Teachers: The unsung superheroes

“The best teachers are more than just educators and lecturers spouting lesson plans in front of a classroom of students. The best teachers are counsellors, mentors, advocates, cheerleaders, and sergeants. They often need to be many things to many people at the same time, but they can magically make every individual feel special and important.“ Today Rwanda is solemnly dedicated to the memory of those who sacrificed tremendously even to the point of giving their lives for this great nation. Lost in my own nostalgia, I can’t help but think of those who in their trivial yet momentous roles have carried on with the countless sacrifices: my unsung teachers- the superheroes. If you look up the definition of the word, a superhero is a “fictional character with superhuman powers.” Superheroes accomplish the extraordinary feat of turning horrible situations into great acts of heroism through their servitude and their super human abilities! For that reason, Teachers are basically Superheroes. There’s just one difference: they’re real and they exist in the lives of children all over the world! It is common knowledge that teachers sacrifice many things for the benefit of their students. Many of them work long hours, use their own resources for classroom supplies, and even risk looking crazy by coming up with songs, dances and rhymes to help their students remember facts. They don’t work a normal 8 hours or really have days off. They are constantly preparing new lessons, decorating their classrooms, and grading the work of many students. In fact the best teachers are students themselves, taking classes in their field or teaching other educators about classroom best practices. In addition to this, teachers are able to turn hopeless situations into amazing opportunities! Where there are students failing, they invest their time to help them succeed. Where young girls, minorities, and those with disabilities are marginalised, they start schools and programs specifically for those that need it most. Teachers see the potential where others see dashed hopes and dreams. Sometimes the results of their work come fast, as they see the light bulb in a child’s mind turn on. Other times, it may take years to see the fruits of their labor when a university student, who used to be in their pre-school class, walks across the platform to receive their degree during a graduation ceremony. Indeed, the best teachers are more than just educators and lecturers spouting lesson plans in front of a classroom of students. The best teachers are counselors, mentors, advocates, cheerleaders, and sergeants. They often need to be many things to many people at the same time, but they can magically make every individual feel special and important. Funny though, they are often neither paid for all the work they do, nor credited and respected for it. Who else can make a group of independently opinionated children stay on task and intrigued for hours each day? Only a superhero ... only a teacher. They creatively use art to touch even the most resilient of hearts. To them, teaching is about starting with a vision and watching it develop into a real-life picture. It is the desire to not waste a minute and the will to carry on even when a day seems like 48 hours. It’s working at school, working at home, working on weekends, and sometimes working on holidays. It is a monumental task with the greatest of rewards: instilling courage, values and pride. So dance to the tunes of your heroes and let me be. Let me sound this drum to excite my memories. Let me to the unsung heroes drum till my blood ripples. Like Robert Frost, an American poet, explicitly puts it, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood … I took the one less traveled by.”

Education

Teachers: The unsung superheroes