“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”.

This quote by William Arthur Ward is rightly said, but there is only one error. There are no mediocre, good, superior or great teachers. There are only mediocre, good, superior or great students.

I would like to formally begin my article by wishing all the teachers around the world a very Happy Teachers Day. Rightly labelled ‘the profession makers’, teachers are truly the reason we accomplish anything in today’s world. Teachers play a huge role in my life. They took me from this shy, corner-sitting nobody, to the person I am today. And for that, I am truly indebted to them. They still continue to inspire, motivate, and encourage me in the best ways they can. And I think I’m not the only one whose life has been influenced by these great heroes, labelled under the term ‘teachers’. But, there are some people who do not give the respect and honor teachers deserve.

My mum struck up on a conversation with this lady at a show. It was dinnertime in the show, and they were talking while having dinner. I picked up my food and after the occasional ‘hello aunty’ and ‘how do you do?’ they continued on their conversation. When the subject took a sudden turn towards school and education, the lady began speaking first. It seems her daughter was studying in this fancy school and she was about to enter middle school, so the aunty switched her daughter’s school. On being asked why, she replied. “My friends told me that in the school she was studying in, the teachers were pathetic in middle school and the teaching was also very bad, so I had to switch her school” (believe me, it sounds way awful than what I’ve put down here). My mum merely grinned, but I was worse than that. I reluctantly fought the urge to yell at her face, but we were in a public place and I didn’t want to create a fuss, so I stayed put, still throbbing with anger. I still feel angry when I remember her disrespectful remark on teachers.

There is nothing ‘wrong’ with teachers. Each teacher is special, his way or hers. They treat each child with their own methods, even though there are almost 35 kids in each class. One kid might be a Brainiac, when one kid’s parents call at the crack of dawn to complain about why their daughter didn’t get an A+ on the previous project, because the parents spent 50 KD just on the outer covering of her model. Even after all this pressure on their shoulders, you never see teachers curse or detest us. That is one of the reasons you mustn’t badmouth or go around talking behind the backs of teachers. Because in the end of the semester, whether you were an A grade kid or a C grade kid, you’ll still feel sorry to see them go.

Teachers are an essential part of our life. Without them, half the things in the world we do wouldn’t matter. Wouldn’t exist. You would never find your inner talent if it weren’t for teachers. All the talented personalities found their forte of expertise with the help of teachers. Teachers light that small spark of motivation within you which then turns into raging fire all the way to success.

When you climb a ladder, you must never forget who held the ladder from down below. In this case, the teachers are the ones who hold the ladder from down below until you reach your destination. Never underestimate the willpower of a teacher. One day, he or she might be the cause of your success, People say, ‘Never look back. Focus on your future’. But I say ‘Look back and thank the people who made it happen. Thank the teachers who made it happen’.