The Teacher's Footprint: Responsibility Spanning from the Past to the Future

There are certain sounds in life; years pass, cities change, we grow older, but those sounds are never forgotten. The tone of a teacher calling our names in class, a small note scribbled on the edge of an assignment, the confidence conveyed with a glance... Today, as a teacher, every time I step into the classroom, I carry with me the voice, the warmth, the effort of my own teachers. No matter how old I get, I remember my influential teachers with love and longing. In fact, a teacher whom I saw as a role model in choosing my profession had a huge impact on determining the direction of my life.

Perhaps that is why I believe that teaching is not just a profession, but a force that shapes the conscience, future and character of society. The true development of a country comes not from roads and buildings, but from its people. And it is always teachers who shape people. Atatürk's words, ‘The new generation will be your creation,’ are not just a sentence; they express a grand vision that places the destiny of this country in the hands of teachers. We must not forget that the value Atatürk placed on teachers and education remains the strongest light illuminating our path today.

Despite this valuable responsibility, we must not shy away from discussing the problems faced by teachers in Turkey, because the problem is not only economic; it starts much deeper, at the very foundation: the teacher training system. For years, universities have been opening haphazardly; faculties of science and literature and faculties of education are being established everywhere. On the other hand, employment cannot be secured for the tens of thousands of young teachers being trained.

We witness how the dreams of young teachers, who score high marks in the KPSS but cannot be appointed, are shattered as they waste years on exams. Some become couriers, some cashiers... The saddest part is the tragedies resulting in suicides, where despair darkens young lives. These are not statistics; they are human stories wasted by the country.

Unfortunately, the state of schools is not encouraging either. While teachers in state schools struggle to cope with inadequate physical conditions, overcrowded classrooms and constantly changing policies, teachers working in private schools face an even more difficult situation. Despite having the same qualifications and training as their colleagues in state schools, teachers in the private sector are exploited, working for minimum wage, long hours, and with insecure contracts. The unchecked growth of privatisation in education condemns teachers to an economic squeeze unworthy of their professional dignity.

Faced with this situation, I believe we must completely rethink teacher training programmes. There was a model in this country's history that we remember not out of nostalgia, but because of its functionality: the Village Institutes. With its structure based on production, science and social transformation, it reminded us that teacher training is not only an academic process, but also a human and social one. Unfortunately, that magnificent model was sacrificed to politics. It is a painful example of how we are trapped in the shadow of ideologies, even on an issue as important as education.

Yet education transcends politics. It is too valuable to be sacrificed to politics. It is not those who sit in ministerial chairs that will change a country, but the efforts of the teachers who enter the classroom. Therefore, it is essential that education policies are reorganised based on merit; that decision-makers act with an understanding that prioritises the future of this country.

Today is another 24th of November... Teachers' Day... And, as every year, an indescribable feeling arises within me: love, respect, sadness, hope... Teachers are among the most lasting impressions in a person's memory. A teacher can change a person's destiny. Just as mine was changed...

Despite all the difficulties, I offer my deepest respect to all my colleagues who enter the classroom every day with renewed hope, who see teaching not as a burden but as an ideal, whose true concern is to ‘teach’.

The future of this country is being shaped by their quiet but powerful efforts.

Happy Teachers' Day to all our teachers.