Section III
An Excellent
Christian Teacher
Characteristics and
Expectations
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Beliefs and Vision Statement
In the sphere of home, church, community and school, Grand Rapids Christian schools have the
special role in developing academic learning for school age students. We provide students with
opportunities and high expectations for deep learning about God and their faith through
understandings about God’s world, ourselves, culture and our society and solid preparation for
academic life beyond high school. The mission of the Grand Rapids Christian Schools is to
prepare students to be servants of Christ in contemporary society. GRCS staff infuse this
mission into their teaching, student learning activities, and work in the school community.
1. Grand Rapids Christian Schools Curriculum
A.
Because of our commitment to excellent Christian education we hold to certain beliefs and
practices. We understand that our school program ought to reach a variety of learners and offer a
content of exploration as well as opportunities for students to develop core content
understandings and skill. We will develop and use best practices for instruction and a variety of
assessment strategies. For these reasons, we intentionally infuse our curriculum with certain
themes.
1. A deep understanding of God and His creation.
2. Discernment especially regarding social and societal issues.
3. A redemptive disposition that includes maintaining a community of grace.
4. Promotion of restoration that includes opportunities for service learning.
B.
GRCS uses the Michigan Curriculum Framework and standards for teaching and learning as the
framework for our K-12 curriculum offerings, content and skills.
C.
GRCS uses Michigan Educational Assessment Standards and the Michigan Merit Exams as the
standards for assessment in our K-12 schools. Other assessments used include Measures for
Academic Progress (grades 2-8) and Michigan Literacy Progress Profile (grade K-2).
2. Grand Rapids Christian Schools Classroom Environment
GRCS maintains a rich, safe, and orderly learning environment. We believe that student learning is best
nurtured within a learning community that offers grace, consistent expectations and a well-managed
classroom and school. We focus on providing a program that challenges and supports for all students.
3. Grand Rapids Christian Schools Professional Learning Community
GRCS provides staff with a strong professional learning community that expects professional
competency, supportive collaboration, community contributions, and adequate communication. We
encourage personal and collaborative professional learning and growth throughout the district.
Teachers and school leaders believe students can be successful when student, teacher and parent work
together to prepare and support students in their work and membership in the school community.
4. Grand Rapids Christian Schools Staff Competency and Professional Growth
Each year, GRCS professional instructional staff demonstrates their competence in five areas that embody
excellent GRCS Christian teaching standards and implement growth plans for professional goals that
enhance in those areas.
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The Five Competencies of Effective Christian Teachers
Maintain strong personal and professional characteristics
Show excellence in curriculum content planning, alignment, and delivery
Demonstrate proficiency in instructional practices, management, and
assessment,
Establish an engaging learning environment and positive student
relationships
Contribute to collegiality, community, and use of district expectations for
communications
These five competencies of effective teaching and student learning have been identified by GRCS based
on current research and understanding of curriculum content, practices for effective teaching and learning,
our philosophy of a Christian school environment and integration of faith and learning, and the
implementation of our mission.
The Excellent Christian Teacher
Overview of Expectations
Grand Rapids Christian School teachers affirm in their hiring that they are servants of Christ called to
teach in a Christian school setting. Teachers are expected to grow in their professional knowledge of
students and subject areas, and to continue to develop effective teaching practices
Effective personal characteristics include use of humor, consideration of students and others in the
community, openness to other viewpoints and student ideas, enthusiasm and stimulating interest for
learning, kindliness and fairness, encouragement of student participation in their learning, development of
a rich and stable learning environment, preparedness, management of an orderly classroom through
positive behavior supports, self control, observation of professional confidentiality, punctuality, attention
to availability during the school day and after school hours, appropriate professional appearance and
behaviors.
Teachers are expected to maximize relationships and promote community within the classroom, the
school, and with parents and community members. Expected behaviors include being approachable,
considerate, shows respect for all people, values diversity and promotes inclusions, treats people fairly,
shares a sense of purpose, inspires people to be their best, promotes commitment not compliance, gives
credit to others, is generous with praise, listens actively, is a team player, strives for collaboration, uses a
network of resources, and is someone people can work with.
