Educational Philosophy

"You shall teach them diligently." - Deuteronomy 6:7
"All education is an opening of the way to the Lord." - Emanuel Swedenborg

Our philosophy of education supports our core purpose - to provide a distinctive academic, moral and spiritual environment in which students learn to lead a principled and useful life.

To fulfill this purpose, our educational philosophy is that students thrive and succeed when they experience a well-rounded education which integrates strong academics, character development and a healthy spiritual life.

We implement this philosophical approach through a distinctive curriculum harmonizing the principles and practices of two sources:

The wealth of information and materials from the public sector
The spiritual guidance of the Bible and the teachings of the New Church

By employing many of the current educational studies, methods, texts, and materials that are part of the local public school system in the context of our Christian perspective, we provide an educational experience with depth, breadth and meaning.

Three things that make Oak Arbor School exceptional:

Love of Learning

We endeavor to develop in students a genuine love for learning. We believe that with this love in place, they will be able to soar academically in whatever area they choose. While every student is not going to love every subject, our intention is to make every subject interesting, applicable, and, whenever possible, fun. Our teachers are committed to helping our students reach their highest potential in all areas of the curriculum.

Development of Imagination & Creative Thinking

We believe in the importance of the development of imagination and creativity in students from their earliest educational experiences. Educational research substantiates the fact that developing children's ability to think creatively helps to expand their thinking skills. Children are naturally creative, a quality from the Lord, and with the use of their imagination they can develop their own individuality. We believe that this inherent human quality should be cultivated in children from the time they are born. We are confident that engaging students' affections when teaching stimulates their curiosity and draws out their love of learning, strengthening the development of their imagination and creative thinking.

One programmatic example this approach is what we call "Friday Elective Units". On Friday afternoons, the staff and parent volunteers offer one-hour-a-week classes on various topics of interest. These have included leather crafts, jewelry making, gymnastics, games, gardening, secret codes, maple syrup making, bee keeping, flower arranging, basket weaving, cooking, puppetry and more.

Experiential learning beyond the classroom

We believe in experiential learning. Taking the students to museums, nature centers, farms, dramatic productions, and places of business gives them first-hand knowledge, helps them to see classroom learning in a more applied way, and provides a fun experience. As the students get older, the trips become more extensive, including overnights. The overnights begin with students in the 5th and 6th grades. They work in conjunction with our academic curriculum. For example, we have taken them to Kitchener and Toronto, Ontario, Chicago and Mackinac Island. Our Middle School has an even more extensive overnight trip schedule. In the past, their trips have included Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Pittsburgh, Chicago and the Grand Canyon. We believe that having field experiences is a unique element to our program that is highly motivational and educational for the students.