Personality of Christian Religious Education Teachers in Modeling Joseph’s Humility: A Reflection on Genesis 41:16 at SDN 023898 Binjai Timur

Abstract

This study investigates the personality of the Christian Religious Education (CRE) teacher in modeling Joseph’s humility based on Genesis 41:16 at SDN 023898 Binjai Timur. The research is grounded in the premise that teacher personality plays a decisive role in the effectiveness of character formation in Christian education. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The research context involved 23 Christian students and two Christian teachers, with the CRE teacher serving as the primary informant. The findings reveal that the CRE teacher demonstrates a strong embodiment of humility through respectful communication, attribution of success to God, openness to student participation, and consistent relational warmth. Students generally show clear cognitive understanding of Joseph’s humility and perceive the teacher as a credible Christian role model. However, the depth of behavioral internalization among students varies, indicating a gap between moral comprehension and consistent practice. Document analysis further shows that while lesson planning effectively addresses cognitive objectives, structured experiential and reflective strategies for character formation remain limited. The study concludes that teacher personality significantly supports humility-based learning in Christian Religious Education at SDN 023898 Binjai Timur. To strengthen long-term character formation, the integration of experiential learning, guided reflection, and broader school-wide value reinforcement is recommended. These findings contribute to the development of more holistic and relationally grounded approaches to Christian Religious Education in Indonesian primary school contexts.