Teachers will create learning environments that promotes active student engagement and participation
in learning. Through these environments and relationships with teachers, students will be motivated to
give their best efforts towards developing knowledge and skills that will prepare them for using their
God-given gifts to work in God’s kingdom. Teachers expect every student to contribute to a rich, safe and
unified learning community.
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Our teachers commit to God’s calling in their work. Teachers are encouraged to use their individual
God-given gifts and strengths to enhance the overall school program. They understand and seek to grow
in their commitment to integrating their faith into their teaching and curriculum. They show their
commitment to Grand Rapids Christian Schools by providing students with a strong academic program
that includes nurturing students on their faith journey.
The Grand Rapids Christian Schools seeks to prepare students to be servants of Christ in contemporary
society. Teachers understand our commitment to preparing students for success in post-secondary
education and careers of the 21st century. Teachers expect their students to demonstrate knowledge of our
Christian perspective and use this understanding as they make decisions, raise questions, and examine
real-life problems throughout the curriculum.
The Grand Rapids Christian Schools commits to working as partners with family and students,
collaborating on learning through homework, practice and completion of assignments as well as
preparation for school. Knowing that educational success is dependent upon these relationships, parents,
community members and churches partner with GRCS staff in nurturing the spiritual, social, emotional,
and academic growth of all learners. This is done through direct involvement in the learning process,
supporting and nurturing learning and faith outside of school, and through prayer for our students, staff,
and the school’s endeavors.
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Standard I of an Excellent Christian Teacher:
Personal and Professional Competencies
An excellent Christian teacher shows their acceptance of and commitment to these areas:
1. A professional focus on teaching, learning, subject area proficiency, the learning process, and
academic preparedness of students for the next level of schooling or life.
2. Personal characteristics such as a professional demeanor, ethics, and attributes, as well as a Christlike attitude and relational behavior in school and with students.
3. Implementation of lifelong learning in the profession, professional growth and reflective practice; as
well as knowledge of certification, credentials, and State of Michigan teacher certification
expectations.
4. Personal understandings and practices that nurture the faith journey of students in a school
environment.
An excellent Christian teacher will demonstrate competency in these areas through the following
personal and professional behaviors:
­ Develop an integrated reformed Christian worldview and nurture faith development within their
current assignment;
­ Acknowledge and seek guidance in their calling to teach in a Christian school community;
­ Model biblical principles in comportment and relation to others
­ Facilitate GRCS mission of preparing students for their service and God’s kingdom
­ Affirm students, parents, and colleagues as children of God and servants in His kingdom;
­ Keep current on educational scholarship and research based curriculum and instruction including
that which emphasize Christian content, and educational practices;
­ Share and seek development and improvement in strategies, content and learning activities;
­ Maintain personal communication skills;
­ Demonstrate use of appropriate technology skills Maximizing supportive and positive relationships
within the school community.
­ Understand and comply with GRCS policies on records and certification;
­ Do whatever is necessary as a Christian teacher to be a catalyst for student success academically,
spiritually, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally.
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Standard II of an Excellent Christian Teacher:
Curriculum Effectiveness in Content Planning, Alignment, and Delivery
An excellent Christian teacher shows current knowledge and understanding of these areas:
1. Curriculum content and how to design content rich lessons that are well-paced through the
curriculum.
2. Christian Reformed integration into the curriculum, instruction, assessments, and assignments.
3. Michigan curriculum standards, course frameworks, and grade level guidelines.
4. Use of assessment results for determining how curriculum will best be delivered to diverse he
learners.
5. Cross cultural and linguistic competencies (or lack thereof) within the curriculum.
6. Research-base for quality curriculum design and content.
7. Alignment and mapping of curriculum to state content standards.
8. Collaboratively developed curriculum, assignments, and assessments that is vertically and
horizontally aligned.
9. School-wide and district-wide curriculum and post- school expectations, including those that
accompany GRCS initiatives and the School Improvement Plan.
