Stephen Stokes explains. “There’s no real gauge. It’s more a way of imagining that if there were a group of 100 teachers, you envision yourself as the best of that group.” Teachers are given five professional development days a year to find avenues to improve their teaching skills. “We’re there for the teachers,” says Stokes, “so the impetus is on the teacher to become the best they can be. We want them to reflect on the question, if you were up for an award, would you win it?” In addition to his position as principal, Stokes teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. “I put pressure on myself to be as high quality a teacher as I possibly can,” he says. “Not just a good teacher, but the best. And I let the teachers tell me what they need to be their best as well. It must be an intrinsic thing that they desire. Every year they should be trying to get better. I ask them to consider what area of their teaching could be improved and how we can help them become better. “I continually ask myself what
18
PA C I F I C U N I O N R E CO R D E R
would make me a better teacher for my students. What field could I get better at, implementing new techniques and new ways of being? You must be willing to recreate yourself into whatever it takes to be considered a great teacher. It’s that goal, that continual push. Our parents know that our teachers are constantly working to that end. They see them after school working with students, willingly, no pressure. I think it resonates with people when they know you’re trying to get better on a day-to-day basis. “Our teachers are trained well from the base up. They see teaching as more a mission in life and less as a job or career. When you add to that mission-mindedness opportunities for professional development and give a teacher a chance to really become great, the combination is what separates our teachers from the crowd.” Mission-mindedness It was this mission-mindedness that inspired the staff of Rio Lindo Academy last year during the devastating fires in northern California. When the campus of
nearby Redwood Academy was destroyed in the fire, plans were made for the elementary school to move into the Santa Rosa church. There was a lot of work and cleaning up to do. Rio Lindo Academy teachers and staff volunteered to help. “A number of Rio Lindo Academy staff went down to help them in that process, which I thought was really cool,” says Douglas Schmidt, principal of Rio Lindo Academy. “What I think makes our teachers special,” says Gus Martin, Arizona Conference Superintendent of Education, “is their excitement and their ability to see beyond the challenges. They have a commitment to high standards, and they aren’t afraid of embracing the Seventh-day Adventist mindset and sticking by our principles and ideals.” Our teachers make a difference because they are committed to Christ, Christian service, and quality education. They strive for excellence in education and compassion in Christian service, and that is why they make a difference, student after student, opportunity after opportunity. n