CAJ teachers seek to integrate biblical truth into everything they teach. This means students wrestle with what the Bible teaches in classes other that their Bible class and in every division of the school.

Christine Ijima teaches grade 5. She writes:

In fifth grade we are beginning to investigate mixtures and solutions. Solutions are a type of homogeneous mixture, where the components cannot be easily separated once blended. How do the students see God in what we are learning? Well, after mixing cornstarch and water to create Oobleck, we wondered what we had. After blending the components, the concoction stiffened when held, then dripped through our fingers until it dried up on the table. Although it blended as a solution should, it also separated as it dried or was left alone. One student described Oobleck as when we touch it, and then release it, it’s like when we do something good, we stick to God. When we release from Him, we fall apart. Another thought, without God we can’t make these things. Many could easily see that there must be a creator of the things we see. Soon, we will create crystals with baking soda and see God’s hand in the beauty of these tiny elements.

Sachie Hara teaches grade 7 English, among other subjects. She writes:

In seventh grade, students prepared “A Day in the Life” presentation, following reading the short story “A Day’s Wait,” by Ernest Hemingway. In the story, a boy spends all day worrying about his sickness, fearing he will die soon. In the end, we find out it was all a misunderstanding; he is fine.  After reading the story, we asked ourselves, “How do we spend our time?” and “How should we spend our time?” The students reflected on the usual parts of a typical day that they experience and examined how their time is spent. When they actually wrote out what they did throughout the day, they realized their time was not always well spent, and there were conflicts in their lives. Some of the conflicts shared were time management issues, anxiety, and conflicts with others including friends, siblings and parents. After identifying some conflicts, the students opened their Bible to see what the Bible says about their conflicts and how they could make plans to resolve these conflicts. Then, the students prepared a 4-6 minute “A Day in the Life” presentation to share with their classmates. After sharing about her anxiety towards schoolwork, one student explained how the Bible talks about casting all anxiety on God (I Peter 5:7) and not be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). Then she said, “I need to remind myself that God is greater than my anxiety.” She also made a plan to pace her assignments out so she would not have to worry. Another student shared that one of his conflicts was that he would argue frequently with his sister. After reading Proverbs 15:18, which states, “A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them,” he realized that he would need to be more patient with his sister, and he could be the one to stop the argument. The Bible teaches us how we should live our lives, and 7th graders learned to connect the Biblical teachings to their lives as they reflected on their lives and made goals and actions plans.

Nate Gibson teaches grade 11 Humanities, a course integrating American literature and history. He writes:

Is justice about protecting individual freedom?  Is it about benefiting the majority? Is it about upholding virtue?  My 11th graders start the school year with a host of different assumptions about what justice means, and how it is shaped by media, culture, and society. With so many competing visions for what justice is, how can we as Christians responsibly and consistently follow God’s call for us to do justice? These are the questions that loom over us as we start each new year in Humanities 11-- a blend of U.S. History class and English class. To establish a foundation for the year to come, our first reading assignment is a pair of chapters from two different authors: one from Generous Justice by Tim Keller, the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and one from Healing for a Broken World by Steve Monsma, a former politician and Senior Research Fellow at Calvin College’s Henry Institute. As the students read, discuss, and reflect on these chapters, they recognize a common definition of justice: giving people their due as image-bearers of God. Throughout the first unit, we strive to unpack what this means so that we can refer back to this definition in coming units, applying it to such diverse topics as the Salem Witch Trials, the writing of the Declaration of Independence, slavery, the dropping of the atomic bombs, and more. My hope each year is that as students study history and literature with this overarching theme of justice in mind, they will find themselves asking what it means for them to give others their due as image-bearers in their lives at CAJ and beyond.

Grade 9 - Keith Kelleth

SWOW in 9th grade is a much more relaxed pace than the later years, but that’s intentional.  Our goal is to begin to introduce the ideas and skills of leadership. We want to get these students to consciously notice things about the way they communicate, the way they listen, and the way they get things done.  The movies we watch are fun, but they’ve been chosen with specific themes in mind. The hike is difficult, but we want them to see how they deal with each other under those conditions. The challenges they’re given need to be solved creatively, and so they need to listen to each other and think in new ways. They have to know when to step up and lead, but also when to take a step back and follow.  
 
While the different teams the students are divided into really develop their identity over the week, and a little healthy competition can help the teams bond, the service project at the end of the week helps them see just how much that collaborative effort can accomplish. All in all, freshman SWoW is really the jumping off point for their next three years, and so it’s important to start them off in the right frame of mind. And of course, they get to have some fun too!  :)

Grade 10 - Yujiro Fujiwara

The experiences lived by students at 10th-grade SWOW are designed to foster leadership skills in students as they connect their intellect and emotions with nature. One of the goals of the week is that students may form a better understanding of their role as steward-leaders as they see how their decisions and behavior may have an impact on the environment.  
On the intellectual aspect, students engage with science content related to freshwater and its importance, participate in the collection of water parameters, and learn about native animals and plants in the area.
On the emotional aspect, students deepen their relationships among their peers and increase their appreciation for nature. Students get time to reflect and come up with personal sustainability projects that can be implemented in short, medium, and long-term timeframe

Grade 11 - Ryan Potter

Having finally arrived at the campsite after a long day of hiking, it’s time to eat–dinner is no longer as simple as going home, or stopping at the convenience store, though. We gather around the instructions as the light fades as the student leaders discuss what needs to be done in order to make the meal: Who is carrying the cutting board and ingredients for supper? Who chops the carrots and potatoes? Who knows how the stoves work? Will we have enough water tomorrow? On Wilderness Camp, students learn that CAJ's Student Objectives are not just theory: either we work together as Productive Collaborators, or we don’t eat.  Being a Faithful Caretaker takes on a whole new meaning as the student leaders discuss who gets a second serving of the evening meal: giving a struggling teammate a larger portion of the limited food is as much being a Faithful Caretaker as is cleaning up the campsite in the mornings. 

In the morning, the student leaders, tasked with getting their team to their next camp site, use orienteering skills that they have only just learned, where a mistake could mean hours of wasted energy, and potentially a very uncomfortable night of fitful sleep. Teachers and other team members can provide wisdom, advice, and tips, but the advice needs to be asked for, listened to, and used; student leaders need be Effective Communicators as they ask, Responsible Learners as they listen, and Discerning Thinkers as they lead, in order to successfully lead.

Experiential learning opportunities such as CAJ's Wilderness Camp program give the students the opportunity to see that CAJ’s Student Objectives are much more than words on a wall or an assignment, rather, through growing proficiency in the CAJ student objectives, the students are learning and experiencing real servant leadership.

Grade 12 - 2 Senior Students:

Joseph

The trip to Nagasaki gave deep insight on early Christianity in Japan. Especially after reading Silence, the sites that we visited linked to the themes of martyrdom and Kakure Kirishitans, of which we discussed during Japanese Culture. I was challenged to reflect on my faith and was opened to a new perspective of thankfulness and inspiration.  
I think that this was a nice opportunity for us seniors to be able to learn more about Christianity and the meaning it holds for our generation of believers!

Maika

The atomic bomb museum opened my eyes to the destructive power that we can have as humans. Just to imagine waking up to all that I know completely obliterated with no trace of the place and people I call home, was so difficult. This was almost frustrating because despite how much I wanted to understand it beyond just facts, there was still a sense of detachment. However, I realized that the fact that I was trying was the most important part, since part of serving the world for Christ is to be aware of the consequences of our actions.