“Stop cursing the dark and go light a candle,” thus goes an Arabic proverb that my primary school teacher used to repeat so often. It is true that such heroic actions do not seem to be something mundane, but upon wider investigation, these actions do happen every day everywhere. In the modern day, due to all the incertitude of this world, not every kid is lucky enough to reach sixteen in peace and justice.
In Algeria, teachers are trained in a special university called: Ecole Normale Superieure (or ENS). A special syllabus is designed for the benefit of those future teachers; it takes into account the interdisciplinarity of education as a field, thus teaches them such modules as psychology, pedagogy, didactics, and methodology. ENS ensures that teachers-to-be have a positive influence on their learners; therefore, psychology for example is taught for a minimum of three successive years under different titles such as General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycho-Pedagogy, and Social Psychology. Ergo, students gain a broader insight into the art of teaching and how to treat one’s students and help them learn and bloom to become useful individuals to their community. The point is: teaching has a major role in helping kids reach sixteen in my country.
It is evident that schools produce all types of people. That is first, due to individual differences; second, pupils’ background; and third, the kind of teacher assigned to them. Teachers can change the life of a kid drastically. Sometimes a terrorist and human rights activist come from the same environment and same school, what makes all the difference is how their teachers treated them. Moreover, the educator is often seen as a role model by his/her pupils as they spend at least 05 hours daily with him/her. Some teachers leave a positive impact on their pupils that lasts for a lifetime, while others leave traumas and scars that are beyond repair. The fine line between the two is the teacher’s knowledge and application of educational psychology. Furthermore, and to dive even deeper into the notion of the role of teachers in forming the personality of pupils, it is only plausible to talk about the person that inspired me to become a good teacher: my primary school teacher. Mrs. H. is unquestionably a great example of the hardworking teacher who delivers her educational message without neglecting the emotional needs of her pupils. How did she help me reach 16? It is so because she didn’t only teach me the alphabet, but sat down with me and taught me about life. She gave my classmates and I the opportunity to peek and see what adult-life is like, and then prepared us for it. Almost eleven years after graduating primary school, I am still in contact with her. Whenever I find myself in a tough situation, I think to myself: “what would she do if she were in my place?” and the solution comes effortlessly. Mrs. H. was and is my role model. My decision to become a teacher was built upon making her proud of me and showing her how she helped me reach sixteen and beyond to become a valuable individual serving my country.
Teaching is indeed a noble career, and those who exercise it are the real superheroes that do not curse the dark, but instead go light a candle. Despite the challenging atrocities that impede kids from reaching sixteen in Algeria, teachers remain the benevolent soldiers that guarantee the development and growth of their students in peace and justice.