You know who those kids were in elementary school, in middle school, in high school and possibly in college. The one who would be rude to a teacher for enforcing a rule they didn’t even enact. The kids who laughed in a teacher’s face just for asking them to do schoolwork. Schoolwork in school? How weird.
A lot of the time they were funny, able to make the other kids laugh, but the teachers' eyes would bug out and veins would pop out in the presence of this type of kid. The kids who said exactly what they were thinking, no matter how disgustingly rude they sounded. The kids who lived and breathed purely to be a teacher’s worst nightmare.
I come from a family of educators. My mom, aunt and grandma all taught in the same school. I have family friends in the education system and even family members who are currently studying to be teachers. I guess being raised this way, I never even thought about the reality of running my mouth at an administrator. The thought of talking back scared the heck out of me, and I was able to earn, “A pleasure to have in class,” on almost every single report card I received since preschool. I guess I had learned that teachers are people with real lives, real families and real personal problems, too.
To the kids who disrespect teachers, this one is for you.
How dare you. How dare you cause them so much stress when truly all they wish is the absolute best for you. You should be honored and grateful to not only be receiving an education, but receiving one from such graceful, compassionate and thoughtful human beings. I guess you don’t realize they worry about you just as much as they worry about their own children. I know from experience that my mom treats her students like one of her own, and for some to have the audacity to treat her like the dirt on their shoes makes me incredibly angry.
Teachers would rather go to school with a raging fever, then take a sick day and let you fall behind. They wake up before the sun to make sure your day is structured and scheduled. They lose hours, that is no exaggeration, of sleep and gain many grey hairs all for you. All so you can get an education, and you pay them back with what? Headaches, and sometimes, tears. It’s wrong and saddens me to see my roles models so disrespected from ungrateful brats.
They don’t get up at 5 a.m. everyday for the heck of it. They do this to see that spark in your eyes when algebra finally starts making sense. They do this so you can make a better life for yourself. They do this to give our world a group of respectable, intelligent and fine young adults. The next time you raise your voice or say some smart comment to a teacher, just imagine some random bratty kid yelling at your own mother, father, aunt, uncle, cousin or whatever, for simply doing their job. You’ll feel frustrated knowing how much they give to these children and receive nothing, but smirks and under-the-breath comments in return. You’ll feel annoyed, sad and angry all at once.
Teachers are the best kinds of people, and they deserve so much more than they have been dealt. They deserve the utmost respect and recognition; behind every Ivy league student, there’s an incredible teacher who pushed them to greatness. Remember that.
I’m not underestimating the stress of school or your ability to voice that frustration; I have them, too. Keep those snarky remarks to yourself. Honestly, your utterly rude comments are my family’s laughs around the dinner table at night. I laugh because those comments are ignorant. If you are ever feeling overwhelmed, then make time to sit with your teacher. They want to know you; they want to help you in all ways possible. A great student-teacher relationship stems from respect. Mutual respect will make the school day easier to get through for not only the students, but the teachers too.
Before you want to call your teacher out for being in a bad mood or freaking out at them for following the rules remember they do have personal lives. Teachers cannot be in a good mood all the time, and you have to remember they have bad days and bad mornings just like the rest of us. Be patient and be compassionate; that’s all they have done for you. My mom has to already deal with my attitude at home, and should be, at the very least, given respect by kids who are not even her own. Teachers chose this as their career because they are passionate about helping the youth; they should not have to dread work every day to deal with obnoxious kids who just don’t seem to understand how to be a good person. Remember all of these things, the next time you think about spewing hatred onto someone who has done nothing less of dedicating their own lives to the service of others.
