Mission & Promise
TCIS Mission and Promise
Our mission defines who we are and why TCIS exists. Our Promise describes what students and families should experience as that mission is lived throughout the school.
Together, our mission, motto, Christian philosophy and Promise provide a clear foundation for learning, relationships, community and leadership at Taejon Christian International School.
Our Mission, Motto and Philosophy
TCIS Mission Statement
TCIS strives to cultivate internationally-minded learners who lead in purposeful change.
Our Motto
LEARN • LOVE • LEAD
Learn • Love • Lead is an invitation to grow in wisdom, compassion and purpose. It expresses how our mission should shape both what students learn and how they use their knowledge, abilities and opportunities.
Learn with Purpose
Students build knowledge, ask thoughtful questions, investigate ideas and apply their learning to meaningful challenges. They become increasingly curious, reflective and capable learners.
Love with Integrity
Students learn to recognize the dignity of others, build caring relationships and put compassion into action through respect, empathy and service.
Lead for Good
Students are encouraged to take responsibility, act with courage and use their abilities to make a positive difference in their communities and the wider world.
Our Christian Philosophy
TCIS is a non-denominational Christian school. We believe education is about more than academic achievement. It should contribute to the development of the whole person – intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Our Christian identity shapes how we understand truth, relationships, character, responsibility and service. TCIS welcomes students from different faith backgrounds. Students are not required to profess Christian faith, but every member of the community is expected to respect others and contribute to an atmosphere of peace, unity and acceptance.
Read more about the Christian worldview at TCIS
School Verse – Philippians 3:14
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Our Promise to Families
Our mission and identity are enduring foundations. The TCIS Promise translates those foundations into a clear commitment that students and families should be able to recognize in their daily experience of the school.
At TCIS, every student is known, challenged, and prepared to grow with confidence and lead with purpose.
Known. Challenged. Prepared.
This Promise does not suggest that every student will have the same experience or follow the same pathway. It commits TCIS to creating the relationships, expectations, opportunities and support through which individual students can learn, belong and grow.
The TCIS Student Experience Pillars
Four Student Experience Pillars explain the commitments contained within the Promise. They describe what TCIS seeks to provide consistently across grade levels, programs and areas of school life.
Known Personally
Students should feel noticed, supported and able to belong.
Teachers, advisors, counselors and school leaders seek to understand each student’s strengths, needs, interests and progress. Small classes and a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio create opportunities for meaningful relationships, specific feedback and appropriate support.
Challenged Purposefully
Students should experience deep thinking, meaningful application, helpful feedback and continued growth.
Challenge at TCIS is not measured simply by the amount of work students receive. Students build strong academic foundations and learn to use their knowledge through inquiry, research, discussion, experimentation, design, creation and problem-solving. Clear expectations are paired with guidance and opportunities to improve.
Prepared Globally
Students should develop continuity, independence and credible pathways for their futures.
The connected IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes help students develop knowledge, communication, reflection and increasingly independent learning. An English-medium international community and individual college and career guidance prepare students to move confidently between cultures, educational systems and future opportunities.
Explore the IB continuum | Explore college and career counseling
Grounded in Purpose
Students should grow in character, responsibility, service and Christian purpose.
TCIS encourages students to consider not only what they are capable of achieving, but also how their abilities can be used in service of others. Through relationships, spiritual life, leadership, service, activities and everyday responsibilities, students are encouraged to act with compassion, integrity and courage.
How the Promise Becomes Practice
A promise is meaningful only when families can see how it is being fulfilled. At TCIS, the Promise is delivered through several connected systems, programs and relationships.
The TCIS Premier Teaching and Learning Framework guides the quality of classroom practice. It is especially important in helping teachers know students personally and challenge them purposefully through clear instruction, meaningful learning, feedback, reflection and appropriate support.
The complete Promise extends beyond classroom instruction. It is also supported through:
- The connected K–12 IB continuum and purposeful STEAM learning
- Teachers, advisors, counselors, pastoral care and English-language support
- Arts, athletics, activities, outdoor education and experiential learning
- Christian community, spiritual life, leadership and service
- College and career counseling and internationally recognized pathways
- Family-like Boarding Care for residential students in Grades 6–12
These structures create the conditions for growth. The evidence is found in what students experience and produce – their learning, relationships, participation, progress, character, confidence and readiness for what comes next.
See how the Promise extends into Boarding Care
Our Definition of Learning
Learning is the process of developing and growing oneself through the search for truth.
Our Definition of Leadership
Leadership is envisioning change and acting as the catalyst for principled endeavors. Leaders inspire the community to model integrity and servanthood, taking strategic action to generate purposeful change.
Experience the TCIS Promise
The best way to understand the TCIS mission and Promise is to see how they shape learning, relationships and community life.
Come and discover a school where students are known personally, challenged purposefully, prepared globally and grounded in purpose.