Christian – Riverbend Academy commits to both teaching the absolute truth of God’s word, the Bible, and to integrating all areas of study with God’s word. We intentionally seek to instill a thoroughly Christian worldview in our students.
Classical – Riverbend Academy pursues a classical Christian approach to education.
“The classical and Christian approach to education is about equipping children for the future with what has been successful in the past.” Gregg Strawbridge, Classical and Christian Education
Students will be taught the fundamentals of each discipline (Grammar), how to think through each discipline (dialectic, or logic), and how to express their thinking on each discipline (rhetoric).These three categories are emphasized successfully in three stages of the student’s educational development.
The Grammar stage focuses on mastery of knowledge, specifically the fundamental and foundational knowledge that will provide them with a framework on which to build all future learning. Grammar refers not just to the fundamentals of English but also theology, history, mathematics and other disciplines. The grammar stage seeks to address the questions “who, what, where, and when?”
The Logic stage focuses on thinking properly and well. The students will learn how to order, relate and think through the knowledge they are gaining. This stage seeks to equip the students with sound thinking skills that will enable them to recognize when an idea or argument is sound, when one is not, and how to correct it. The Logic stage seeks to address the questions “why and how?”
The Rhetoric stage focuses on training the students to use written and spoken language to communicate their thinking clearly and persuasively. This is the stage of application and expression.
The Trivium seeks to instill in students a love for learning and give them the tools of learning so that they can both think and communicate clearly, fully and biblically.