Author: Ann Thomas

(An excerpt from another post)

So today I write to you, Dear Teacher, To tell you, incase you have forgotten:

You impact our lives in ways you cannot imagine. You determine the happiness quotient of my home, the peace levels and the satisfaction index of the day!

You determine what kind of values my kid learns. Was he kind to the people around him today? Was he respectful? Did he ignore someone that needed his help? He was watching you as he behaved and your actions spoke louder than your words.

You decide his value, at least for now — for his friends, classmates and therefore him. Your words as he failed to do something, or your look when he did manage to act as expected, they say so much. They decided for his classmates how he would be treated, how he would be judged, you decide so much. 

You influence who their role models will be. Will they be the people who got the best grades or who impacted our lives and our systems today. 

You decide the lessons they learnt today. Will it just be about fractions and cavities or did you remember to speak to them about the floods in kerala and Assam, the treasure they found in the Kaliakra fortress, the bridge that fell in Kolkata? You choose the memory they took from that incident. 

You affect the way they look at themselves in the sea of people around them. Will they look at themselves as change makers, people who will create a ripple, question the system, ask others to do better, ask themselves to walk the talk…You affect that conversation. 

You teach them things I, as a parent, never possibly can. You can see them in a light I may never do. You watch them through interactions I could possibly never see. You understand layers I could possibly not imagine exist. You alone can help them navigate those layers, those interactions, those moments. 

So lest you forget, I write to you to tell you that

         You sway the world you hold — the classroom and our homes. 
         You may forget, but we can’t. 
         Because, Teacher, you have the power to 
                                                        define every day,
                                                        colour every emotion and 
                                                        ascribe meaning to every moment of our lives.