“As iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
“The kisses of an enemy may be profuse, but faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Proverbs 27:6)
Given those verses, some claim the key to a successful evaluation is to have an evaluator who sharpens like iron and doesn’t pull punches. But the key word is “friend”, defined as one who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Friendship is elusive largely because the inability and unwillingness to “lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Attempts to clarify job expectations, through detailed job descriptions and performance rubrics, are attempts to avoid the inevitable pain of correcting one who deviates from the prescribed path. There is a belief that clear and honest communication of expectations produces evaluations that come as no surprise. Why then do employees fear evaluations? It is because only perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:15-18) and the evaluation process largely disregards that God is love.
When any employer and the employee share the same vision, the same mission, and agree that teamwork needs all members to exercise their unique insights and talents, including failures, then that organization can flourish, for a while, like a plant in shallow soil. Eventually, tribulation reveals weak roots, not grounded in love, and the needed discipline writhers the organization.
Conversely, an organization whose mission is to honor God, in every word and deed, encourages every member of the body to work together in love as equal bondservants of Christ. Each member functions within the body, without lording over any other member. In this manner the whole building is constructed as God equips and chips away at each stone to fit all together (1 Peter 2:5). In this community, discipline is celebrated, like the pruning of a vine makes it more fruitful.
In the Christian community, we all have different gifts. We all are part of the body of Christ, each with a unique function. (1 Cor. 12) In this sense the leader is no more valued than the follower, for the organization can’t have one without the other. Humility is the key to serve others in love.
Teachers, mindful they will incur a stricter judgement (James 3:1), have the freedom to teach in accordance with their gifts. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)
In building relationships, the sense of trust that proceeds vulnerability, is misguided if the trust is placed in a colleague. Although each person should strive to be trustworthy, each should place their trust solely in Christ, following his example. “But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men” (John 2:24).
Reciprocal sharing of vulnerabilities usually breeds greater trust. Self reflection to identify areas of weakness and need is healthy especially when those needs are strengthened by the gifting of a coworker, be it employee or employer. For we all work for the same judge, who is Lord over all. And he equips us to serve others. Whether a supervisor or one being supervised, pride makes it difficult to accept help gracefully to supplement an area of weakness. However, with the realization that it is Christ working through each, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to minister in works that were preordained, then it becomes easier to rely on our Creator who is serving us via our family of believers.
There are popular professors of educational theory and practice, who recognize how older power structures of supervision have caused fearful or apathetic responses by teachers to the infamous formal observation. To replace that model, Glickman (2013) and others suggest that a supervisor can improve a teacher’s attitude and behaviors by forming trusting relationships, that are collaborative and mutually vulnerable, and thus empower teachers to exercise their unique characteristics toward improving the attitude and behaviors of students. This goal is based on the assumption of shared beliefs in the ultimate purpose of education.
Unfortunately, the supervisors transparent claim to have a profound respect for the uniqueness all human beings, as a consistent driver for social and emotional instruction, is often fraudulent. Rather than motivated by love, the practice is motivated by such temporal trivialities such as to increase test scores or decrease drop out rates.
There is a counterfeit movement among atheists to form a community fellowship church. They want the form of godliness, while still declaring the power of God to be no more potent than the fictitious spaghetti monster. They want to feel love, without acknowledging that God is love, who redeemed us from the penalty of sin by the sacrifice of Christ. They want to feel worthy, while supporting abortion of babies, euthanasia of elderly, and a random mechanistic macro evolution that eliminates free will. They want to be part of a body with purpose, yet claim the Holy Spirit is merely a socio-psycho phenomenon that can empower a feeling of fellowship. They want to create a culture of open acceptance and mutual vulnerability, without acknowledging the sin that separates them from the Creator.
Although some such social clubs, and churches, may succeed for decades, through the enjoyable practices of sharing food, conversation, and group singing of pop songs along with entertaining bands in preparation to hear for the motivational speaker, the feeling soon fades into the empty void of the human condition.
Conversely, joy unspeakable, a peace that exceeds understanding, and the celebration of discipline, results from the true fellowship of the Spirit. Love for each other, as fellow heirs of Christ, provides the only true basis for the culture of educational practice so desperately sought by secular humanists.
If supervisors seek teachers who are reflective and committed to instructional improvement, then first seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added. Love of God and mankind flows from accepting that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
If a goal of supervision is to provide authentic feedback for each teacher, and if frequent informal drop in visits are better than planed formal quarterly observations, then how much more so an audio-visual feed that covers all areas of the classroom, all the time. As teachers serve students they do so under the eye of the parent, and/or administrator, who have login access at any time to view the classroom interactions via the security cameras, without the teacher knowing they are being observed. Online video conferencing introduced many teachers to the reality that their instruction may be going out to any person at that home, more than just the intended student. No teacher is immune to the possibility of being recorded by a student’s covert device.
In a small way, this reminds staff and students of the reality that the Spirit is always present. We are admonished to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. We are admonished to do all things, in word and deed, for the glory of God. Do we serve God because we love Him, or because we are afraid of being caught doing something dishonorable?
“For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.” (Job 34:21)
“Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.” (Ecclesiastes 10:20)
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Hebrews 13:17)
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.” (Romans 2:1-2)
[8] Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. [9] Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10] As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: [11] whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:8-11)
Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S. P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2013). The Basic Guide to Supervision: and instructional leadership (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.