Appointing the ‘best’ teachers and leaders to Middleton Grange School is one of the most important roles the Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team have. The ‘quality’ of the teacher working alongside your children has a tremendous impact; academically, emotionally, character-wise and spiritually.

At present we are in the season of staff appointments and so I thought it would be good for you to know what qualities we look for in staff applying for positions.

First of all, let me say that the whole process is saturated in prayer! We do rely on the Lord to lead the right people to be convicted to apply for a position here. We then pray that he would lead the appointments panel to make the right decision. For me personally, I tend to have a series of words all starting with the letter ‘C’ to frame my thinking when it comes to choosing. 7 ‘C’s’ in fact!

1. Christ-likeness
Is the applicant a follower of Christ and do they desire to live for the Lord in all areas of life and character? If out of the heart all issues of life flow (Proverbs 4: 23) then we need teachers displaying the fruit of the Spirit for your children to imitate and learn from. As the Lord said to Samuel "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16: 7). As Principal I don’t want to first measure a person by their accomplishments but by their character. This is what will be revealed to your children day by day.

2. Competency
It is important that the teacher is able to teach or to show strong signs of growth in this area, which is relevant for beginning teachers. Can others attest to their ability to engage and inspire children? In fact it is not so much the focus on the ‘teaching’ aspect but are pupils learning?!

3. Chemistry
No, not in the Science sense! But we ask the questions How will this person fit in the team? Will they be a blessing or cause conflict? Will they get on with the current staff in a positive manner? This is not about having everyone the same, but more about the ‘intangible’ ethos they will bring to the team. Do we think they will ‘rub people up the wrong way’ or energise the team with care, grace, humour, etc?

4. Calling
Do I get a sense that they feel called to teach? Do they know why they have chosen the most wonderful vocation ever? (Biased opinion of course!) Do they long to be in the classroom engaging pupils in learning and looking out for pupil needs?

5. Compassion
Do they have a heart for the children? Are they concerned for the wellbeing of the pupils in front of them, such that they will take the time to get to know pupils’ interests and their backgrounds? Will they be willing to sacrifice a lunchtime to chat to a distressed child or give extra help when needed?

6. Courageous
Do they know what they stand for and are willing to stand up for it? Will they in a gracious way, challenge the status quo if it needs changing? Do they have the courage to speak into the lives of children when discipline (discipleship) is needed?

And finally

7. Community – minded
Am I employing a lone ranger or a team player? Are they likely to share their resources or be competitive in terms of ‘being better than others?’ Do they see the team they are in or the school as a community? Do they view parents, whanau, the Board of Trustees and the church as part of educating the whole child?

So those are the 7 ‘C’s’ that I think about when employing staff at Middleton Grange School. Do we find perfection in each of the 7 ‘C’s’ for all of our appointments? No – you only need to look at me! But our heart and action is to set a very high standard for our appointments.

I finish with a wonderful quotation out of the Middleton Grange School story about Mr Chignell, the first Principal:

‘"If you had to choose, Mr Chignall, would you choose a well-qualified teacher or a dedicated Christian as a staff member?"
His reply "I wouldn’t have either. I’d wait until I found a dedicated Christian who was also a well-qualified teacher."'

Please pray that the Lord continues to send godly, competent staff to Middleton Grange School.

In Christ

Richard Vanderpyl
Principal