Trust Teachers

After reading the novel “Speak” my belief has changed about a statement. Before reading this novel I thought that students should not tell their teachers about their personal problems, no matter how serious. At first I agreed that students should not tell their teachers, but after reading it I disagreed with my original thought. I disagree now because teachers are there to help, not only with school, but with problems in life. If Mel had told her Art teacher about the issue she was having I feel he would have understood. Also, teachers care about students, if they didn’t they wouldn’t be doing their job has an educator. They are trying to help the next generation.
Teachers care about their students. If they didn’t then why would they be doing their jobs? They are there because they want to help the next generation to the best of their ability. That means its not just school issues that they are willing to help their students with. They are mandated reporters, which means if something is going on that is against the law or could possibly hurt someone they have to report it to the proper authorities. These authorities along with the teachers will help you solve your personal problems.
In the novel the main character, Mel, is keeping a secret locked up inside of her, which she doesn’t know how to deal with. She doesn’t like, know or really trust any of her teachers enough to tell them about this issue, except for one. Her Art teacher is her favorite teacher, because he is laid back and helps her express herself in a way she felt she never could before. He always tried to help her in class and he seemed like an approachable person. I feel that if Mel went to her Art teacher and told him about the issue, he would have helped her get through it and worked with her to solve the problem.
My belief before reading this book, was that students shouldn’t talk to teachers about personal issues no matter how serious. This is because I felt it would be awkward to talk to a teacher about problems. This is because you might not know how the teacher will react or could possibly treat you differently then they had before. But, reading this book made me think about this scenario and showed me that teachers care about their students not just academically, and sense they care they won’t treat you differently, they will try to help you become a better person.
My belief changed after reading this story because on the last page of the book you could really see how much Mel’s teacher cared for her. He stated that he really liked to listen to her if she ever wanted to talk. This made me realize that teachers don’t just have to be teaching academics, they can teach life lessons and be mentors and role models for students. Overall, I learned the same lesson that Mel learned. That you can trust your teachers with personal issues because they have our best interest in mind.