I respect and honour my students, and there’s a reason why. I was once a student, and I had lecturers who respected and honoured me, which significantly helped me. I also had lecturers who did otherwise. I’m not here to mention them, and I won’t. But there’s a strong reason why everyone should be respected—it’s simply a standard. You do unto others what you would have them do unto you.
You see, these people who are students today—you don’t know what they will become tomorrow. I believe, as the Yorùbá culture upholds, that it is even better when your mentee or your worker surpasses you in what you have taught them. It should bring joy to a boss when their apprentice becomes more knowledgeable than they are because we keep evolving. The boss was trained in the past, but this is a new dispensation.
Yet, it’s interesting (and concerning) that some people feel threatened by intelligence, ambition, experience, or advanced knowledge exhibited by the younger generation. For God’s sake, why wouldn’t you want your student to succeed and shine even brighter than you? The same philosophy applies to parents—it should be the case that a parent prays for their children to be better than they are. But because many lecturers don’t see their students as their children, they can’t and won’t treat them as such.
For me, relationships are very important, and I value them deeply—not just with my students but with everyone I have met, whether old or young. Of course, maintaining relationships can be difficult. Communication can be challenging. But at the end of the day, I value and honour them all.
A student of mine, whom I last saw four years ago, recently posted something that inspired me to share these thoughts today. Maybe I’ll share more like this in the future—or maybe not. But it’s always good to share our experiences—not to become a social media influencer or content creator, but simply to pass on knowledge as much as possible.
For someone reading this today, just know this: value relationships, respect people, honour people—and you will receive the same in return.
