Philosophy of Education

Ad Fontes Academy equips the next generation of adults with an understanding of our world using proven, classical techniques based on a Christ-centered worldview. All instruction acknowledges God as the creator and sustainer of life, as the source of all truth, and demonstrates His purpose and His influence in all topics. Understanding God's purposes and His design for creation leads students to know God's character and offers a deeper relationship with Him.

Thinking, reasoning, logic, Latin and debate are some of the tools developed by academy students in their quest for knowledge, wisdom and maturity. Classes are small (maximum of 20 students per class) and interaction with faculty is an essential part of the academy experience.

Our program is a tool to be used by parents in educating their children. Ad Fontes Academy strives to provide an environment which is spiritually and academically challenging. The following objectives assist us in achieving these goals:

  • Teach from an integrated Biblical Worldview. All subjects are taught as part of an integrated whole, with Scripture at its center. (II Timothy 3:16-17, Colossians 1:15-20)
  • Provide a clear model of the Biblical Christian life through Ad Fontes Academy teachers and the Board. (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 12:29-31)
  • Encourage young people to develop their relationships with God the Father through Jesus Christ - to love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds. (Matthew 22:37-38, II Corinthians 10:5, Romans 12:1-2)
  • Encourage young people to love their neighbor as themselves. (Matthew 22:39, Matthew 28:18-20)
  • Value each student as created by God for a purpose. (Psalm 139:13-17)
  • Help each family to remain the primary influence in the student's life. Our hours of instruction are limited while requiring a strong academic effort. The calendar provides plenty of time for family traditions and activities at holiday times. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 23:24-26 - read on - this is a father teaching an older son)
  • Develop time management, self discipline, and a strong work ethic in our students through the Ad Fontes Academy program. (II Timothy 2:15, Galatians 5:22-23, II Peter 1:5-11)
  • Utilize the classical method of teaching by emphasizing grammar, logic, and rhetoric in all subjects.
  • Encourage every student to develop a love for learning and the desire to live up to their academic potential.

Christ-centered Teaching
“In order to be Christ-centered, Christian education must be more than a baptized secularism. Secular education places man at the center of all things, while Christian education places God at the center. There is no such thing as neutrality in education. Every fact, every truth is understood in the light of a certain worldview. This means that history, art, music, mathematics, etc., must all be taught in light of God's existence and His revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ. Because the Scriptures occupy the crucial role in teaching us about this revelation, they must also occupy a central role in Christian education.” - D. Wilson, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning

Classical Teaching
Grammar, logic, and rhetoric will be emphasized in all subjects. We use grammar in a generic sense in which we mean the fundamental building blocks (rules and data) for each subject (not just for languages). Each subject has its own grammar which the student must learn in order to know the subject from its foundations. The logic of a subject refers to the ordered relationship of the grammar (building blocks). As the student learns the building blocks along with how they relate to each other, he/she learns how to think rather than merely memorizing fragmented facts. Finally, rhetoric is the ability to express clearly one's knowledge.

A love for learning is instilled into the students by teachers who have an equal love and passion for their subject. If a love for learning can successfully be transferred to the students, then they will spend the rest of their lives building on the foundation obtained through their experience at Ad Fontes Academy. Thus, the students will have received the tools of learning and acquired the desire to use them.