For most other jobs in the world, you can say that success is largely measured in terms of your paycheck. The better you perform, the higher you go; the higher you go, the more money you get. It’s all about you. But not for a teacher’s job. The success of a teacher lies in the success of others. Their entire lives are  dedicated to make the lives of others. It is the most selfless profession, and also the hardest.

We always thought that our teachers were being paid to give us homework, scold us and make our lives difficult.  But today, having stepped into the ‘real world’ they kept talking about back then, I understand that the years they dedicated to my learning made me who I am today .

We’ve often heard people say, ” If I can’t become anything else, I’ll become a teacher.” Many of us think that teaching is the simplest and the easiest job there is. But here’s something that’ll make you realise how in reality, it’s the complete opposite:

1. While we thought that homework was our teachers’ way of torturing us, we never thought about how torturous it must have been for them to check everyone’s homework every day.

2. And that wasn’t it. During exams, they had to check ALL the answer sheets. Teachers aren’t allowed the luxury of complaining about monotony.

3. It is hard to make students study. But to make them learn is even harder. It requires immense dedication to think of new ways to make the same old syllabus interesting to learn for every student.

4. During exam time, we died studying. But we forget that teachers have to study harder all year round to teach us and teach us and have an answer to every question we ask, from stupid to genuine.

5. Imagine how patient one must be to handle a bunch of students who regularly gang up against them! Remember those teachers who returned for the next class, with the same faith and confidence to teach, without holding on to grudges?

6. Who hasn’t called their teachers ‘ mumma ‘ instead of ma’am?  And so many times, teachers refer to their students as ‘my kids.’ It was probably because they were our parents when we were away from home. How hard it must be to handle children with different sensibilities, treating them equally like their own kids!

7.If handling 40 kids wasn’t enough, they had a family to go back to and look after.

8. Being a teacher is hard. But being a teacher and a friend is even harder.

9. Do you remember being nervous about Parent-Teacher Meets? Imagine how nervous they would’ve been to meet so many parents and face their questions.

10.  Showing undying faith in others isn’t easy. But they did it. They never gave up on us, even when we thought we weren’t capable of something, they believed in us.

11. Every scolding and every punishment of theirs was tough love. It’s tough for them too, because there’s a thin line between constructive criticism and downright demotivation.

12. A teacher’s job may not pay as much as many other jobs, but the responsibilities are the highest. The biggest failure of a teacher is being termed the one responsible for the failure of his students.

Today, on Teachers’ Day, call them up. Wish them on Facebook. Or surprise them with a visit. Old students remembering them is what makes their job rewarding. And this, you owe them.

Teachers, this one is for you.

Happy Teachers’ Day!