Salute to the Teachers!

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” - Benjamin Franklin

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Today is a day set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to honour teachers all over the world for their daunting task of imparting knowledge into the young minds, guiding and moulding them as they discover their paths in life.

Having been raised by teachers as parents, my dad was a retired secondary school Principal, and my mum is a retired secondary school teacher and Guardian Counsellor, I have nothing but utmost respect for teachers. That job requires patience and tolerance, and is not meant for everybody. I can't teach, I know that. I barely have patience with my daughter to guide her through her homework, so I know I cannot teach young children. Imagine trying to teach and they do not understand, I'd just get frustrated. 

In the times past, people went into teaching because they had a passion for it, a hunger to impart knowledge and shape the minds of young children. The prospective teachers had to pass through the Teachers Training College, the College of Education, before proceeding to the University. The first two are special institutions for teachers where they're taught with the rudiments of teaching, as I also believe that not all that pass through the Universities are qualified to teach. 

However, these days, teaching has become a career which people dabble into when all hope of getting another job fails. No passion for the job whatsoever. That is why they lack patience to explain and teach properly and are quick to snap at students, which probably explains why the level of education in Nigeria keeps dropping yearly. We hear stories of teachers who brutalise the pupils, some as small as four year-olds! I saw pictures of a four year old whose teacher used machete on him for not identifying an animal in a freaking drawing!! Can you imagine that?! A machete!! It makes me wonder where the crop of teachers we've nowadays come from. It's not that we didn't have very mean and wicked teachers growing up, but they weren't as bad as what we see and read about these days. Maybe with how crazy the world has become, wickedness is on the increase everywhere. Sad! 

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Don't even get me started on their qualification and depth of knowledge, not to talk of their command of the English Language. Some actually confuse the children more. Imagine teaching your child to say 'switch on/off the light', and the child says, mummy no, our teacher said it's 'on/off the light', and you know how these children are these days, whatever their teacher says is the correct one. It's very annoying. 

There are still the good, dedicated, and passionate ones, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately in Nigeria, teaching is one of the worst paid jobs around. They're underpaid and under-appreciated. The government does not seem to understand how important it is to adequately motivate the people that instruct and shape the mind of future leaders. 

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As we celebrate them today, think of the importance of their jobs, and say 'thank you' to them when you go to pick your children from school, knowing that their services is invaluable. Do not attack them unnecessarily especially when they discipline your children. I know a lot of parents who believe no teacher should discipline their children, rather they should report to them and let they (the parents) discipline their children. I quite understand their fears and worries, given the brutal stories we hear about teachers going over-board in the name of discipline; however, I still believe that it takes more than only the parents to discipline a child. Also, get to know your children's teachers. Watch out for paedophiles, yes, we've them in schools too and among those that conduct private lessons at home for the children, be very careful.  

To all the dedicated, passionate teachers out there, may God bless and keep you all. Stay motivated despite the odds, I pray you get your reward here on earth, not only when you get to heaven. If you do have the passion for the job, please do not venture into that, choose another career. 

Happy World Teachers Day to you all!!!

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