What Does Washing Feet Have to Do With Teaching?

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples before he ate his last supper. Washing feet signifies humility and servant leadership, exactly how Jesus wants us to be. 

In teaching, washing feet points to the humility that the profession demands, while being in a position of authority. It also means that we must teach our students to practice humility while keeping their confidence.

As part of the assignment, I chose to wash the feet of my colleague, who is new to my school and lives in the same apartment building as mine. She first laughed, but when I actually did wash her feet, she shared that she was in denial and didn’t believe that someone could do this for her. She said she was humbled. 

I had difficulty putting this activity into action, not because I was proud, but because I have 2 teenage girls in my house, my daughter and my niece. My daughter is too busy, and my niece is not very expressive. I wanted someone more expressive. It’s hard to get actual feelings from out of soemone who is living their teenage life. So my co-worker Dalene was the best person. I believe it would give her more thoughts as time passes. But for me, I see that although it is a perfectly humbling experience, it gives great joy in my heart that I do something as Jesus did, even if it was only symbolic for today. If I repeat one act of Jesus and feel such joy, I will have more and more joy as I keep becoming more and more like Jesus. 

On the last day before Easter break, I have the activity of washing feet in my class, and I put my students in pairs. They washed each other’s feet. It was more like a fun activity for 8-year-olds, but I am sure this experience will become a memory for them, and they wil be able to look at it with more seriousness in future.  As for me, I am going to put in more effort to serve my students with more humility. I have behaviour challenges with some of my students, as I help them to learn to make better choices, I will try to have more patience and serve with the heart of Jesus.

Monica John

I am an energetic and goal-oriented educator with over 10 years of teaching experience across diverse grade levels and subjects. I am passionate about creating engaging and inclusive learning environments that help every student reach their full potential. My mission is to inspire students to grow academically, develop strong character, and positively impact the world through faith, purpose, and lifelong learning.

Having taught in South Korea, Paraguay, and Uganda, I have developed strong cross-cultural competence and a deep appreciation for diversity. These experiences have enabled me to effectively teach and build meaningful relationships with students from a wide range of cultural, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds, including Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, German, American, South African, Ugandan, and Eritrean communities.

Through this blog, I hope to share my experiences, insights, and practical ideas for teaching and learning. My goal is to encourage, inspire, and connect with fellow educators, parents, and lifelong learners as we work together to make a positive difference in the lives of children.