# The Importance of Teachers

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/family/school/the-importance-of-teachers/
- Published: 2015-08-11T09:00:29+10:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _Children will learn a lot from their parents. But when it comes to formal education, your child’s teachers will have the biggest impact._

[⌊Teacher 1⌉⌊Teacher 1⌉[

Unfortunately, respect now isn’t what it used to be. Most people in our generation
may have found themselves challenging a teacher, or talking back. But in our parents
generation the idea was totally foreign. It was unthinkable to disrespect your teacher
so much.

### **So how can we teach our kids the importance of their teachers, and the vital role they’ll play in their lives? **

How can we show them the respect these educators deserve?

## **Influential Educators**

Do you remember the teachers that made an impact on you? I do. I was lucky enough
to have a few amazing teachers from the years I spent at school. From the caring
Miss Helen who ushered me into transition (where we built child sized rockets out
of tissue paper), to the dedicated Mrs. Harding who pushed me to my full potential
at 11, and even the stoic Mr. Sarev, who taught me in Year 12 to love writing and
words. They all made a difference to my life. I’ve also been lucky enough to see
some of my teachers since I left school, and tell them just how much I appreciated
what they did.

[⌊Teacher and student sharing a high five in classroom setting⌉⌊Teacher and student sharing a high five in classroom setting⌉ ](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/708781000.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)
[

Thinking about your kids, in school now or nearly there, don’t you want them to 
have a teacher that inspires them to learn, to be the best version of themselves?
Don’t you want them to have a teacher that encourages them to go beyond the page,
and learn about life?

## **A Prime Example**

On the 19th of July 2015, a teacher named Dawson Tamatea died of natural causes 
in his sleep. He was just 55 years old, and had spent 30 years of his life teaching
at Palmerston North Boys’ High in New Zealand. Tributes flooded in for the man who
had a “wonderful relationship with the staff and the boys” [according to](http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/70407909/palmerston-north-boys-high-teacher-remembered)
the school’s rector David Bovey.

When the news of Mr. Tamatea’s death broke on Facebook, the response was clear. 
Students, friends and fellow teachers, past and present, all shared their memories
of this influential educator.

Then came the funeral service, where Mr. Tamatea’s effect on his students became
abundantly clear.

### **A cohort of more than 1,500 men and boys, current students and those from the past, came together to perform a haka as his hearse approached.**

The haka, an ancestral war dance of the Moari people, is performed at a number of
occasions, including at funerals. The haka that the Palmerston North Boys’ High 
performed didn’t just show their immense respect for their teacher to their community,
it echoed around the world.

 

## **And Another**

Luckily, it isn’t only after loss that students (and other educators) are able to
see the massive effect that one teacher can have on a school. At St. Julians Primary
School in Newport, Wales, Margaret Gabica had announced her retirement. At age 62,
she had been a part of the school for 25 years, and her students (although they’re
all around seven years old) wanted to celebrate that. So, with the help of the school
they put together a flash mob, that performed on her last playground duty of her
career.

Not only did they pick a song from her favourite musical (The Lion King) the [performance](http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/teachers-last-day-school-after-9676490)
went off fabulously, and showed Gabica just how much she meant to the students, 
and the school.

### **How Can We Inspire Respect?**

To inspire respect for your children’s teachers, the first step is to have respect
for them yourself. It’s true, these people are at school doing a job. It was their
choice to go into the career of a teacher, and they’re getting paid for it. But 
it’s still a noble profession, and anybody who has ever known a teacher personally
knows just how much work goes into the job.

It’s easy to look at the masses of holiday, and the shorter work day at face value.

But the truth is that teachers often work and prepare during the holidays, and it’s
normal to come in very early, and leave much later than any of your students.

### ** Being a teacher is a lifestyle career, one that often leaves you with more unpaid hours than paid ones. But to see the effect you can have on your students, it’s all worthwhile.**

[⌊Children and teacher engaging in arts and crafts in a classroom setting⌉⌊Children and teacher engaging in arts and crafts in a classroom setting⌉ ](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/0013729e42ea0fd4fddf1e.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)

via chinadaily

So as a parent, respect your children’s teachers. Don’t blame them for the mistakes
or failures of your child, and work with them to help your kids get the best from
their expertise. Remember, teachers make a difference in our lives, and for that
they deserve more praise than we often give them.

## _Did a teacher made an impact on your life?_

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)