BY VICTORIA MARTIN
Teachers fill the halls of CCHS. Most students can remember the teachers they’ve had well past their high school years. Memories and relationships have been forged between the two. The bonds between teacher and student are often undermined, along with their importance in any given student’s life. Some believe that teachers should purely be educators, but the role of a teacher is much larger than what people may think.
The definition of educator, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “one skilled in teaching; a teacher.” One of the many misconceptions about teachers is that they must strictly teach the subject of their class, such as English or science. But many teachers have learned to incorporate real-life lessons into their classes.
“I think a teacher is not only an educator, but we are a mentor,” math teacher Mimi Abe said.
They teach kids to be ready for the future, whatever their future may be. They are not limited to their state-mandated curriculum, and often mix in their own little life lessons; these small bits of wisdom reach their students.
“I think a teacher is not only an educator, but we are a mentor,” math teacher Mimi Abe said. “We [teachers] are your cheerleader when you need us. We are your shoulder to cry on.”
Teachers provide a lot more than homework help. They offer support to students with issues they may be having at home or even within the school. Sometimes kids need more attention directed to their mental health than their math homework.
“Teachers get to know their students on a personal level which makes both feel comfortable with each other and allows both to talk more openly about different topics,” junior Ilena Chung-Corzo said.
An issue with professional boundaries can start to come into play as some believe getting to know their students on more of a personal level may cross a professional line. There are times that professional boundaries have been broken between student and teacher, but that is what makes having a proper teacher so important.
Teachers’ roles in society are completely undermined and many believe that they aren’t important. Teachers raise and care for the upcoming generations and often see their students more than their own families.
A teacher should be able to balance that knowledge of personal items and deal with them accordingly. Any teacher who oversteps their boundaries is not responsible enough to maintain that professional but personal student-teacher relationship. On the opposite end of that spectrum, there are teachers who don’t take the steps of getting to know their students. They don’t work with them to create relationships that can benefit their school work ethic.
“I think that teachers that are just teachers are not doing their job,” Abe said. “It can be relatable and kids can understand [the subject] better if you get to know the kid better.”
Teachers’ roles in society are completely undermined and many believe that they aren’t important. Teachers raise and care for the upcoming generations and often see their students more than their own families.
“The thought of teachers can immediately bring people to think lower class even though that’s not always the case,” junior Nicolas Albrecht said.
Some people don’t care about who the teacher is as long as the subject is taught to their child. This is a person who spends almost six hours a day, five days a week, for a whole school year, with your child. There should be more appreciation and awareness toward these teachers.
“Being a teacher is not prized,” Abe said. “I feel like it’s something that [makes] people feel bad for you. I feel that it’s something I truly enjoy.”
Photo by Carly Cuoco
