The Humble Teacher (Bright Year: Day 10)
“And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them” (Luke 24:15, KJV)
Ah, Jesus, even after the resurrection you let others talk. Such a good teacher you are.
Notice how, in the resurrection appearances, there is almost always a conversation. Jesus has plenty to say, but he invites the disciples to process aloud. They say all sorts of stuff profound and daft. Jesus listens, redirects, blesses them into action.
This is not to say that Jesus the teacher “gives it all away." Among educators there is talk of a radical flattening of the power differential between teacher and student. It’s a strenuous, populist approach that would give equal standing to teacher and student. Some of the more aggressive pursuits go hard after a fully collaborative, others-oriented, epistemic-equalizing model. Great, if it works. The problem is, it doesn’t. The radical model welcomes a denial of the fact that the teacher is the "more knowledgeable other." A teacher’s self-negation accomplishes nothing in the end.
Better to say: good teachers are humble. For teachers, genuine humility has more to do with a double self-knowledge: 1) I *do* have proficiency in this area. 2) I *don't* automatically know the best way my students will achieve proficiency.
Even for master Jesus, glorified, easily the smartest guy in the room, he does this. He makes room for the disciples. He lets his disciples commune and reason together. His task, foundationally, is to draw near and go with them.
That’s what good teachers do. They listen. They try to honor students’ ideas and pathways. They find ways to let their disciples explore. They let them practice being in charge.
What if the teacher, as the most knowledgeable person in the room, saw sharing power as their highest competency?
I spoke with an international worker who was helping an impoverished group of people in Asia. I asked when she felt confident she was able to teach them. Her response: "Once they felt confident that they could teach me."
[Bright Year is a series exploring how the good news of Jesus’ resurrection shines over every day of the year. Read more at www.sevensided.org/bright-year]