At John Nelson Darby Academy (JND), we offer a comprehensive childhood education that is online and thoroughly biblical. Our classes are a mixture of self-paced but teacher-guided so that teacher and student are working together to achieve the parent’s educational goals.

  • Each week the teacher makes assignments for the week. Students are free to work at their own pace, but expected to accomplish that week’s assignments before the week is out.
  • Teachers are available for video, phone, or online chat sessions for three hours each day, Monday through Thursday (other times are by appointment).

The class content is given in units and lessons. Each lesson is online and has reading, multi-media, and questions to consider the student’s retention and understanding of the material. We work on a mastery of knowledge basis, so each daily lesson requires students to pass a short set of questions after each lesson before they can proceed. Parents often ask, “won’t my child just go back and learn the answer to the questions they missed, then put in the right answer so they can progress?” The answer is, Yes…and that is exactly what we want them to do. Our emphasis isn’t how they get the facts, but that they indeed did get the facts! Quizzes and tests will ensure that the students have retained the facts.

A Sample Schedule

  • Monday
    • 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Complete daily assignments in 5 core subjects
  • Tuesday – Wednesday
    • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Complete daily assignments in 5 core subjects
    • 1:00 – 2:00 PM: Supplemental reading
  • Thursday
    • 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Complete daily assignments in 5 core subjects
  • Friday – Catch up or time off!

All times are scheduled in central time. Students living overseas will use archives if they cannot attend live.

We believe that a child should have time to relax, play, complete family chores, volunteer at church, and learn to entertain himself or herself. This is why we do not recommend a full-day schedule. We also know that some students work more slowly than others, so our schedule allows every student to get the week’s assignments done within that particular week. All students in a grade work on the same unit each week, though during the week each student may be on a different lesson.

 

Our Theological Approach

We believe that the Bible is the foundation of all truth. We also believe that we must rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) so that we do not misapply and misinterpret Scripture. We use Scripture and biblical principles in almost every unit of study.

Although JND utilizes the curriculum of various providers, our faculty and staff reviews every lesson and ensures that the theology (as well as the educational content) of the lesson aligns with a literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of the Bible.

Here are some key theological factors that each lesson will adhere to:

  • We believe that every child in our school can be saved.
  • We believe that every child in our school is offered the grace of God through Jesus Christ, the only Savior.
  • We believe that the Bible is inerrant and is correct in every matter which it touches.
  • We believe that matters which are not directly addressed in the Scripture are indirectly addressed in the Bible’s principles.
  • We believe that the Law was given to Israel and is not the behavioral standard for the world today.
  • We believe that this age of grace will end suddenly with the rapture of the church.
  • We believe that our world is in a fallen condition that can only be fixed by Jesus Christ and that it will ultimately be restored at His Second Coming.
  • We believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the most accurate English translation and that children are challenged to higher levels of learning and understanding by having the KJV in their curriculum.

For more information on our doctrine, read our Theological Perspectives Statement.