There is a saying in my language, Tigrinya: “If someone shows you kindness, either return the favor or share their kindness with others”- (ንዝገበረልካ ግበረሉ፡ ወይ ንገረሉ). Today, on World Teachers’ Day, I want to share that kindness by honoring the teachers whose dedication and mentorship shaped many young lives. I hope these reflections resonate with you, perhaps you will recognize your own story within them.
World Teacher’s Day (October 5) celebrates the
profession’s profound contribution to society and calls on all of us to value,
support, and invest in teachers. For years, I promised myself to write a short
tribute to honor the dedication of the many amazing teachers I had the good
fortune to cross paths with. Each year, October 5 arrived and slipped
past, the day has been eluding me for years. Or maybe, it is me who has been
eluding the day for fear of what I write may not measure up to their good and
Godly deed. After repeated failed promises, here I am, this year I am writing
at last.
I offer a glimpse of one extraordinary teacher as a
way to honor him and the many committed, compassionate educators out there. His
name is Zemuy (his first name), my high school chemistry teacher at Keren
Secondary School, Eritrea. With the passage of time, I forgot his last name.
Now that I come to think of it, I am not sure I ever knew his last name as he
was affectionately called just by his first name (መምህር ዘሙይ).
Zemuy taught me in the last two of my high
school years. To put things into perspective by way of an example, I will mention
one strand that exemplifies his commitment to educate. I attended my last high
school year in 1993-94. This was only three years since Eritrea’s independence.
And like all countries that just emerged from prolonged war and ravage, a lot
of the basic student supplies (including teachers) were scarce. Even with that,
it was commendable the new government in the new country prioritized to keep
the schools open with whatever meagre resources available; we were and still are
grateful we could continue our education uninterrupted. One recurring challenge
during those early years of independence was lack of adequate (both in quality
and quantity) student textbooks. So, copying text from the blackboard was
standard practice for all subjects.
In Eritrea, the final year of high school is intense.
Students prepare for their university entrance exams covering the full syllabus
from grades 9 through 12. The sheer volume students are expected to cover is
intimidating and daunting. Therefore, students start preparing for
these exams at least a year ahead. Recognizing this, Zemuy made his
students a promise: “If you are committed to making an effort, I will do
everything in my power to ensure your effort pays off.” He kept that promise in
ways that still humble me.
His plan was first to cover that year’s syllabus (grade 12) in the first semester and afterwards revise through the last three years (grades 9-11) syllabus . There was one glaring problem, though. If he was going to write on a blackboard everything he planned to cover, most of the time would be spent writing on the blackboard and the students would be immersed in copying what he had written, which would leave little or no time for the actual teaching-learning. For this too, Zemuy found a solution that demanded immense personal sacrifice from him. He decided to use most of his Saturdays and Sundays, his free time with no pay, to write what he planned to cover for the week after. Every Saturday and Sunday, he arrived at school at dawn and spent four to five hours filling seven to eight blackboards across classrooms with the following week’s content. Students could come throughout the day to copy the material at their own pace. Weekdays, freed from the time drain of writing and copying, he focused on teaching and demonstrations, finally closing each week with a test to anchor our learning. He kept this rhythm from September through April; until a few weeks to the entrance exams.
What sustains such devotion? For me, Zemuy embodies
the best of the profession: a deep sense of responsibility, a commitment to
community, the will to wish and really mean good to fellow man. Is there and
better measure of the goodness of man than this?!
Zemuy and many selfless teachers are the beacon of
goodness in us. Every day, they sustain humanity by example that life is not
only what we make of it, but also what others, in their good grace, make
possible. As Martin Luther King Jr. observed, we are “caught in an inescapable
network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Who we become is
shaped by our own hands and by the generosity of those who help us along the
way. This much I am convinced.
To Zemuy (መምህር ዘሙይ) and all those selfless teachers
who keep hope alive in young minds, thank you. The good you do multiplies
through generations, and the kindness you give returns as legacy.
Fitwi Wolday, PhD.