Today, October 5, we celebrate World Teachers’ Day, and UNESCO, UNICEF and Education International send out a clear message: let us value the voices of teachers. As highlighted in their joint statement, education today faces major challenges, such as the shortage of qualified teachers and the loss of prestige and attractiveness of the teaching profession.
And yet, when we look back at our life paths, a teacher often appears in our memories as someone who has shaped our stories. Katalin Karikó, Nobel Prize in Medicine, in her book Breaking Barriers. My Life Dedicated to Science (2024), highlights one teacher as one of the most influential figures in her life. What she remembered most was the sparkle in his eyes, his genuine interest in his students, and the fact that he believed in her despite her humble background.
The motivation to become a teacher is precisely linked to the possibility of improving the lives of all students, not just a few. But for this to be possible, teachers must combine passion and love for their work with the intellectual rigor of the profession—bringing together enthusiasm for teaching with the educational theories that have changed the world. To live the profession as Freire (1993) proposed—with humility, love, courage and honesty—or as Flecha (2022) emphasizes, placing equal dialogue with communities at the center and uniting hope with the accumulated scientific knowledge of history, offers an opportunity to overcome the challenges mentioned earlier.
Being a teacher is a privilege, a gift that allows one to become part of the lives of children, adolescents, young people and adults—offering an education that can be the lifeline they need to succeed despite difficult starting points. It is also an opportunity to become part of people’s memories and to be remembered for having done something important. And what greater source of pride could there be?
Today we want to highlight the value of the teaching profession and remember all those who, day after day and despite difficulties, work to provide the best education for all students—achieving significant social progress in inclusion, in overcoming racism, and in eradicating all forms of violence—all without losing their smile and the sparkle in their eyes.
PhD in Education - Adjunct Professor at the University of Valencia.
For 23 years, she was a teacher of therapeutic pedagogy and primary education, and for 8 years, the director of CEIP L'Escolaica.