Teachers are the world’s unsung heroes
Published: October 5, 2006
We know from experience the impact teachers can have on a child’s life. Our parents, both teachers, helped us with math and science, but also taught us about the importance of helping others and facing challenges in life if we want to succeed. They did the same for their students.
We’ve all had teachers who have had a positive influence over us. Whether it was the person who refused to give up on us, who motivated us, or who lent us an ear when we needed it, everyone has been touched by a teacher.
They are unsung heroes.
As we celebrate World Teachers’ Day today, it is important to remember who the real heroes are. UNESCO, which sponsors World Teachers’ Day, encourages everyone to say “thank you” to a teacher who made a difference in their lives.
So on that note, Craig would like to thank his Grade 9 and 10 teacher Jack Nigro, who spent countless hours helping him catch up on the work Craig missed while fighting for children’s rights around the world.
Marc would like to thank Lou Paonessa, the Grade 10 and 11 teacher who, through drama and the school newspaper, gave Marc new outlets for his endless energy.
In our travels we have met many heroes — educators who go far beyond the call of duty, despite danger and even possible death, to change the world. Imagine what their students would say to them.
Like the teacher Craig met in Saudi Arabia who faced strict restrictions because she was a woman — she needed permission from her father just to spend the day with a male — but still found the courage to promote female empowerment to her students. They would thank her for defying her country and an extremist interpretation of her religion to be a role model, even in the face of oppression.
Or Tompo, a teacher Free the Children staff met recently in Kenya. His constant smile and reassuring words made students feel like they could achieve anything. They would thank him for giving them hope when everything seemed hopeless.
But few teachers have faced as much peril as the ones we’ve met in Sierra Leone. This West African country was gripped by an 11-year civil war, where brutal cases of murder, rape and disfigurement were fuelled by a lust for control over the lucrative diamond industry there.
More than 7,000 children, some as young as 7, were forced to join the rebel movement. They were often drugged and made to kill their parents. We were horrified to learn how they were “enlisted.”
When the rebels entered a village for the first time, they immediately went to the local school. They rounded up all the teachers and executed them in front of the students. Why? Because they saw the teachers as “wisdom keepers” who had the ability to turn the population against their hateful ideology.
The rebels knew that ignorance and hate go hand-in-hand. To have young people do their bidding, they needed to make sure the children were unable to make their own decisions. To do that, they killed the teachers.
They knew the power of education.
When world leaders met at the UN in 2000 and crafted eight goals aimed at making the world a better place — known as the Millennium Development Goals — it was no surprise that achieving universal education was one of them.
The sad reality is that nearly 120 million children do not attend school, the vast majority of them being in Africa and South Asia. This loss impacts society as a whole. By providing a proper education for all, we can break the cycle of poverty, empower women and combat HIV/AIDS. Not to mention foster democracy and promote peace and understanding.
Teachers are the ones who make this happen.
It’s no wonder Stephen Lewis, the UN’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, recently said, “education is the solution to everything.”
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