HAPPY Teachers’ Day to all teachers, for they do so much to make the future brighter for their students.

If you can read this, thank your teacher. Yes, the credit for how well you can read and write, and how well you can crack that difficult math problem is not all yours — you have to be thankful to your teachers who taught you these skills and many more that make you the person you are today.

Teachers are the beacons of lights that guide us in our journey of life, influencing the goals we set and how we achieve them. Our teachers, the school and its support staff help and encourage us to grow and understand things and the world at large.

What they teach us remains with us throughout life, without us even realising it or showing our gratitude to them for the effort they put in. Sometimes we do realise what a deep impression some of our teachers left on us and how their imprints are reflected in the paths we take, but by then years have passed since we last saw those teachers and it is just too late to show our appreciation.

But for most of you, it is not too late to realise how hard your teachers work to teach, support and inspire you because you are still a student. Just ask yourself truthfully for a moment – do you ever appreciate their efforts and even say a simple “Thank you”? I am sure just a few of you must have really shown your teachers that you are inspired by them and are really thankful to them for teaching you. The rest of you are too busy planning ways to not do your homework or assignment in time and get away with it or how to evade punishment for something that deserves punishment.

Frankly, I only remember being really very appreciative to a teacher when I was in my Intermediate second year, when our chemistry teacher made organic chemistry seem the easiest subject in the world. He was truly an inspiring teacher and he was completely and utterly obeyed and adored by all the students. But now when I look back, I realise that each and every teacher had worked hard, put up with a lot of stress of teaching scores of students and had to be constantly on their toes to keep the class and so many naughty ones under control and ready to study. But now it is too late to show them I really care about the effort they put in to make me a better and more learned person because I don’t know where most of them are. It’s been years since I last saw them....

Those of you who meet your teacher everyday at school, you need to realise that after your parents, they are your guides, and they work hard to give you a better future. And this realisation is not enough as it needs to be accompanied by appreciation. Yes, appreciation is very important – they are, after all, humans and they feel good when their efforts are recognised and appreciated, especially by those for whom they are doing all the hard work.

So on this Teachers’ Day, which is tomorrow October 5, do show your teachers that you recognise and value what they do. Although Teacher’s Day is on a Sunday, you can show you care on any day, or all the days of the year because making someone feel nice and valued can, and should, be done any day and every day.

World Teachers’ Day, on October 4, is a Unesco initiative that celebrates teachers around the world and has been held annually since 1994. Around the world, students, schools and individuals do many things to mark this day and celebrate the efforts of teachers. If your school is observing this day in any way, do make sure to take part in it and at least thank each and every teacher that you have.

Okay, so you find Urdu or history very boring but do you realise what a tough task it is for a teacher to teach a subject that they know the students are not interested in and try to hold their interest? It is not easy, and the fact that you are not interested in it is no fault of theirs, so do recognise their efforts by putting in some effort of your own and taking interest in their class and obeying them. Once you start doing this, you will see that both the subject and the teacher will start appealing to you.

While this was something that you should do at any time, coming back to observing Teachers’ Day, let us explore the different ways in which you can mark and celebrate this day and make your teachers feel good about what they do and this goodness will in turn come out in the way they will interact with you. So you will be the eventual beneficiaries of any appreciation that you show.

Respect and obey: Everyone needs respect and teachers, being both older than you and as your guides, deserve as much respect as you can show. This is good enough to make them feel good about what they do and having you as a student.

A thank you message: Though a simple ‘Thank you’ message, note or card is a very common concept, but it is by far the most effective. A handmade card with a handwritten message is so meaningful and special – showing the extra effort you made for your teacher and the personal touch adds to the teacher-student bond. You can also make a poster and put it up in a central place where it can be seen by the whole school.

These days the student-teacher relationship has become more informal and now the teachers have become more like friends in some cases and many of them are connected to us on social media and other communication channels, such as Facebook. If you are one of those, then how about sending a sweet note to them that way?

A heartfelt greeting: It is compulsory in most schools to stand up and greet the teacher when they enter the class. This is an act of paying reverence to our elders and imparters of knowledge. But in most cases, understandably under the pressure of the demands of a regular school day, students reluctantly and lazily get up from their seats and greet the teacher.

Imagine what a dull and discouraging sight that must seem to the teacher! How can you expect him or her to reach out positively and warmly towards you when this happens?

But if you promptly get up and greet the teacher cheerfully, it will instantly lift everyone’s spirits and the mood of the class will become light and cheerful, making your teacher happy and feel good about teaching you.

Pay attention in class: The simplest and easiest way to appreciate a teacher is to give them your full attention! Not only will they feel good to get the full attention of the students, but it will also help students as they will focus on what the teacher teaches and learn easily.

Assembly presentation: Surprise your teachers with an assembly presentation that aims to convey your appreciation and gratitude. It can be a song, poem, skit or whatever that suits the theme.

Whatever you do, make sure it is with sincerity and conveys the same. Each teacher must be appreciated, even the support staff, because it is not nice that just a couple of teachers are showered all the attention and praise while the rest are sidelined.

After reading this, I know all of you will definitely do something to make your teacher feel good as soon as you go to school after the Eid holidays, and will keep on with this good behaviour for as long as you are students. And when you are no more students but professionals doing your duties, you will realise that your teachers were also doing their duties and what hard work it requires. And like me, you will then be telling the young ones to love and respect your teachers.

Happy Teachers’ Day to all teachers, for they do so much to make the future brighter for their students.