asks, “How?” The king replies, “Well, he seems to be smuggling something, but we don’t know when he does it.” So the minister comes up with an idea of having guards search him whenever he goes in or out of the city but this plan does not work. What does the man smuggle? (solution below) …And, less trivially, did you know? God’s wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant… The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.
Partnering with you for a Christ-centred education,
Mr. Richard Sommer, Principal
PS. In the last few weeks, we shared this and we thought we should pass it on to you. Have you left your testimonial on the ACCS website? Here is one:
Amazing for our kids! When it was time for my first child to go to school, I was nervous about sending him off to kindergarten. We met personally with the Principal and she answered all my questions from curriculum to music, language and theology. After observing the kindergarten class I was impressed with the respectful and peaceful atmosphere and I was convinced that my first born would be at home here at ACCS. I am happy to say that all of my children now attend ACCS and are growing physically, intellectually and spiritually everyday.