The secret superpowers of teachers

Have you ever realised that superheroes aren’t just fictional characters in comics and movies? Do you want to know what they look like in real life?

Let me introduce you to real-life superheroes that you didn’t realise you knew. They are your teachers. Yes, your teachers — the ones you generally think of as boring, strict, demanding or funny. They don’t wear capes or carry cool gadgets, yet their superpowers are real — how else could they help you discover the best in yourself, even the parts you didn’t know were there?

By making the most difficult concepts understandable to a class full of students reluctantly paying attention, teachers use the superpowers only they possess to get through to everyone. Their super senses easily tell them which student hasn’t grasped the lesson and which one is making excuses for not doing homework. Nothing escapes their x-ray vision, and they know what the backbenchers are up to at all times. They see, they hear and they know all that is going on in the class.

But teachers are not born with superpowers — they work hard to become capable of shaping young minds and lives. They strive every day. Each morning they step inside the class, they are on a rescue mission: to help their students out of the academic problems they are facing and carry them towards a better future and world.

Let’s check out some of the superpowers teachers possess. And, while we are at it, why don’t you reflect on what special ‘powers’ your own teachers have?

The decoding power

Teachers have this decoding power to crack the most difficult of equations and solve the most complex of maths problems. They can not only explain the hardest stanzas of a poem in the simplest of ways, but they can also decipher the coded message you are whispering to your friend in class.

But they work hard to attain this power. They spend a lot of time and energy on lesson plans that simplify complex concepts into easy, understandable parts. They also try to understand their students better, so they can teach in a way that helps everyone — even those who find it most difficult.

And this superpower doesn’t stop there — they can even read the most illegible writing and scribbles that no one else can!

X-ray vision

Their x-ray vision also makes them good at reading expressions and feelings. So when something is holding a student back, teachers sense it. They care. And they intervene.

Even when they are writing on the board, they know what is going on behind their back in the class. Anyone who has tried to chew gum discreetly or wander the corridors after asking to go to the toilet will vouch for the x-ray vision of teachers, who always seem to find out.

Incredible strength

Teachers come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have incredible strength. No wonder they can effortlessly carry piles of books around, teach non-stop for hours and stand on their feet most of the day. They arrive before the students and leave after them, and they don’t even bunk classes!

Through their incredible power of empathy, teachers encourage students to go on, even when they want to stop or give up.