Message to XU SBM Administrators and Faculty on Teachers’ Day

 

To the ever-active dean of the SBM, Dr Ruth Love Russell, her equally dynamic associate dean, Dr Rustum Gevero, the school program directors, faculty of the school, and SBM students, good afternoon!

First of all, my gratitude to our students, the SBM college student council, for inviting me and giving me this opportunity to greet you and share my message to you dear educators and teachers on the occasion of World Teachers Day. It is my honour to have the privilege of speaking to you now.

I know the life and work of a teacher pretty well because I was once a teacher like you first, in high school (Dr Rustum was my student in Christian Humanism); and then, as a college Biology and Environmental Science faculty in this university.

Anyway, I will take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your continued hard work and dedication to your teaching work and, most especially to our students. I said before that I experienced the work of a teacher but not during the pandemic. However, I believe that the Covid pandemic has brought more difficulty and pressure on you because of the health issues and the fully online mode of teaching and learning, which to some of us is an unfamiliar ground and technologically challenging.

The university counts on you to continue delivering quality Jesuit education to our students, especially during this time of the pandemic. I hope that despite the hardships we all are going through, you continue to teach our students with Magis and cura personalis to form and train them to become students of competence, compassion, and conscience.

Finally, let me share with you verbatim what our students wrote to me about why they wanted to celebrate teachers' day and offer this to you. They wrote:

"We want to show honor and gratitude to all the teachers who fully commit themselves to impart knowledge and guidance to the students even with this new normal. Teachers play an essential part in the growth of every country. This is why it is critical to set aside a day to honor teachers. We commemorate Teachers' Day to recognize the importance of teachers in our lives. Teachers have enormous responsibilities in the raising of their children, and so having a teachers' day is to acknowledge the importance of their profession and the vital role they play in the society."

Thank you, dear students, for your appreciation for your teachers. Thank you, dear teachers, for guiding and taking care of our students.

May God bless all of us. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam