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Why Christian Education and STEAM Go Together

Why Christian Education and STEAM Go Together

December 16, 2021

Since 1958, Emmanuel Lutheran School has served students and families in Asheville, North Carolina. We have always been committed to both sharing the gospel with our community and providing the highest quality academic experience. Our commitment to these aspects of education has helped us fulfill our mission to prepare children For Today, For Tomorrow, Forever. 

At ELS, we find that Christian education and STEAM go together like two peas in a pod. In this post, we are discussing how students benefit from focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics in a gospel-centered academic environment. 

What Is Private Christian Education?

We answered this question in more detail in a previous post

In summary, here are a few of the key advantages of Christian education:

  1. Christian Education Is Private: Christian schools are not required by the public school board in the same way that public schools are. Instead, the private school's governing body, as well as the families who attend, have more latitude when it comes to their values and educational philosophies.
  2. Christian Education Reinforces a Christian Worldview: Christian schools provide a godly environment and a Christian learning perspective to all parts of your child's academic experience. Each subject is taught from a biblical perspective of truth, which is uncommon outside of private education.
  3. Christian Schools Provide a Supportive Environment: Students and staff are required to demonstrate these Christian characteristics, which will help your kid further their education in a supportive setting. While your students are away from your home, teachers have an incredible opportunity to be outstanding role models and disciple-makers for them.
  4. Christian Schools Have Smaller Class Sizes: Teachers and staff members all have the same aim in mind: to provide each child with the finest quality and Christian learning experience possible. Christian private school teachers are able to commit more time to each student with smaller class sizes. 
  5. Christian School Prepare Students for the Future: According to research from the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and Gallop, graduates from private schools had better results than those from public schools. The study also reveals a higher percentage of high school graduates enrolling in college, particularly at renowned institutions.

Christian schools provide students with a supportive, gospel-centered environment that prepares them for their future in education and life. 

What is STEAM?

Emmanuel Lutheran School is the first and only Christian parochial STEAM school in western North Carolina. As a result, we believe in the value of STEAM education. The Rhode Island School of Design created STEAM, an educational endeavor meant to reintroduce an emphasis on the arts to STEM-based curricula.  

From a previous post:

“According to research, reintroducing the arts into STEM has improved even the way they learn other subjects such as science. We have found that STEAM contributes to improvements in test scores, confidence, and overall academic experience.”

A few of the key benefits of a STEAM-based curriculum include:

  • STEAM focuses on subjects students will use throughout their lives. 
  • STEAM emphasizes the importance of creativity and imagination. 
  • STEAM demonstrates the importance of collaboration. 
  • STEAM rewards innovative initiatives.

Why Christian Education and STEAM Are Perfect Together

Together, a STEAM-based curriculum in a Christian environment can have a profoundly positive impact on your child’s overall academic experience:

  • Our STEAM curriculum begins in Kindergarten, so students start seeing the benefits of working collaboratively with their peers from the beginning of their education. As Christians, we know how vital community is to our development as followers of Christ. STEAM helps our children see the value of collaboration in every avenue of life. 
  • STEAM demonstrates structure and order, prompting students to investigate the reasons the world works the way it does. As believers, we know that God created the world and Christ holds all things together (Colossians 1:16). The Scriptures and STEAM help reinforce God’s impressive creative abilities. 
  • STEAM reintroduces the arts to STEM. We know that the heavens declare God’s handiwork (Psalm 19:1). He did not merely create the world and the heavens with structure and order, but with beauty and majesty as well. STEAM reminds students and teachers to give God glory for the magnificent creation surrounding Asheville. 
  • STEAM works best when classroom sizes are smaller. Individual attention from teachers is key throughout the process, which is easier to facilitate in classes that have upwards of 40% fewer students than public schools. Furthermore, with fewer people, it is easier to break up into collaborative groups while maintaining safe distances between individuals. 
  • STEAM emphasizes creative problem-solving. Groups of students will be challenged to work together to bring a solution to an issue presented. Throughout history, the church has been seen as a resource for solving many of the world’s problems. STEAM prepares the next generation of Christians to be salt and light in our communities and throughout the nations.

Emmanuel Lutheran School - Combining Christian Education and STEAM in Asheville, NC

ELS is the only Christian parochial school in our area utilizing STEAM. We have seen countless students grow through the benefits of studying a STEAM-based curriculum in a supportive, Christian school environment. Our kids are able to grow academically and spiritually at ELS. 

If you would like to know more about how your child can enroll in a STEAM-based, Christ-centered Christian school, contact the team at Emmanuel Lutheran School today