To Be a Teacher Means to Be a Candle

Ayoub Kàdi used to work as a middle school private teacher of English. He got his diploma in international commerce and a B.A in English linguistics from Ibn Zohr University, Agadir. He is the president and founder of the new Magazine Morocco Pens.

New York, USA

Teaching is not an easy job as some people think it is. Teachers are like a candle that burns itself to light the way for the generations to come.  Their job involves more than just standing next to the blackboard and lecturing. Let me ask some rhetorical questions. Do students, nowadays, value their teachers? Do they hold them in high regard as we used to do and still do? “Certainly not! “ I can hear most of you saying.

A couple of days ago, as I was browsing my Facebook, I came across a video of a teacher in the suburbs of Ouarzazate, Morocco, being beaten and treated rudely  by one of his students. The rest of the class was watching as if it was a boxing match and acting as if nothing happened. To say that I was in a state of complete anger would be understandable. I wish I could say that teachers are still being held in high regard in Morocco, but it is untrue.

In keeping with our theme, I once remember when teachers-to-be were treated in such bad ways for the simple reason they called for their own rights. From that time to now, teachers in Morocco have been disrespected by students, especially teens and adults. It will be stupid to generalize the issue. There are a few students who still appreciate the great effort done by some teachers.  In some countries such as China, Greece, Turkey, USA, etc., teachers are highly respected by their students. There is no way to compare the incomparable.

I personally burst with anger the minute a turbulent student shouts at or belittles his/her teacher. Some students are out of control at home let alone at school. How can a teacher control a rebellious teenager, for instance, whereas his parents are unable to do that? What can you expect from a boy who disobeyed his father? The work is too heavy for teachers; they cannot handle it alone.

Let me say it a different way, it is the parents to blame for what happened to the teacher. It is their responsibility to rear children. I agree emphatically that in every family there is a prodigal son. This latter is considered to be the lost sheep of the crowd. But this is not an excuse for parents! Children are surprisingly perceptive of the things they observe. It all depends on what they observe.

Moms and Dads talk a good game; they don’t practice what they preach, which is not good. The most effective teaching tool is the modeling provided by parents. It is not about being able to give birth to children; rather it is about whether one is able to come up with a respectful, courteous generation that will respect its teachers as they are the backbone of the society. It is they who produce doctors, businessmen, judges, engineers, etc.