The foundational principle on which the establishment of John Calvin School rests is the promises made by parents at the baptism of their children, before God and in the presence of the congregation of fellow believers. Specifically, parents promise to:
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“instruct (their) children in the aforesaid doctrine {that being the Bible as the infallible Word of God, and the summary thereof as found in the Three Forms of Unity} and to have them instructed therein to the best of (their) ability” Form for Infant Baptism, Book of Praise
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This entails in the first place instruction in the home and in the church, both in the worship services and in the catechism classes. Further, in the increasingly complex society in which we live, parents have chosen to delegate a portion of their educational task to like-minded believers who have been specifically trained for that purpose. To effect that purpose, parents and other members of the covenant community, pooled their resources to establish a school where covenantally faithful, Christ-centered education is offered. Thus the origin of John Calvin School.
While the education of children is first and foremost the responsibility of their parents, the covenant community recognizes that it has a stake in the education of the children belonging to it, that they may grow up in the knowledge and fear of the Lord, to the honour of His Name and the well-being of His Church, the Bride of Christ.
Reformed education consists of four signifiers or hallmarks. These hallmarks (covenantal, confessional, antithetical and a unity of purpose shared by church, home and school) are based on God’s infallible Word and its explication in the ecumenical creeds and confessions of the Reformed faith. They form the basis for the Reformed, Christian education that is being carried out on a daily basis in our school. The hallmarks also reflect the school’s mission statement:
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The purpose of John Calvin School is to assist the parents in the nurture of their children, to help develop in them the talents freely and graciously given by God, to the end that they may serve Him in a life of responsible, Christian stewardship.
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Reformed education is for covenant children who have been claimed by God and have received the sure promises of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as signed and sealed in their baptism. The covenant is the Scriptural context or framework within which Reformed education takes place in the school, home, and the church. The school assists the parents in educating covenant children by equipping them with skills and knowledge and helping them grow as responsible Christians in accordance with God’s Word so that they may serve Him and their neighbour in a life of responsible, Christian stewardship. Teachers and students, therefore, do their work before the face of God within the relationship of love which binds them to their God.
The Scriptures are not only foundational for the content of the instruction given at the Reformed, Christian school, but they are also the basis for the context within which teachers and students interact and work. All that goes on at the Reformed, Christian school is under the normative authority of God’s Word. Reformed education is a constant learning to say “I do” to all that God reveals about Himself in His Word and His works as the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier of life. The confessional task of the Reformed, Christian school is to show the children that all things in the created world have their being and purpose in God and can be truly known only in relation to Him. God calls His children to discover creation’s resources, to receive these gifts with thanksgiving and delight, and to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers who are responsible to God and their neighbour. The Scriptures, as they have been faithfully summarized and interpreted in the Three Forms of Unity, are the foundation for Reformed education and give it its confessional character.
By means of the covenant, God binds His people to Himself; at the same time He separates them from all who submit to the rule of Satan. In recognition of the antithesis which God Himself put down (Genesis 3:15), the Reformed, Christian school, together with the home and the church, instructs and equips covenant children in and for the
service of the Lord in all areas of life as prophets, priests, and kings (LD 12, HC). In the
education of covenant children, the Lord ordains praise to Himself and silences the foe
and the avenger. The atoning death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only
payment for the debt of human sin, and Christ’s resurrection is the only liberation from
the debt of human sin and from the powers of evil and death. The victorious Lord sends
the Holy Spirit to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and build a community of love
and holiness. The Reformed, Christian school, like the home, seeks to recognize God’s
claim on His children by remaining faithful in its task to educate.
The task of the school can be distinguished from that of the home and the church,
but it shares a common purpose with them – to tell the next generation about the deeds
of the Lord so that they, too, may set their hope in God (Psalm 78). When home,
school, and church are united in this aim, the work of the one institution has life-giving
consequences for the spiritual well-being of the others. The task of the school,
therefore, is closely bound to the church’s confession about the communion of saints
(LD 21, Q&A 55, Heidelberg Catechism). Led by the Holy Spirit, our reformed
community places every thought, word and deed in the service of Christ’s present and
coming reign, and it lives daily in the confident hope of His triumphant return.
May our Heavenly Father continue to bless the efforts of all the stakeholders
involved in educating covenant children in our Reformed, Christian schools; and in
particular at John Calvin School.
The Nature and Identity of Our Children
How we bring up and educate our children is greatly influenced by our
understanding of who our children are and what their nature is. Those who believe that
children are naturally good or naturally curious will go about the business of educating
in a manner that fits either or both of these perceptions. The manner in which we
instruct the children who attend the John Calvin School must proceed from the biblical
image of their nature and identity.
