What is the Role of a Teacher?

In one of my earlier posts, I shared a definition for education. After considering some Latin roots and what the idea of "potential" in my students really means, I shared that education is instruction and training that develops or brings out the image of God in a student in preparation for the call of God on their life. Education has a specific kind of instruction and training - the kind that develops the image of God in man. Education also has a specific purpose: to prepare for the call of God (I still must explain further what I mean by the "call of God").

Now, I want to consider how this definition helps us understand the role of a teacher (Since I'm an athletic director, I want to also consider here the role of a coach. I believe that a coach is a specific kind of teacher - or that teacher is the genus of coach - so I think all of what I share below applies to coaches at any competitive level). In other words, let's go one step further and make use of this definition to show what is it that teachers will be expected to have done well, what they are held accountable to manage. I need to at least mention here the personal example of the teacher as the foundation of what they do. You cannot take people beyond the point you have gone personally. If teachers do not have a godly and compelling example, their credibility is undermined and effectiveness is nullified.

Implication: I think teaching is the craft of instructing and training the image of God in students (i.e. ways they reflect God) to prepare them for the call of God. This definition has three parts: the action, the object, and the purpose. By the way, I think it's interesting that these verbs "instructing" and "training" resemble the commands given to parents in raising children (Ephesians 6:4). In fact, the Latin word educate is used for bring them up in the Latin Vulgate of this verse. Why is this relevant? Well, while educators are certainly not divinely called by God in bringing up children, I think the role of the teacher significantly supports and resembles the call of God for parents to raise their children.

#1 The Action: the action is the craft of instruction and training. First, the word instruction refers to passing on information and knowledge (i.e. truth). In his classic Paideia Proposal, Mortimer Adler says that the acquisition of organized knowledge is aided by didactic teaching, or Teaching by Telling. Second, the word training refers to developing the necessary skills and processes. Adler explains that these skills cannot be taught by didactic means like lecture, but require practice under the supervision of a coach, who corrects wrong moves and requires correct ones (Adler also argued for a third action for teachers - Maieutic or Socratic questioning. This form of teaching comes from a Greek word, maieutic, meaning midwife because it assists students in bringing ideas to birth. While the goal of instruction is the acquisition of knowledge and training is the development of skills, Socratic questioning is the enlargement of understanding, ideas, and values. I might consider adding this action to my definition of education). I also use the word craft because teaching is both a science and an art. As a science, teaching has a framework, rules, principles, and methods. As an art, teaching requires skill in practicing those rules with lots of effort and with lots of mistakes. Like craftsmen in a guild, teachers employ the conventions of the trade with various and hopefully increasing levels of skill. Educational experts call this craft pedagogy. What's at the heart of this craft? I think it's the teacher saying to the pupil: "Check this out! Look at this! Let me show you what I've learned. Let me show you how this has made a difference in my life." In addition to instructing, training, and imparting teachers also need to be good at understanding their students in order to avoid provoking and discouraging them, nourishing and treating their students with tenderness, playing with their students and enjoying what God enjoys with their students, planning, communicating, managing projects and resources, and building community that reflects the Trinity. That's not too much, is it?

#2 The Object: the object of instruction and training is individuals, specifically the image of God in our students. That I say the object of instruction is the image of God might come as a surprise for some. Many teachers, beginning with myself, can believe they teach the subject of science, or literature, or whatever. While teachers should know thoroughly their curriculum and subject, I think teachers should use these subjects as the means by which they draw out and develop the gifts God has endowed upon the student (i.e. potential). Teachers empower their students in these gifts God has given to each and every student. In other words, teachers should not be more passionate about their subjects than their students. Teaching is a very relational experience. This means that teachers should become experts on biblical anthropology. Click here, here, here, and here for more about this idea about the image of God in man.  Here's one more significant implication: If teaching is training the image of God in our students, student engagement is vital.  Teachers should never work harder than their students.  Think of a coach and players during a practice, or a trainer and client at the gym.  Who works harder?

#3 The Purpose: the purpose is preparing them for the call of God on their lives. More on this later.

So, in summary, the actions that describe a teacher best is instruct and train. The object of instruction is more the student than the subject. And the purpose for which the teacher strives is preparation for the call of God.