I admit that like other students in my class, I was guilty of mocking and making fun of my teachers. In fact, quite a lot of students do the same. Whether it is imitating the teachers’ speaking/teaching style or just making fun of something they said, some students get a lot of enjoyment out of doing all that.

It is not that it is something that I am proud of or take it as something normal. But in this day and age, it has become something quite normal. While the concept of respect for our parents is clear to us, the complete respect of teachers is not something every single child relates to.

“It used to be that teachers were treated with respect,” said Pat Gillies, a physical education teacher and coach at Caledonia High School, Michigan, USA. “I’ve been doing this 15 years, and I’ve seen a lot of changes. I just don’t think people treat the profession with the same amount of respect, and I have to think that comes from the home.”

education teacher and coach at Caledonia High School, Michigan, USA. “I’ve been doing this 15 years and I’ve seen a lot of changes. I just don’t think people treat the profession with the same amount of respect, and I have to think that comes from the home.”

While this statement comes from a teacher of a foreign country, based on my personal experience in school, I can safely say that there is enough evidence to support this statement.

In the context of this global issue of teachers and teaching profession losing its due respect, there are quite a few things that we need to learn and realise in a teacher-student relationship.

Respect your teachers

Teachers are our elders, and as elders, they deserve respect. It is also a part of our social and moral values to respect them.

Teachers are the ones who are patient and tolerant with us when we are being stubborn or out of order. And their patience also make them try their best to make us understand the difficult concepts that sometimes we just cannot understand. Even when they punish us or complain about us, their sole aim is to get us on the right track. They do all that because, like our parents, they do care about us.

As such, the least we can do is not being rude and remember our manners when in front of them.

Do not make fun of them!

Teachers deserve better than being a target of our jokes. We would never make fun of our father or mother, would we? Likewise, it is important to treat our teachers the same way.

When we make fun of our teachers, we are in fact making fun of all the good things that education is all about. Getting education is simply of no use if it does not teach us what not to say about our teachers.

They help all through our lives

The other day, I met an old classmate at our school’s annual old students’ reunion. She works as a professional in the corporate sector. She was crying as she met her old teachers while reliving her school memories and thanking them for teaching her things that have helped her succeed in various stages of her life.

The knowledge and learning we acquire from our teachers helps us deal with things in a better way all through our lives.

With knowledge, they build a better you!

Classroom learning is never just about receiving education and knowledge for students. With their teaching methods, teachers also help you to develop attention, patience, focus, empathy, intellectual and analytical skills, etc. These things help you in becoming a better person.

It is said that teachers teach children in their most impressionable years. So after your parents, they are the ones who teach you manners and discipline in life.

They like what they do

Majority of teachers choose teaching or continue in their profession because they like teaching. It becomes their passion to impart knowledge and make students understand the topic they are teaching. In other words, they are passionate about making their students understand and improve their grades.

Monetary reward is not the prime consideration for them in choosing their profession. As such, they do one of the most important jobs in the world for little financial reward.

Teaching involves empathy, caring and analysis

Teachers have to understand and come to the level of their students while teaching them. Not all students are the same. One student can understand a concept in one way, while another student would require some other explanation from the teacher to understand the same concept.

Some students are more active in classroom learning, while others prefer to stay quiet. Teachers encourage those who remain quiet to speak up, while keeping the over-zealots grounded.

Teachers do this all for the sake of their students’ future. They understand that each student has different understanding and learning capability. And to cater to different capabilities requires putting oneself in another person’s shoes. So by its very nature, teaching involves and incorporates caring for students automatically. Moreover, it requires a lot of effort psychologically on the part of the teachers to do what they do.

Builders of a nation

In each nation, there are businessmen, soldiers, politicians, doctors, engineers and uncountable other professionals. No professional can be who they are without getting education. And the task of educating them rests on teachers. In a nutshell, all the human capital of any nation is developed by teachers.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates, has special regards for his mathematics and English teachers. “There’s no way there’d be a Microsoft without them doing what they did,” he says.

Nurturing

Getting good grades is about a lot of things. It involves intelligence, hard work, practice, discipline, consistency, delivering at the right time, etc. All students are good at some things but weak in others.

Teachers know where your strengths and weaknesses lie and they guide you accordingly. They encourage you to work on your weaknesses while building on your strengths.

If you can read this, then thank a teacher

Remember that you cannot achieve anything in life without being able to read and write. It is the teachers who make it all possible for you. They, like your parents, prepare you for the world out there by developing your abilities and skills. So they deserve all your respect.

This Teachers’ Day, show your gratitude to them by showing then your gratitude and giving them a ‘Thank you’ card. Or, if you ever did something that your teacher did not like, then say sorry to your teacher. After all, as your teachers would tell you, it is never too late to start learning your lessons!

Published in Dawn, Young World September 30th, 2017