By Ron Gordon
Over the last several years, while visiting Christian schools across the country, we’ve asked hundreds of students the question “Who’s your favorite teacher?” The answers are quite consistent between groups with phrases such as “Miss Smith makes learning fun,” “Mr. Jones seems to be the only teacher that has control of the class,” or “Mrs. Turner actually cares about us.” Fascinating stories quickly follow, illustrating how these teachers have impacted their lives in powerful ways.
When recalling my favorite teachers, two names immediately come to mind from my first eight years at a Christian school: Mrs. Landes and Mr. Moser. However, they couldn’t have been more different. Mrs. Landes was serious, strict, and mostly stoic. Mr. Moser was entertaining and enthusiastic. That said, they shared several common characteristics, including a solid command of and powerful insights into their material, the ability to communicate concepts effectively, and a passionate love for Christ.
If you search the internet for the “most important traits of a great teacher,” several other vital attributes emerge.
Accessible | Experts in their field | Professional |
Active listener | Flexible | Prompt |
Adaptable | Focused on growth | Respectful |
Authentic autonomy | Fun | Responsible |
Caring | Great communicator | Self-reflective |
Challenges students | Joyful | Sensitive |
Collaborative | Lifelong learner | Serves as a role model |
Constantly growing | Loves children | Sets high expectations |
Creates a sense of community | Love of learning | Skilled leader |
Creative | Loves challenges | Strives for excellence |
Effective in goal-setting | Passion for learning | Teachable |
Empathetic | Patient | Teaches lifelong lessons |
Engaging | Personal | Visionary |
Enthusiastic | Prepared | Warm |
When considering these varied qualities, there’s one keyword at the heart of each of these responses. What is it? Trust. It’s the foundation on which each of these qualities must rest.
Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team identifies the absence of trust as the most common and most severe dysfunction that a team, or in this case a classroom of students, can have.1 Without trust, classmates are fearful of engaging, leading to stifled class communication and a focus on protecting themselves, which may even lead to undermining classmates’ responses. When the teacher leads their class with godly wisdom and transparent communication, including acknowledgment of their mistakes, the classroom is transformed into a trusting environment conducive to learning and growing together.
Still, Scripture repeatedly reminds us not to put our trust in man but God alone.
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish” (Psalm 146:3-4).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6).
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord’” (Jeremiah 17:5,7).
So are we not to teach our children to trust others, including teachers? No. In Ephesians 4:20-24, Paul explains we were taught through Jesus’ model how you must leave “your former manner of life . . . corrupt through deceitful desires” and be “renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” We must become more like Christ through the power of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB) explains that we all, “looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
While we train our children to trust in God alone, we must also teach them to have discerning hearts that recognize those who are like Christ and follow their model. As Paul shared in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Our Christian school teachers, who are certainly not perfect, should be aspiring to continually seek after Christ and be conformed to His likeness.
As you go through another academic year, consider these four focus areas as you build and strengthen trust with the students you are blessed to steward.
Know your material. Children are perceptive. They know when their teachers are well prepared and have mastery of their topics. Preparation exudes a humble confidence that assures your students they can trust what you’re saying. There is no shortcut to mastery. It takes intentional training, development, and a consistent, ongoing pursuit to approach mastery.
Know your environment. As alluded to previously, a classroom climate of fear can be stifling. Whether it’s an unhealthy fear of their teacher or a misguided fear of their peers, students in this environment will not feel encouraged to share and learn actively. The classroom, however, must be orderly, with an abounding respect for authority and one another. Students need to trust they are safe to share and explore within their classroom and with you, their trusted tour guide.
Know your students. While seemingly obvious, many teachers do not take the time to understand their students as individuals, each with their own unique gifts, specific learning styles, complex backgrounds, and passionate pursuits and callings. Engage your students individually, and actively listen to them. Cultivating a meaningful relationship with your students will foster the trust needed to shepherd their hearts and sharpen their minds.
Know your Lord. Undoubtedly, the most essential aspect of a great teacher is understanding and modeling the greatest teacher, Jesus Christ. It has often been said, “You can’t teach what you don’t have.” When we saturate ourselves with knowledge of Him and His precepts, we can share any topic or subject with our students from a biblical perspective. Modeling Christ to our students requires daily intentionality to grow in our relationship with our Lord and Savior, in whom we ultimately want our students to have unshakable trust.
Jonathan Pokluda, in his recent book Why Do We Do What We Don’t Want To Do, powerfully observes that “very rarely do people just wake up trusting in Christ. . . First, they trust a person modeling Christ, then they trust that person’s God.”2 What a weighty thought! Make this academic year the most transformative year ever in your students’ lives. Build trust!
Ron Gordon is the Executive Vice President & COO of RenewaNation and leads their Christian Education Team. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and an MBA from Virginia Tech. He spent 22 years in the Defense industry, leading manufacturing organizations, managing high-level projects, and building cross-functional teams. In addition, Ron has supported church plants, led AWANA groups, and helped over 50 Christian schools through renewal and startup efforts. Ron and his wife, Tonya, live in Roanoke, Virginia, and are blessed with three adult children.
ENDNOTES
1. Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Jossey-Bass, 2002).
2. Jonathan Pokluda and Jon Green, Why Do We Do What We Don’t Want To Do (Baker Books, 2023).
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I love how you highlighted the diverse teaching styles of Mrs. Landes and Mr. Moser! It’s a reminder that effective teaching can take many Retro Bowl forms. Whether strict or enthusiastic, what truly matters is their genuine care for students and the ability to engage with the material.
You are truly dedicated to your work! Your care and attention to your students is admirable. Also don't forget to try smash karts.