Sitting and wondering what I could write about this Teacher’s Day, I wanted to move beyond the same stories of teachers who teach, guide and shape our lives. Then came a simple thought: what exactly is a teacher? Someone who teaches, certainly. But aren’t we, in many ways, students of our own lives too? Long before another person taught us something, our mistakes, decisions and choices were already teaching us. Yet, how often do we pause to thank ourselves for becoming the people we are today? We often look back at our mistakes as regrets, forgetting that they played an important role in moulding ourselves and our understanding to what we are today. Perhaps, this Teacher’s Day, gratitude should be extended not only to the people who taught us but also to the person within us who is still learning.
Two teachers in my own life make me think about this differently. One shaped my childhood, the other continues to shape the adult I am becoming. Their influence comes not from claiming they are perfect, but from being just their true selves.
My childhood teacher, Leanne D’Costa, believes that her students have taught her as much as she has taught them. She recalls the moment she first stood before a classroom and realised that her students were not merely looking to her for textbook answers, they were observing how she treated others. “My students taught me that my life, and how I live it, is the greatest lesson I will ever give,” she says. For her, shaping a person goes beyond teaching a subject. It requires empathy, kindness, encouragement and creating a space where students feel confident enough to grow. Her message is particularly powerful for anyone who constantly blames themselves for their mistakes: “Soften your heart toward yourself.” She reminds us that mistakes act as a stepping stone to what we are today, and it’s okay to make mistakes, as it teaches us something so valuable that no great class can teach.
My present teacher, Ayeesha Antao, offers a different yet equally important lesson: self-reliance. One of the most significant lessons life taught her was never to be dependent on anyone for anything. She believes that being self-sufficient, financially independent and self-aware gives a person the strength to face the world with confidence. Her own journey has also taught her that failure strengthens the mind. “Only when you fail will you realise that nothing comes easy in life,” she says. For her, teaching is not merely a profession but a vocation. Her greatest joy is seeing students evolve into better versions of themselves. And when difficulties make her question her career, the love of her students reminds her why she continues: “The lesson is to never give up.”
This Teacher’s Day, while we thank the people who taught us and helped us see our potential, let us also show gratitude to ourselves for surviving every storm that passed in our lives- Our version that failed and tried again and still tries even when nobody watches. Not everyone sees our efforts or appreciates them, but we continue to make them anyway and perhaps that itself speaks of the kindness we carry within us. So, thank yourself for choosing to remain gentle even when there were wounds all around you. It takes immense courage to face a world like this and still choose kindness, and yet, we do it anyway. The most important teacher in our lives is the one we forget to acknowledge: “OURSELVES”
~ Ambika Morajkar
