Traits of Faithful and Flourishing Christian Educators
Many Christian schools strive for excellence, but what does that actually look like? If we are serious about Christ-centered excellence in education, then we must be serious about excellent teaching. That is why I often say that one of the most important responsibilities of a school leader is hiring strong, skilled, mission-aligned teachers and student-facing staff who embrace the shared convictions of the school. Of course, everyone in the school matters, but those people who are engaging with students each day have the deepest and most consistent impact on the quality of a student’s education. With that in mind, let’s spend this week looking at the distinctions of being a quality Christian educator (at any level).
After spending years working with faculty who came seeking help after a disappointing course evaluation, observing and learning from truly world-class educators, and studying the literature, I'm convinced that it comes down to cultivating competence in four areas.
The first is disciplinary expertise.
Do I know the subject or discipline well, its discourse, truth claims, complexities, unanswered questions, strengths, and limitations? It is not enough to know the facts, although that is important too. Expertise is more profound and immersive. It is necessary to be one who not only transmits knowledge but nurtures growing competence, expertise, and wisdom within a discipline or domain of study.
Second, we look at teaching expertise.
Do I know how to teach in ways that consistently and predictably increase the chance of students learning, growing, and thriving? Such expertise includes, but is not limited to:
organizational skills,
how to prioritize, establish, and communicate learning goals and pathways,
the capacity to translate from expert to novice,
communication skills,
how to check for understanding, designing and providing ungraded and formative feedback,
how to create clear, compelling, and organized lessons and learning experiences,
and how to develop fair, consistent assessments that measure student progress toward meeting the stated goals.
The third area is learning how to get to know the learners.
Do I know the learners in general and specifically? In general, do I know the proclivities and tendencies of the particular group I teach? This may involve what is unique to that group/culture/context, age, developmental tendencies, shared past experiences that may influence their readiness, etc. Specifically, am I growing in my knowledge and understanding of each student's joys, challenges, fears, strengths, challenges, history, etc.? By the way, this is not just about knowing the learner demographics and facts. Ultimately, this is about building a positive, caring, trusting, and mentoring relationship with the students.
Fourth and most important is knowing the Scriptures.
Do I know the Scriptures well, including the areas where God's Word clashes or aligns with the discipline I teach? Do I know how to communicate God's Truth as it relates to the truth claims, ethics, and other considerations of the field of study?
The important part is that these four areas go together. A struggle in one area will diminish the overall impact.
If you have all of these but the first, disciplinary expertise, you will struggle or fail to teach with truth, integrity, and excellence.
If you have all of these but teaching expertise, you will frustrate, disenfranchise, and struggle or fail to help students learn and thrive. You will also likely confuse academic rigor (making learning painful) with academic rigor (challenging and stretching learners in good and positive ways).
If you have all of these but knowledge of the learners, your teaching will struggle or fail to achieve the best possible results for the specific group of learners. Furthermore, the distinct needs of individual learners will often be unmet, resulting in an education that will diminish the benefit of the education for select students.
If you have all of these but knowledge of the Scriptures and their implications for your discipline, you will struggle or fail to engage intentionally in discipleship of the mind, unique to a Christian educator's calling.
All of these become foundational to being an influential and effective educator who is also capable of being an inspiring mentor and cultivator of wisdom, competence, and ultimately excellence. None of us are excellent in all of these areas all the time. Rather, each of these four are areas where we as educators are called to embrace a commitment to lifelong growth and formation.
Yet, if we are on a shared journey toward being faithful and flourishing Christian schools, there are few areas that yield as many benefits as investing in the encouragement, support, and professional development of the teachers—those people who live out your school’s purpose each day.