Teachers, Parents, Students, Education, Former
There's no such thing as a former teacher, just as there's no such thing as a former parent. A teacher remains a teacher, even when their students have grown up and left school.
A parent remains a parent , even if their child is married and independent. Both are callings in life, not statuses to be easily abandoned.
Educational philosophers assert that teachers are moral figures . John Dewey called education a social process that shapes character.
Confucius emphasized that respect for teachers is equal to respect for parents . Developmental psychologists see teachers as secondary attachment figures, from whom children learn trust and identity. Poets describe teachers as lamps, and parents as roots.
However, behind the beautiful theory, reality often speaks with bitter tones. What in philosophy is called a role model, in psychology a bond, and in literature a lamp, sometimes changes its face in the real classroom.
This is where the paradox arises: the figure who should be respected as a second parent is often questioned legally.
Why Are Teachers Criminalized?
- Misunderstood discipline: Harsh reprimands are perceived as violence.
- Legal awareness is increasing: Parents are quick to report to the police without school mediation.
- Lack of legal protection: Teachers are easily prosecuted even if their intention is to educate.
- Social and media pressure: Cases quickly go viral, stigma arises before the legal process can begin.
- Communication conflict: The dialogue between teachers–parents–students is often fragile.
This paradox becomes even more acute when we realize: there is no such thing as a “ former parent. ” Parents can be wrong, they can make mistakes, but they are still parents. Likewise, teachers: they can be wrong, they can be tired, but they are still teachers.
Criminalizing teachers is the same as criminalizing parents at home.
Teacher's Inner Wounds
Once-respected teachers now feel threatened. Those who reprimand with the intention of educating can end up in the police station.
Those who maintain discipline can be accused of violating children's rights. The pain is real, slowly eroding their morale.
When the classroom becomes an arena of suspicion, rather than a place where trust grows, the learning relationship changes: teachers become self-limiting, students lose support, parents lose partners .
At this point, we must ask: what do we want to protect—our ego, our image, or our child's future?
A Way Out That Can Be Pioneered
This phenomenon must not be allowed to continue. Solutions can be found by:
- Legal protection for teachers.
- Mediation mechanisms in schools.
- Healthy communication between teachers, students, parents.
- Participatory education paradigm.
Ki Hajar Dewantara emphasized: “ Ing ngarso sung tulodo, ing madyo mangun karso, tut wuri handayani.”
Teachers are role models at the forefront, driving forces in the middle, and driving forces behind. Tan Malaka wrote: " The goal of education is to sharpen intelligence, strengthen willpower, and refine feelings."
If teachers are criminalized, how can this noble goal be achieved?
Let's be honest: if teachers continue to be treated as suspects, the future of children will be dark.
If teachers lose their authority, education loses its spirit. If teachers are no longer protected, the nation loses its light.
This agitation is not to fight against students or parents, but to raise collective awareness.
Teachers are not enemies. Teachers are not perpetrators. Teachers are partners, lights, second parents.
There is no such thing as a “ former teacher ” just as there is no such thing as a “former parent.” Both are callings in life that must be respected.
Imagine a little child coming home from school, bringing a story about his teacher who was patient, guided with a smile, and reprimanded with love.
Imagine a teacher looking at his students with eyes full of confidence, as if to say: “ I look after your future, even though the world sometimes doesn't look after me.”
Teachers are lamps. If the lamp is extinguished by accusations and criminalization, then the future of our children will be dark. But if we protect teachers, the light of education will continue to illuminate the path of the nation.
And in the end, the relationship between teacher, student, and parent is a simple love story: a love that is sometimes full of wounds, but always tries to grow.
Like a flower blooming in the midst of a storm, teachers remain standing, continue teaching, continue loving. Because behind every lesson lies an eternal romance: the romance between knowledge, love, and the future.
Blog : Charapay
No comments:
Post a Comment