Philosophy of Education

God-Centered

Man’s chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

(Psalm 73:25; I Corinthians 10:31)

ICS is committed to assisting each student in the pursuit of his chief purpose, which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, we must seek to encourage quality academic work and to maintain high standards of conduct, service, love, and honor.

We encourage every student to begin and/or develop their relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. We hope to support children to use their skills and abilities to live for His glory.

Parent-Primary

Parents are to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

(Deuteronomy 6:5-7; Ephesians 6:4)

ICS exists to complement, not replace, the parents’ or guardians’ God-ordained responsibility as their child’s primary nurturers and teachers.

We communicate concerns to parents about behavior and character issues as they arise in the context of school life. We will help parents guide their child with biblical counsel.

We maintain regular communication with parents through traditional means such as homework slips and assignment books. Teachers also provide their home number to families and are available for calls by students and families in the evenings and on weekends.

Bible-Based

True knowledge is impossible without recognition of God.

(Revelation 4:11; Romans 1:20)

At ICS, we believe that true knowledge is impossible to attain without recognizing all truth as God’s truth. God’s character is revealed not only in the scriptures but also in every facet of His creation. God cannot be rightly separated from history, literature, mathematics, science, or any other academic discipline.

Therefore, we seek to integrate the truth of scripture into every aspect of our educational program.

Redemption-Driven

God intends that we understand the human journey from the perspective of His redemptive purposes.

(Deuteronomy 7:5-8; I Peter 2:9-10)

At ICS, we believe that the only prudent way for a child to make sense of this life and all of human history is through the lens of God’s redemptive purposes from all eternity. We will seek to help our students view the human journey from this redemptive framework.

Grace-Dependent

Having a right relationship with God is always based on a trust in His gift of undeserved grace and never on what is earned or deserved by good deeds. (Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5,6)

We believe it is vital for each student, as well as his parents or guardian, to understand that the good news of the scriptures is that eternal life and favor with God cannot be secured by the commendable works of any person.

Therefore, we seek to communicate that to secure right standing with God both now and eternally, mankind must trust in God’s undeserved gift of a Savior. This Savior, Jesus Christ, has achieved that right standing for His people by paying the penalty for sin through His suffering and death.

Heart-Focused

Focusing on the heart and motives of a student, rather than only their actions and behavior, is paramount in effecting significant and long-term change in the life of the student.

(Matthew 12:34,35; Luke 6:45)

Since the heart is the wellspring of life, the heart must be instructed in God's ways regarding all relationships.

The most effective way to build exemplary character and commendable behavior into students’ lives is to lovingly and consistently expose and deal with the motives of their hearts. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that personal holiness should not be measured by actions of the individual. Rather, He said that holiness must be weighed by the motives of the heart. Therefore, our focus will be on the hidden motives of the student’s heart in order to effect significant and lasting change of character and behavior.