An excellent Christian teacher will demonstrate their competency in these areas through
the following behaviors:
­ Deliver the Grand Rapids Christian School’s grade level content and course syllabus
expectations with integrity,
­ Intentionally plan, prepare, and deliver curriculum
­ Teach Michigan Standards and benchmarks, including grade level expectations and core
curriculum guidelines;
­ Acquire deep knowledge of the subject/content that is taught;
­ Translate the school’s learning goals into clear and focused lessons, learning experiences,
or activities;
­ Integrate reformed Christian understandings as they relate to content, and infuse this into
assignments, lessons, and assessments;
­ Develop and use a variety of classroom assessment tools including common formative
assessments, to inform teaching;
­ Integrating new curriculum content and other changes in a timely and effective manner;
­ Integrating high level thinking (e.g., problem-solving, analysis) mastery of the content
standards, and use of content skills into assignments, learning activities, and homework;
­ Maximize technology use for content delivery when appropriate.
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Standard III of an Excellent Christian Teacher Demonstrate Proficiency in
Instructional Practices, Management, and Assessment
An excellent Christian teacher shows their current knowledge and understanding of these areas:
1. Research-based, best practices in instructional planning and delivery;
2. The learning process in terms of content, process, and product appropriate to student readiness,
interest, and the modality of instruction best suited to the content.
3. Effective and timely accommodation, modification, challenge, enrichment, and differentiation
techniques;
4. A variety of instructional resources and tools, and how to apply those to engage diverse learners;;
5. A variety of assessment formats including formative and summative options
6. How and when to use assessment information to inform curriculum and instruction, especially to
make instructional changes.
7. The integration of GRCS instructional skills, goals, and strategies into teaching and learning.
8. Knowledge of their students as individual learners with unique instructional needs
An excellent Christian teacher demonstrates their competency in these effective teaching
practices:
­ Use a variety of learning opportunities and teaching strategies that maximize student engagement
and learning;
­ Use both formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student understanding, and
make instructional changes when needed;
­ Differentiate instruction appropriately across content, process, and product appropriate to student
readiness, interest, and the modality of instruction best suited to the content;
­ Implement best practices for homework, extra credit, grading, and assignment expectations
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Implement content, product, and process that emphasizes creativity, critical thinking,
problem-based learning, blended instruction, collaboration and inter-personal flexibility
(e.g., cooperative learning), multi-media and multi-lingual communication methods;
­ Incorporating technology, cross-cultural competencies, and school improvement targets into
lessons;
­ Modifying and accommodating lessons for student learning needs;
­ Challenging students using content complexity, critical thinking, accelerated pacing, and working
with academic peers;
­ Nurturing student learning though challenges, support, and caring relationships;
­ Providing regular and appropriate feedback on student learning to students and parents;
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Standard IV of an Excellent Christian Teacher:
Establish an Engaging Learning Environment and Positive Student
Relationships
An excellent Christian teacher shows competence in their knowledge and understanding of these
areas:
1. Current motivational theory and research-based strategies;
2. Current practices for building positive student relationships and communication strategies;
3. Effective, research-based instructional management practices and routines including positive
behavior support;
4. Effective record keeping and feedback that includes student/parent communications;
5. Learning communities within a classroom;
6. Current understandings of the society and culture that support teacher understandings of the
classroom and students and maintain teacher “relevance.”
An excellent Christian teacher demonstrates their competence in these effective teaching
practices through the following behaviors:
­ Provides experiences for building relationships within and across classrooms/disciplines, so
students see themselves as part of the GRCS community of learners;
­ Prepare, organize, and teach lessons and classroom rules and routines for effective and efficient
instruction;
­ Providing opportunities within instruction for creativity, application, teamwork/cooperative
learning, problem-solving, self-directed learning, and technology use;
­ Establish a fair and caring classroom climate where students feel safe, valued, and respected as
individuals;
­ Defines and reinforces responsible behavior through positive behavior support practices,
­ Enforce schoolwide and classroom guidelines and rules, and consequences for inappropriate
behavior;
­ Build healthy, encouraging, positive relationships with students in appropriate manner through
rapport, age-appropriate expectations, and welcoming non- verbal body language;
­ Communicates and respond consistently and in age-appropriate ways to discuss and problem-solve
with students about their conduct or other concerns;
­ Teach responsible discipleship with the classroom and school community;
­ Maintain high academic and social/behavior expectations for all students.
