Proudly Filipino 
How does it feel having someone who will mentor and guide you? Maybe it’s a parent, grandparent, best friend, colleague, or a mere stranger. In educational institutions, the teachers are tasked to mould the developing minds of young people from toddler to early adults.
How does it feel to have someone who will tell you things no one will ever dare to?
Someone younger or someone older, patient or doctor, silent or loud. You would want to have someone who will understand you when no one else will, when you will not be able to understand yourself, even.
There are about 29 million teachers all over the world and 63% of them are women. But 57% of all countries have a shortage of teachers. Research says that Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest shortage of teachers. What is a place without teachers? A place missing the half of it is not a place to live at all.
In Philippines, the students spend the minimum of 10 hours in a day at school. Within those 10 hours, they get to learn a lot of things. They get into trouble, they befriend newcomers, and they participate and interact. They learn what intrapersonal and interpersonal communications are by talking with their friends and asking themselves with secret questions. All those things – teachers are a part of it. They are the referees when their students get into a fight. They are the appreciators when their students make friends. They are the point giver when their students participate in class. They are those things.
Now, why do you think they are influential? Because they are the referees? The appreciators? The point givers? We may not think alike, still teachers are teachers. I have 3 reasons why I believe teachers are influential.
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Teachers are considered to be our Second Parents.
The misconception of some people about teachers is that teacher’s primary role is to teach the students to behave accordingly and to judge what is good and bad. But I think that’s not just it. It is they who correct the students if something went wrong like what they do on their own children. The teachers also play significant role in shaping the life of the students under their care.
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Teachers are builders.
Would you believe me if I tell you that teachers build community? Community of leaders, community of strong-willed activists, community of artists, community of doctors, name it. You become what they teach you. My favorite teacher once told me “A great teacher is not giving his students what he wants to give, but he is giving his students what they need to have”.
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Teachers appear when you are ready.
Teachers follow students through each stage of crucial development or pivotal stage of development. At 10 hours in a day, teachers balanced to become the most influential person in a student’s live. Teachers guide students through yet another important transition: adolescence. As children become young adults, learning throughout middle school and into high school, teacher will answer their questions, listen to their problems and teach them about this new phase of their lives. Teachers are not only there watch their students grow you, also, to help them grow.
Writing this, I remember Tuesdays with Morrie because that book never left me. When Morrie and Mitch went separate ways, things, in Mitch’s life start to fall apart. Mitch, in his book, rediscovers things in his life as he met Morrie for the second time. Morrie was Mitch’s teacher and mentor. He taught Mitch lesson of love, forgiveness, second chances, and hope.
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