Core Motive Inventory
Middle & High School Teacher Edition
Teach with virtue. Form with discipline.
The Core Motive Inventory (CMI) turns a teacher's temperament into concrete, virtue-shaping habits for secondary classrooms, advisories, and parent partnership. Not another personality label—a formation plan you can live this week.
Are You a Teacher?
Classroom teachers serving students, colleagues, and parents
Take the CMI for Teachers →Are You an Administrator?
Deans, directors, and team members who partner rather than direct
Take the CMI for Administrators →Are You a Head of School / Principal?
Senior leaders responsible for vision, culture, and mission
Take the CMI for Heads of School / Principals →Why this matters
In the middle and upper grades, adolescent formation hinges on a teacher's daily disciplines—preparation, presence, correction, feedback, and communication. CMI shows how your God-given temperament helps or hinders those disciplines and prescribes small, repeatable practices that build prudence, justice, courage, temperance, magnanimity, and humility into your routine.
Who it's For
Middle school & high school teachers
across disciplines
Department chairs, deans, and grade-level leads
who still teach
New secondary teachers
who need a steady playbook for classroom culture and parent trust
What CMI Solves for Teachers
Uneven culture from period to period
→ a simple, portable routine that travels class-to-class
Avoided hard conversations
→ (students/parents) charitable scripts + deadlines for follow-through
Feedback drift
→ time-boxed grading cycles and “close-the-loop” habits
Parent tension
→ pastoral language, proactive updates, and clear expectations
Team friction
→ a charitable map of how your style contributes—and where virtue must lead
How it works
(simple and fast)
Take the CMI
≈20 minutes, online
Receive your Teacher Guidebook
Personalized to temperament, subject load, and secondary routines
Debrief & Plan
45-60 minutes with coach/lead
Run the 90-Day Practice Plan
Weekly habits, checklists, and scripts you can use tomorrow
What you receive
Temperament Blend & Drive
explained in plain classroom language
Signature Strengths & Predictable Vulnerabilities
tied to real secondary moments (bell starts, labs/seminars, late work, group projects, parent escalations)
Priority Virtues
with 2-3 weekly habits (doable and trackable)
A Teacher Guidebook organized for grades 6-12
Ready-to-use artifacts
bell-work/opening routine, correction scripts, feedback cadence, parent-update outlines, academic honesty protocol
Why this is different
Christian anthropology, not pop psychology
Temperament is real; virtue transforms it.
Practice over labels
Every insight becomes a scheduled habit (e.g., 24-hour recap after tough conversations; weekly 1:1/student conference block; decision gate on behavior).
Built for schools
Aligned to the daily work of secondary teaching: content mastery, culture, feedback, and parent trust.
Measurable
Owners, dates, and evidence—not vibes.
Outcomes you can expect
Calmer rooms: predictable routines that start on time and end with clear next steps
Stronger learning: tighter explanations, clean pacing, visible checks for understanding
Kinder, firmer discipline: private correction, public consistency, and steady follow-through
Better feedback: time-boxed grading with clear rubrics and 72-hour loop-closure on issues
Deeper parent trust: proactive notes, early outreach, gracious clarity on expectations
Use cases
Onboarding
new secondary teachers with a shared playbook
Department PD days
that end with a 90-day plan, not just good intentions
Coaching cycles
aligned to observable classroom and assessment behaviors
Culture resets
(order, reverence, academic integrity) without gimmicks
90-Day adoption path (example)
Weeks 1-2:
Assess teachers; debriefs; choose 2-3 weekly habits (e.g., bell opener, feedback cadence, correction script).
Weeks 3-8:
Run habits; leaders complete two touch-points (walkthrough + coaching huddle).
Weeks 9-12:
Review evidence; celebrate gains; lock next-quarter habits and supports.
Are You a School Leader?
Heads of School and Principals leading teams with direct reports
Explore CMI for Leaders →Are You an Administrator?
Deans, directors, and team members who partner rather than direct
Explore CMI for Administrators →Stewardship & privacy
Respectful of conscience and tradition
Suitable for Catholic and Protestant contexts.
Private by design
Results are shared only with the teacher and designated coach unless a team rollout is chosen.
Framework-friendly
Plays well with your observation rubric, discipline model, and grading policies.
FAQ
Is this a personality test?
No. CMI identifies temperament tendencies and prescribes virtue-forming practices tied to your role as a secondary teacher.
How long does it take?
About 20 minutes to complete; the debrief is 45-60 minutes; habits start the same week.
Does it integrate with what we already use (e.g., department norms, Lencioni with our leaders)?
Yes. The guidebook's practices map to your school's duties and rhythms; leaders can also apply the CMI alongside Lencioni's frameworks at the department level.
Can this inform hiring or mentoring?
Used prudently, yes—paired with your Position Success Profiles to clarify role fit and development needs for new or developing teachers.
Does CMI work with other frameworks like Working Genius?
Yes! CMI complements team frameworks like Working Genius by focusing on personal virtue formation. Learn more about how CMI and Working Genius work together.