Sitting in class, I find it incredibly uncomfortable when fellow students are rude to their teachers. I always wondered why a student would want to talk back to somebody who is just trying to help them. Being a teacher is not an easy thing to do. They are in charge of providing an education to more than 100 students throughout a day, with all of those students learning in different ways and at different paces.

There is a reason why most people think teachers do not get paid enough. Their day does not end when school is over. When students stay after school, many will notice that most teachers are still there doing work, tutoring students, supervising clubs or coaching sports. Then, they go home and grade papers, tests and projects. Repeat. This usually means they get less sleep than students and come to school the next day without complaining like the students do.

I get that some students do not care about an education, but why make a teacher’s job more difficult by insulting and interrupting them. They are your boss for 50 minutes a day. There are only a few differences: they cannot fire you, they cannot hire their employees and they just want things to go smoothly. I know you do not get paid, but think of the knowledge as your reward. That knowledge may be what you need for your dream job. Most of what teachers teach you will be forgotten, but there are things that you just might be thanking that teacher years later.

So give your teacher a break. Their job is hard enough. You do not even have to like them, but respect that they are here to help you.