Students aren’t asking for perfect teachers. They aren’t looking for superheroes who have all the answers, never make mistakes, or deliver every lesson with flair. They’re not searching for brilliance without blemish. What they are asking for is simple—understanding. A teacher who sees beyond the test scores and the uniforms, who recognises the human being behind the learner. A staff member who takes time to listen, to ask, to care. That is what students are silently pleading for across our boarding schools and classrooms. Understanding, not perfection.
It’s easy for adults to assume that students are complex, lazy, or unruly. It’s even easier to believe that they are entitled, distracted by social media, or resistant to discipline. But beneath the noise and behaviour that often frustrate teachers are young people desperately trying to figure life out. They are navigating identity, peer pressure, expectations from home, academic demands, hormonal changes, and sometimes even trauma. And in that state of confusion and transition, they are not asking us to be flawless. They are asking us to walk with them patiently. To meet them where they are.
Understanding that staff are not weak or permissive. They are not those who tolerate mediocrity or excuse bad behaviour. Instead, they are the ones who lead with empathy. They are firm, but fair. They discipline, but do not demean. They correct, but do not crush. These are the teachers who take the time to learn names, notice patterns, and ask questions when a child’s performance drops or behaviour changes. They are the ones who remind students that they are more than their mistakes. And often, those are the teachers students remember long after the lessons have ended.
The tragedy in many schools today is that the system rewards performance but rarely pauses to consider the person. When a student is failing, they are pushed harder. When they break a rule, they are punished swiftly. But rarely are they understood. Rarely does someone sit with them and ask, “What’s really going on?” The assumption is always that the child is wrong, lazy, rude or unwilling. But in many cases, they are simply unheard. And when they are not heard, they shut down—or worse, they act out. Some light fires. Some escape. Some suffer silently until the pressure breaks them.
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Understanding staff take a different route. They see discipline as a tool for restoration, not retribution. They believe in second chances. They understand that a child yelling back may be the same child crying inside. They are not quick to anger, because they know that teenagers are still growing, still making sense of themselves. Understanding staff are emotionally intelligent. They do not take every act of defiance personally. Instead, they step back, observe, and often discover that what appeared as rebellion was actually a cry for attention, for belonging, for help.
It’s not just students who benefit from understanding staff—it’s the entire school community. A culture of empathy reduces tension. It creates a safe space where learners feel seen and heard. It lowers cases of indiscipline because students know that they are not just statistics or exam machines. They are valued. When students are treated with respect, they respond with respect. When they are treated like humans, they behave like humans. It is a simple truth, often forgotten in the pursuit of academic excellence.
The power of a listening teacher, a kind administrator, or a supportive matron is immeasurable. Sometimes, a single conversation with an understanding staff member is all it takes to change a student’s outlook. A word of encouragement can revive a struggling spirit. A patient correction can steer a student back onto the right path. These acts don’t require perfection. They require presence. They require adults who are willing to put aside judgment and connect at a human level.
Of course, no teacher is perfect. Every staff member carries their own burdens—personal, professional, and emotional. The work is demanding. The pressure to produce results is real. But even within those constraints, we can choose to be understanding. We can choose to see each student as someone’s child, as someone with a story. We can choose to respond with calm when provoked, to mentor instead of mock, to inspire rather than intimidate.
This shift from perfection to understanding must be intentional. It starts with leadership. School principals must model empathy in their interactions with both staff and students. Teachers must be trained not only in pedagogy but in emotional intelligence. Boarding staff must be equipped to handle adolescent behaviour with maturity and grace. The entire school environment must send one clear message to the learner: you matter, and you are not alone.
Parents too, have a role. They must stop demanding perfection from schools and start partnering in understanding. They must teach their children to respect teachers, but also encourage them to speak up when they are hurting. A student supported both at home and at school stands a better chance of succeeding not just academically, but in life.
When we replace the unrealistic expectation of perfection with the transformative power of understanding, we unlock potential in our students that would otherwise be buried under fear, resentment, or self-doubt. We build schools that don’t just produce high grades, but healthy, emotionally grounded citizens. We create relationships that last beyond the classroom, memories that inspire, and lessons that transcend textbooks.
Students don’t need perfect teachers. They need understanding staff. People who show up with patience, who teach with kindness, who correct with love, and who lead with compassion. These are the adults who light up the paths of learners. These are the ones who shape not just minds, but hearts. These are the ones who make school feel like home.
And in a world that grows more complex by the day, that is the kind of education we need—one built not just on brilliance, but on understanding.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub County and serves as Dean of Studies.
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