We confess with the Word of God that man was created in the image of God with
true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. As image bearer, man was able to make
God visible on earth……by looking at the creature, one would be able to see a reflection
of the Creator. When man fell into sin, he lost the ability to make God glorious in the
earth by reflecting His image. Man now used his gifts, corrupted by sin, to rebel against
the Creator. Every imagination of man’s heart became evil. Fallen man is truly dead in
sin; he is so dead that he does not seek deliverance for he does not even know he
needs it. This is the state or nature of man without God. Our Form for the Baptism of
Infants acknowledges that we and our children are born in sin and are therefore children
of wrath.
Man’s corruption, total depravity, and complete deadness-in-sin make up one
aspect of the biblical image of man. If the biblical image of our children consisted only of
what man has become after the fall into sin, then having our own school would be
pointless. There would be nothing to distinguish our children from all other children.
There is a second aspect to the biblical image of man, however, that does set
our children apart from those of unbelievers. We confess what the Word of God tells us
about the work of God in Jesus Christ for our salvation. Christ is the Mediator of the
covenant which the LORD made with believers and their children. The fruits of Christ’s
work…..forgiveness of sins and renewal of life……are signed and sealed to our children
in their baptism. Our children, therefore, are covenant children who are heirs in Christ to
all the gifts which He has obtained by His blood. It is the covenant that gives our
children their unique identity. And it is from this unique identity as covenant children that
they may derive their sense of “self-worth”. Our children are sons and daughters of the
heavenly King, princes and princesses, not because of what they are in themselves, but
because of what they are in Christ.
We are teaching children who are, on the one hand, conceived and born in sin
and who are prone to all manner of evil. At the same time, we are teaching covenant
children who have been promised adoption as children and heirs by the Father, the
forgiveness of sins through he blood of the Son, and the cleansing and renewal of life
through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Implications for Education
The biblical image of the sinful nature and the covenantal distinctiveness of our
children have implications for teaching and learning in a Reformed school. When we
confess that the children we are to instruct are sinful by nature, we also acknowledge
that there will be resistance to instruction. Both parents and teachers have to be honest
when confronted with their own and their children’s failures. Blame for sinful behaviour
may not be shifted to society at large, heredity, or other factors. Instruction at school as
well as at home, therefore, includes admonition and correction; it demands patience and
perseverance from those who give it.
When we confess that our children are covenant children, we acknowledge that
God Himself has laid claim to those children. They are to be educated for His service
and not for the service of the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8). Our children have to
be part of that bulwark that God is raising up against the enemy, Satan. Covenantal
education, therefore, has to give recognition to the great antithesis whereby the LORD
Himself makes a separation between His people and unbelievers (Gen. 3 : 15).
Covenant children are set apart for God’s service and they must be instructed in the
ways of the LORD at home, in the church, and at school. Neither parents nor teachers
may ignore the LORD’s claim on His children. The education of covenant children,
therefore, is a serious undertaking that requires dedication, self-denial, and
uncompromising zeal from those who are engaged in it.
Furthermore, teachers, as well as parents, have to acknowledge that renewal of
life and growth in faith are the LORD’s work in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. We
cannot give children faith. Therefore, covenantal instruction has to take place in a spirit
of humbleness. Teachers, like parents, are called to be faithful instruments and
readable letters of Christ. They work in the confidence that the LORD will finish what He
began when He claimed the children as His own.
The God-given mandate to instruct children who are sinful by nature in the ways
of His covenant also has implications for the methodology we use to teach them.
Learning the truth does not come through trial and error or solely by discovery. We have
to tell children the truth. At John Calvin School, teachers rely largely on direct instruction
methods such as narration, explanation, oral rehearsal or drill, guided practice with
corrective feedback, and using examples or comparisons to illustrate or clarify a point.
Direct instruction does not imply that children are to be passive recipients in learning.
Children who listen with attention are actively involved in the lesson. Teachers
constantly question children and they in turn ask the teacher questions. As students
mature, teachers will challenge them more often to think critically and to evaluate issues
through class discussions, writing assignments, or guided confrontation. There is also
opportunity for children to help each other to learn through partner or small group
activity. Also these kinds of activities are closely guided and monitored by the teacher
so that the learning which occurs is meaningful and productive.
Education Goals for John Calvin School:
To instruct the students in the Reformed, Christian principles of life: the
sovereignty of God, the authority of the Bible, the damaging effects of sin, the
meaning of grace, and the cultural mandate to care for God’s creation in His
Name.
To instruct the students that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
To assist the parents in their task of educating covenant children.
To help the students develop a love for learning.
To develop the talents God has freely and graciously given to the students
recognizing that each student is unique.
To help the students value further education and develop a love for life-long
learning.
To teach our students so that they attain a suitable level of achievement in the
respective areas of study by the end of each grade.
To prepare the students of John Calvin School to help to contribute to the
common (public) good to the end that they may serve their God.
John Calvin writes the following about Luke 10:38 in his commentaries, “It is an
error to think that those who flee world affairs and engage in contemplation are
leading an angelic life….We know that men were created to busy themselves with
labour and that no sacrifice is more pleasing to God than when each one attends
to his calling and studies well to live for the common good.” (CARDUS Report,
2012)