THEY may well be in the homes. In the extra-solar or urbanized grade and secondary schools. In the colleges and universities. They can be off campus, those who have their lesson plans and modules committed to memory.
They will all be celebrated on Friday, the end this year of the month-long celebration and thanksgiving and remembrance.
But the celebration should not inadvertently put out of celebrators’ minds the daily efforts of those in the homes, verily the first rung, if front line, in the education of any person who would eventually become effective units of society.
Many have said the teachers, wherever they are, are heroes since they are admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, among imperative virtues.
They play an essential role in people’s lives to become, among others, successful in career and business and help them become good human beings of society and good citizens of the country.
Which makes the teachers under contract for the social behavior before long of their students.
These teachers have at least five roles to fill —a resource specialist, a coach or counselor, a mentor, an extra hand, and a learner growing in life. They are thus challenged every day with new tasks that will help them grow into better persons.
That changeover, by any definition, will be seen by the students and younger teachers who look up to them as role models and persuade them to go down the line in their respective fields and disciplines.
This is one celebration for the teacher where we must not forget the teacher’s mantle as a source of enlightenment, where the student gets to feel worthy of his life.
Teachers are not just heroes but builders of the nation.