Teachers have multiple roles in students’ lives, including being parents, friends, and nurses. Their primary responsibility is to create a secure and supportive environment for students. During my education, I was lucky to come across many teachers who had significant influences on my life by displaying positive values and offering moral guidance. However, Mr. Mortal, my ninth-grade creative writing teacher, had an incredibly deep impact on me during a difficult time when my parents separated and my father left our family.
One aspect that I didn’t prioritize was my education. According to Licking (1991), “Fractured families and the stress of outside commitments carry a cost that children pay” (p.31). Mr. Mortal, the caregiver and moral role model, was placed in my life for an important purpose. Mr. Mortal invested time in making me laugh and acknowledging the significance of my thoughts. He boosted my self-esteem during a period when I lacked motivation to start my day. Following my father’s departure, my mother had to work extended hours and couldn’t fully attend to us.
I was heading down a destructive path due to my mother’s lack of supervision and the company I kept. However, Mr.. Mortal assured me that I was capable of achieving more than those I associated with and had a promising future. Mr.. Mortal imparted upon me the significance of accountability and integrity, stressing that one’s worth is determined by their word. He ingrained moral values in me, which were either absent or deeply buried within me. He taught me that moral values guide our actions and should be followed even in moments when we would prefer otherwise (1991, p. 38). Moreover, Mr.. Mortal emphasized the need to earn respect and the importance of reciprocity in life.
