Our philosophy of education and practice at GPCC is what is guiding us to achieve our purpose. Everything we do is grounded in some understanding of the world and ourselves and the more explicit we are about this and the more focused we are on it, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.

This week we look at the role of the teacher in the education of students.

A teacher is sometimes described as “… a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.”¹

We usually think of a teacher as someone who passes on to a student or helps them to gain, knowledge, skill or experience in something.

Teaching is often defined in metaphorical terms. Harro van Brummelen, the great Canadian Christian educational theorist, suggested a number of metaphors for the teacher: facilitators, storytellers, stewards, priests or shepherds^2. A teacher may be any one or more of these at any time, depending on the circumstances, the student and the content or task involved.

John Amos Comenius, sixteenth century philosopher and theologian, proposed we think of schools as “gardens of delight” in which teachers and students work together to cultivate a garden from the wilderness left from the effects of the Fall. He saw this as part of our commission to tend the garden of Eden and, after the Fall, to work the ground and to care for the creation, including human society. Teachers are gardeners leading students into the same profession.

In the context of GPCC, we see the teacher as a guide, directing students towards what constitutes the fulfilment of their purpose and helping to equip them for a fruitful and purposeful life as set out for us in the Scriptures. We look to education to give knowledge, understanding and wisdom to students and so our starting definition has some value. Teaching is more than just passing on knowledge and skills; it is also how we shape a young life towards his or her destiny.

The teacher’s role is to pass on knowledge and help students know how to acquire it, to enable them to grow in competence in a range of areas, and finally to live a life of virtuous wisdom. The teacher’s role is to equip the student with what they need to live life as God intended. We do this in partnership with parents and the Church.

At GPCC we expect our teachers to be models of what we want our students to become. This is not just in their knowledge and subject ability, but in character. This is a high calling for a teacher who is under constant scrutiny in this regard so there must be some grace extended when they may fail. In the same way we, as parents model to our children, what we want them to become.

This requires a sound partnership between home and school which is not easy when we all come from very different backgrounds. But it is my hope, that at GPCC we can model to the rest of society how people of very different faiths and ideas can partner together for a common cause and see children flourish as a result. In this way we help to redeem our own society.

Phillip Nash

Principal

1 https://www.definitions.net/definition/teacher

2 van Brummelen, Harro: Walking with God in the Classroom 3rd Ed, Colorado Springs, Purposeful Design Pubs. 2009.