My 9-year old student taught me something I’ll never forget.

Let me tell you about a 9 year old boy called Andre.

Years ago, I was an English lesson teacher to this boy. I soon noticed something; whenever I asked him to attempt a question he wasn’t familiar with, he wouldn’t want to.

One day I asked him why he never wanted to try. After a bit of gentle persistence, he explained "whenever I try something and fail, my friends laugh at me"

So he thought I would shame him too if he failed my questions.

I explained to him, something along the lines of sometimes people will laugh at your failures, and though it may hurt, you shouldn’t let their mockery stop you from doing what you should.

Sometimes failure is part of learning, so if you avoid trying new things because you don’t want to face the shame of failure you’ll never learn much or achieve much; if you give in to the fear of shame, it will limit you and make your life small.

After that incident, I noticed a remarkable improvement in his willingness to try new questions, and in his performance.

When I was done with my lesson sessions with him, 9-year-old Andre said, "I will miss you. I will never forget you."

That day, I felt the joy of being a teacher; the joy of knowing I impacted a life.

At that moment, I learned that sometimes, only a few hours of genuine concern and encouragement are enough to make a lifelong impact on the life of a person.

On this day, we remember and celebrate teachers all around the world who make life changing impact on a regular basis, year in year out, either at home, school, or church.

Today, we celebrate teachers like you, who in one way or the other, tutor, mentor, and guide young people, either at home, school, church, camps, etc.

You are the real heroes.

For giving our children the roots of sound values and life principles, we thank you. And for giving them the wings of a healthy self esteem and vision to fly, we celebrate you. We honor you.

The work you do, though often unnoticed, creates a better future for us all. In teaching our children with love, patience and wisdom, you shape a better future for the world. God bless you.

God sees every inch of the work you do. And your students feel it too.

Happy Teachers day. I thank you.

Celebrate yourself. And thank a teacher that has impacted you.

SHARE this article with a teacher or educator.

Do you want better results from teaching? Learn the 7 Soft-skills that every teacher needs. Email adebayodipo@gmail.com with the subject: 7 Soft skills every teacher needs.

Did you enjoy this article? Make my day. Clap for & Share this article so more people get to see it 😊 A little tip: you can clap up to 50 times to give a standing ovation! Thanks.

If you loved this article, you may love this too:

The Teacher Who Almost Took Her Life: https://link.medium.com/MZnHSbvHStb

Hi. I'm Dipo. I write, speak and train on interpersonal/softskills, teenagers, emotional healing, and overcoming fear, failure, shame, rejection, and other self-limiting obstacles to your progress.

Generally, I share content on personal development. I love to see people grow and become better. You can get free access to my articles here: https://bit.ly/3MB3CUu

Want to connect for more helpful content? Let's connect on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dipo-adebayo-a99493114

Or follow on Facebook, Instagram, or Medium on Dipo Adebayo

Will you like to support Dipo’s work? Your donation will be gratefully received at 0147752953- Guarantee Trust Bank (naira account), or 5072065841- Zenith Bank (dollar account)