Language Teachers Deserve Respect Too!

#languageteaching #wedeserverespect #equalrights

This might be controversial. But I am sure that most of the language teachers of the country can relate to what I wish to say today. In most of the educational institutions of the country, we, language teachers, have been treated as second grade citizens for quite some time now. We are generally considered as liabilities institutions have to endure just to fulfil the mandatory criteria of having language classes. We do not get compensated at par with other subject teachers. And most certainly, we do not get the respect we deserve for our expertise.

This is to every colleague I have ever had who thinks that language teachers are like disposable glasses, easily replaceable and malleable according to their whims and fancies. Like you, we chose our specialisation because we love it and not because we are in any way deficient than you. We might belong to a subsidiary department while you are part of a major department of the institution we are both part of. But that doesn’t make our work any lesser than yours. We put in the same effort for getting our masters and Ph.D. We put in the same effort to deliver the best to our students. Just like we cannot surpass your mastery over your subject, you cannot best us in ours. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you need us because professional knowledge is worthless unless you have a medium to share it and deliberate on it. That’s why languages are still part of our curriculum.

But most of you do not realise that and what do we get instead of the respect and the equal treatment we deserve? Belittlement, pay disparity and the attitude that we are not as important as you. If you do not acknowledge our importance and respect us for the work we do, how can we expect the students to do that?