Humility is touted as among the highest of virtues, and rightly so. If pride is the great vice, then humility is the great virtue. In fact, an early Christian writer listed seven heavenly virtues, which are in opposition to the better known seven deadly sins. Humility, opposing pride, is listed as one of these seven virtues.
Humility is a trait we should all pursue in our walk with Christ. All of us, in our quest for eternal life, will have to pass through our own Gethsemane. There we are brought to declare, like Jesus, that the Father’s will has priority over our own will.
On a smaller scale, humility is an important characteristic for any gospel teacher to have. Don’t get me wrong here though. Humility is not synonymous with soft spoken. It isn’t a personality type. It isn’t even meekness, though they are closely related (maybe half siblings?).
Humility isn’t only for the religious, either. An article from a scientific magazine described humility in this way:
“Humility does not mean unconditional deference. Humility does not mean not standing up for what you believe in — including when you believe in your own scientific findings. Humility means being open to the possibility of being wrong, being willing to consider other people’s ideas and being respectful — of your seniors, your peers and your subordinates.”
One of my favorite answers to hear, in both the secular and religious worlds, is “I don’t know.” There should be no shame in these three words. As a teacher, it takes humility to admit you don’t know, or even- GASP!- that you were wrong.
Hopefully, the culture of your classroom is one of learning from each other. Even better, learning wisdom rather than learning information. Conversely, an undesirable classroom culture is one of fact-checking and nit-picking. One great way to improve this culture is when you, as the teacher, admit ignorance or mistakes.
Another way that humility is manifested in gospel teaching is through lesson flexibility. Part of being willing to consider other people’s ideas is allowing the lesson to morph, in real time, to meet the needs of those present. I’ve been in classes where a comment made by someone in the class changed the trajectory of the whole lesson. And it was an amazing lesson! Remember, the Spirit is working through others as well. When it does, the best thing for you to do may be to get out of the way. You may even have the rare moment where, while preparing the lesson, you get a prompting that you should leave some extra time in the lesson because someone will have something to share.
It takes humility to accept feedback from others. I know how it feels when someone gives you constructive criticism, it usually doesn’t feel good. But, consider yourself lucky to have someone care enough to give you some honest feedback. Being able to receive feedback is a great first step. The next step is to respond to the feedback, and try to find the truth in it. Remember, the goal is to help others come unto Christ, ultimately leading to Eternal Life. Looking good as a teacher is not a very noble goal. Take the criticism, find out what your opportunities for improvement are, and prayerfully seek out ways to be better. As you do this, you will grow as a gospel teacher, you will bring the Spirit into the classroom, and you will help others develop faith in the Savior.