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Standard V of an Excellent Christian Teacher:
Contribute to Collegiality, Community, and Use of District Communication
Expectations
An excellent Christian teacher shows competence in knowledge and understanding of these areas:
1. Appropriate and current best practices in inter-personal communication skills that include use of
technology applications;
2. Importance of each staff member’s role and commitment to in creating a professional learning
community within and across disciplines, building-wide, and district-wide.
3. Individual teacher contributions to an efficient and effective school environment that includes
accurate, timely record keeping and reporting, maintenance and respectful use of school facilities and
resources, and implementation of school/district communication policies and practices;
4. Our community’s expectations, school concerns, district expectations for communications, collegiality
and school community contributions in order to positively affect student learning and faith
development.
An excellent Christian teacher demonstrates competence in theseeffective professional practices
through the following behaviors:
­ follows and implements the policies and procedures of the school and district;
­ develops and maintain a safe and effective learning environment in the schools and during school
related programs;
­ maximizes relationships with colleagues through participation in collaborative work at the
classroom and school level;
­ Speaks of colleagues and community members in a positive and professional manner;
­ Rreports accurately with clear evidences of student learning and gives timely feedback on student
learning;
­ Develops communication tools and practices that support student learning and collaboration with
parents and family;
­ Communicates efficiently, professionally, constructively, and cooperatively with all
colleagues/staff, students, families, and community members;
­ Demonstrates personal flexibility and cooperation towards school needs and institutional changes;
­ Carries out school routines and duties diligently, promptly, and accurately;
­ Contributes effectively to common planning efforts, lesson study, assessment development and
implementation, data management and to other district projects;
­ contributes to the reflective solutions of educational issues and school concerns;
­ Implements effective organization of activities, resource/facility use, scheduling, functioning of
teams, committees, and events;
­ Maintains respectful, personal and student use of school technology, equipment, facilities and
property;
­ Demonstrates commitment to GRCS and school community initiatives and programs
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Conversation about Effective Teaching
For
An Excellent Christian Teacher
Instructional staff should be engaged in regular self reflection and have regular conversations
with school leaders, administrators, and colleagues about excellence, expectations, and the
instructional standards in the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. These may to accompany staff
observations. Discussions may be formal or informal, summative or formative.
Questions and observations about effective professional practices in the classroom and school
community:
­ How does the teacher contribute to the effective learning community? How does the teacher contribute
to effective school organization?
­ How does the teacher maximize relationships in the school setting with students, colleagues and
community members?
­ Does the teacher participate actively in team, grade level, committee, subject area work, and resource
sharing and assume leadership responsibilities when appropriate?
­ Does the teacher follow the policies and procedures of the school and district?
­ Does the teacher take responsibility for tasks related to his/her classroom and school programs?
­ Does the teacher use school technology, equipment, facilities and property appropriately and
respectfully?
­ Does the teacher demonstrate personal flexibility and cooperation towards school needs and
institutional changes?
­ Does the teacher carry out routine duties willingly, promptly, effectively and diligently?
­ Does the teacher contribute to the reflective solutions of educational issues and concerns?
­ How does the teacher communicate effectively, appropriately, and in a timely way with parents,
students, and community?
­ How does the teacher demonstrate effective implementation of the school’s mission, curriculum,
instructional and assessment strategies?
Observations of effective teaching in the classroom and school community:
­ Is there evidence in classroom activities, assignments, and assessments of student learning; that
prepares them to be servants of God in contemporary society?
­ How does the teacher model biblical and professional principles in their comportment and in relating
to others? Does the teacher regularly exemplify Christ-like dispositions and positive relationships
towards students and colleagues?
