When I was in elementary school, every single day when my mom would pick me up from school, I would ask her about how her day went. More than half the time, there would be some sort of kerfuffle she would tell me about. I was never that surprised because she taught at an elementary school level, meaning the stories were endlessly interesting. However, as I grew older, I started to notice that she would start complaining more about the parents’ behavior rather than the student’s silly incidents.Nowadays, all of her complaints stem from the parents of her students (or the occasional incompetent coworker). Her complaints are alway extremely reasonable and almost always stem from one major focal point: respect.
In today’s society, the profession of teaching is rapidly losing the respect it once commanded and it’s a problem we cannot afford to ignore. Teachers, who dedicate their lives to shaping the minds of the future, are increasingly undervalued, underpaid, and dismissed by both students and adults.
Gone are the days when teachers were treated with admiration and authority. Now, many students speak to teachers with disregard and disrespect, challenging basic rules and treating their classroom as a free for all. On top of that, parents too often side with their children in conflicts, assuming the teacher must be at fault. Parents are meant to serve as a good role model and influence to their kids, so when they disrespect teachers, it then results in their kids also disrespecting teachers. Teachers should not have to be the only ones to teach children the importance of kindness, respect, and manners. Without more reinforcement of good behavior from parents, kids will never learn. Many parents wonder why their kids lack manners but oftentimes it is a reflection of their own lack of manners and inability to parent properly.
Wore still, society continuously underpays and overworks teachers. Teachers are expected to not only serve as educators, but also as counselors, social workers, and parents. They buy their own classroom supplies. They work beyond school hours. They create lesson plans for days. Yet in return, they receive salaries that barely keep up with the rise of inflation and cost of living. Not to mention, they receive little recognition for the work they do and the extensive effort they put into teaching.
We celebrate doctors, engineers and lawyers (rightfully so) but who taught them to read, write, and think? Who taught them the importance of manners? Who taught them how to treat others with kindness? Who taught them some of the most vital skills to living? Behind every successful adult is a teacher who made a difference. And yet, teaching is treated like a fallback career.
If we want better schools, better citizens, and a better world, then we need to treat teachers the way they deserve to be treated–with support, gratitude, and respect.
Teachers can be heroes but a hero can not fly without giving a cape to support their flight.