ICIF » Educational Method

The Christian View of Man

The Christian view of man is rooted in Christ, the ultimate model of human perfection. Each person, created in the image and likeness of God, is bestowed with dignity, freedom, intellect, and will. As such, the purpose of education is to help each person develop these gifts and his natural talents and abilities so that he can fully love and serve God in society. In our educational method, students learn to seek truth and acquire virtue while developing a broad base of knowledge and a solid understanding of the Faith.

“Educating a person consists in helping him to achieve, as fully as possible, the life project for which God has brought him into existence. Man's life on earth is an on going process. To educate a person is to give clear direction and specific content to this process, shaping it according to the person of Christ, the human ideal par excellence.”

Leadership Preparation

ICIF believes that we can influence tomorrow’s culture by preparing our youth for leadership. Our goal is to prepare students to be true Christian leaders in every sphere of society. Our educational method is designed to form leaders, anchored in their faith and prepared to put their gifts and talents at the service of society and the Church. We focus on developing the intellectual and moral attributes characteristic of a Christian leader. These include critical thinking, a well-formed conscience, broad cultural knowledge, and effective communication skills. Our educational method provides concrete leadership programs to channel youthful energy and enthusiasm and to develop their ability to lead others. Students graduate with confidence, self-control, and conviction.

“If we do form leaders, men and women with the highest degree of professional preparation and imbued with genuine Christian and human values, who love their country and nation, who are possessed of a deep love and understanding of the Church, whose mentality is to serve others, we will then be setting the stage for these same men and women to bring about the creation of a society that is more just, more peace-loving, more Christian.”

Academic Excellence

ICIF believes that true education not only involves the acquisition of knowledge, but also the development and refinement of key intellectual abilities including analyzing, synthesizing, relating, and judging.

• Under our educational method, students are expected to achieve high academic standards.
• The education process is structured, goal-oriented, and based on a well-defined program of studies.
• We provide a solid and challenging curriculum that is rich in content.
• Teachers work with each student to achieve his or her potential and use teaching methods that are sound, effective, and proven.
• Boys and girls are taught separately due to differences in physical and cognitive maturation, social and moral development, and styles of learning.
• Schools offer a comprehensive foreign language program, and use technology in the classroom to enhance learning.

Personal Attention

ICIF believes that each student is uniquely created by God with different talents and gifts. Accordingly, our educational method stresses personal attention.

• Teachers strive to know the strengths, weaknesses, interests, and personality of their students in order to help each student reach his or her full potential.
• Students receive personal attention from teachers and deans,  not only in academic matters, but in all areas of integral formation.

Social Service

ICIF believes that, through acts of service and charity, students develop responsibility and the desire to serve the Church and society.

An important characteristic of our educational method is voluntary service. Students volunteer in their schools and communities, giving of themselves and sharing their gifts for the good of others.In the community, students put their faith into action by conceiving, planning, and implementing community service projects.

Positive Discipline

ICIF believes that to attain high levels of achievement, students must be internally motivated and learn to take responsibility for their own education. In the school, expectations are clearly set in an effort to help students learn responsibility. Students are motivated in a number of ways according to age level and maturity, with the ultimate goal of each student being self-motivation. Under our educational method, schools ensure a positive learning atmosphere — a safe, nurturing environment based on trust, responsibility, and discipline. Formation staff, deans, and chaplains assist students to acquire these virtues.

Family Involvement

Parents are the primary educators of their children. In our educational philosophy, schools collaborate with parents in the effort to educate each child.

Principals meet regularly with parents and involve them in the education of their children. Teachers strive to maintain an ongoing communication with the parents of each child, informing them about each child’s activities and progress. Certain programs are designed for family involvement (e.g., Virtue of the Month) to reinforce learning objectives from school in the home environment.

The volunteer efforts of parents are essential to the success of the school. Parents participate in a wide range of school activities through extensive parent committee programs.

Integral Formation

Integral Formation is the harmonious development of all dimensions of the human person. In our educational method, we focus on the following four dimensions:

• Intellectual Formation
• Human Formation
• Spiritual Formation
• Apostolic Formation