­ How does the teacher keep current on educational practices, and implement school and district policies
and procedures? How does the teacher show growth and evidence of professional learning?
­ How does the teacher seek opportunities to foster faith development and create experiences for
integrating faith and learning?
­ How does the teacher show competency in their teaching assignment?
­ Does the teacher present him/herself appropriately within a professional role in interactions
with students, in parent-teacher relationships and in the broader school community?
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Observations and questions about effective teaching:
­ Are lessons clearly designed and executed? What is the learning goal for each lesson?
­ Is the teacher implementing GRCS curriculum? Are there connections to Michigan standards and
expectations?
­ How does the teacher plan to assess learning and what standards will be used?
­ How does the teacher consistently plan –and engage students with- rigorous, relevant, important, and
focused learning activities and assignments?
­ What kinds of subject related skills are students using regularly?
­ What kind of critical thinking or learning levels are students using regularly?
­ What homework practices are used?
­ How do students show their learning?
­ How does the teacher build connections to the reformed Christian understandings?
­ How does the teacher show their deep knowledge of the content?
­ How does the teacher show that they are well prepared for this lesson?
­ What learning strategy was planned to develop content knowledge and understanding?
­ How is technology used for instruction when appropriate?
­ Is there evidence of differentiation strategies being effectively applied to instruction based on the
learners and the content?
Observations and questions about effective learning:
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What is the evidence of effective learning in this classroom?
What instructional practices are used in this lesson?
How does the teacher communicate learning goals?
How does the lesson use differentiation or other learning strategies??
How do students show active engagement with their learning?
How are students processing their learning?
Are students engaged in meaningful learning activities?
Is the lesson clear and connected? Does the teacher give organized cohesive explanations and clear
directions?
Are classroom procedures and materials conducive to effective and efficient learning?
Is there evidence that the teacher understands and responds to special learning needs?
Does the teacher provide enrichment and challenges?
How does the teacher communicate information about student learning and progress? How does the
teacher provide feedback to students in a timely manner?
Observations and Questions about effective teaching in classroom and school community:
Student relationships and learning community
­ Is the teacher genuinely respectful and interested in students?
­ How are students, parents, and colleagues affirmed as children of God and servants in His
kingdom?
­ Are there evidences of student cooperation and appropriate behavior in the classroom, halls,
chapel and other school activities?
­ Is there respect and caring interaction in the classroom and school areas?
­ Does the teacher use a variety of motivational strategies to engage students?
­ Is student/teacher contact maintained in hallways, chapel, and other areas of the school and
school grounds?
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Do teachers demonstrate positive relationship building behaviors towards students?
Do students work and interact together in a cordial and collaborative way? Do students work
collaboratively with clear focus and appropriate teacher supervision?
Management of Class Time and Student Learning
­ Is the teacher well prepared to make good use of time? Is the classroom well organized? Are
learning activities well organized
­ Are there high academic and social/behavior expectations for all students that are clearly
communicated and consistently enforced?
­ Are students engaged in meaningful learning activities for most of the class time? Is the
teacher engaged with students during the class time?
­ Does the teacher use a variety of appropriate strategies to engage all students?
­ Is the lesson well paced and directed by the teacher? Are classroom routines and instructional
activities well organized?
­ Is there evidence of expectations for student responsibility and ownership for learning?
­ Are classroom rules and routines and school policies and procedures enforced during the
class?
Management of Classroom Conduct
­ Are there clearly enforced classroom procedures and behavioral expectations? What positive
behavior support strategies are used to teach student behavior expectations for classroom
atmosphere conducive to learning? Is the teacher using a variety of effective management
strategies and best practices to develop an orderly classroom?
­ Is the teacher aware of class dynamics and individual student behaviors?
­ How are individual appropriate behaviors positively supported?
­ Are student issues handled firmly and respectfully?
­ Is the teacher using a variety of strategies to develop or manage an individual student’s
behavior?
­ How have long-term individual classroom conduct/behavioral concerns been addressed?
­ What school support has been made available for on-going conduct/behavior concerns for an
individual student or groups of students?
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