A friend of mine told me that yesterday some of her classmates misbehaved and were very disrespectful to a foreign teacher. Right after hearing the bad news I felt upset and ashamed of the teenagers' behaviour. Perhaps this kind of conduct is not uncommon in many countries and some may say it is not surprising since teenagers disrespect teachers from their own country too. However, I have some particular feelings in this respect.
First of all, being a teenager is not a pretext to be rude. It is true that one tends to question the status quo and find authority figures somewhat threatening when we are this age, but respect for others is a value which is not only inherent to a certain group of people, but to people of all ages. Everybody has heard that children should be taught to be polite. And they are taught, indeed. Notwithstanding, telling children to behave well because this is the proper thing to do is not sufficient. They are supposed to do it in theory, but there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration. To begin with, they might be onlookers when every heated argument their parents may have happens. This way, they are taught by their parents' actions that it is OK to disrespect someone else if they want something, and more importantly, all that stuff they once told them about respect to others does not work in real life. I am not excusing them, but guessing what the causes for behaving badly like that could be. This kind of events happening in many homes should be avoided in order to raise children with values. Actions speak louder than words, is a common saying.
Secondly, the person affected is a foreigner. One should always be kind to them. They are visitors to our country who are eager to know many tourist attractions and above all, our people. We, Peruvians, have always characterized by being very friendly people. We like people from all over the world, and when we meet a person from another country we are welcoming and want them to taste our delicious cuisine and visit Machu Picchu. Some Peruvians may say that we are friendlier to foreigners than to Peruvians themselves. It is not only a matter of caring about foreigners because they have a different culture but because they are human beings like us. We are all alike regardless of race, religion or traditions, and we must show respect for everybody who visits our country.
Finally, I am very sad they did not treat this teacher with consideration. I personally met her a few months ago and know she is a lovely woman. She is always willing to help others and has Christian values. I remember she once told me she respected Peruvian teachers and admired the way they teach. She is humble despite having a lot of personal qualities. In fact, it is one of them. She deserves all the respect and appreciation a student should have for their teacher.
I apologize for the inappropriate behaviour of those adolescents. If some time you read this blog entry, please keep in mind that not all Peruvian teens are like those kids. I hope this abrupt circumstance will not make you change your mind about teaching teenagers in Peru. I think you feel more comfortable working with adults; however, I am sure young people learn a lot from you, especially values and good manners. I have been a witness to the many times you corrected both your students' grammar mistakes and bad conduct.
I am personally very grateful to you for the things you taught me and the times you helped me. I remember when I asked you for something that would help me a lot and you did not hesitate at all about assisting me. I was surprised. Perhaps another person would have said they could not do it or told me they would do it later. But you are different, you are an angel. You are an angel who came to the Earth to look after those that need guidance. You are an angel whom her friends love and enjoy hanging out with. You are an angel everybody would like to be friends with. I hope someday you can count me among your friends. Thus, I could get to know you better and take some of the aureole that surrounds you. I want to learn many things from you, particularly how to keep smiling no matter what happens. I could not bear the bad manners of a teenager if I were a teacher. You, in contrast to most of us, may get upset at first but then you approach the problem by being firm with the kid and correcting them with patience and tenderness. I admire you. You are a delicate flower which one must spray everyday. Your students must learn it.