Humility in education

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III addresses the problem of lack of humility in church teaching, showing that the absence of humility leads to inventing new opinions and doctrines, fracturing the unity of doctrinal teaching and scattering the servants and the congregation.

Problems resulting from lack of humility in teaching

• Each person comes out with a new idea and presents it as a doctrine or rite, which stirs controversy and leads to differences.

• Some priests or servants offer prayers and rites not officially recognized and encourage people to use them, resulting in each one becoming an independent island with his methods.

• Division in curricula: each branch creates its own curriculum and rejects the general curriculum instead of humbly submitting.

• Resemblance to Protestant ways: as a result of lack of submission and humility in teaching many sects arise because they allow multiplicity of interpretations.

Characteristics of the humble teacher

• He respects those older and more knowledgeable than him, and does not display his knowledge in a way that shows arrogance.

• He speaks in simple language understood by all and descends to the level of the recipients’ mentality.

• He prepares his lessons but does not fully rely on reading from paper, placing main points ahead in case of forgetfulness.

• He does not seek positions, but denies himself so that the Lord may appear, and behaves like a gentle breeze—he does not raise his voice nor wound anyone.

Practical advice to preserve humility in teaching

• Establish a general accepted curriculum and humility in accepting it by the service leaders.

• Encourage exchange of experiences and topics between branches and benefit from others’ expertise.

• The servant must respect the students’ mentality and offer appropriate levels for each stage (primary, preparatory, secondary, university).

• Maintain obedience and order, and do not allow the service to cause the servant to lose his humility and spirituality.

The spiritual dimension from the Coptic Orthodox perspective
Humility in service is an embodiment of the spirit of the Gospel and the Beatitudes: the true servant denies himself as John the Baptist said “He must increase, and I must decrease.” Humility is linked to the poor in spirit who inherit the kingdom of heaven, and it is a sign of healthy spiritual growth that does not seek personal glory but the manifestation of God’s glory and the kingdom.

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