Some people may say that teachers do not make a difference in the lives of their students, and this may be the case for some people but not for most. Teachers jobs are not only to teach their students and help them be successful, but they must also help to shape their students into well rounded and good adults. The short stories A Teachers Reward by Robert Phillips and Long, Long After School by Ernest Buckler both explore how childhood events shape who we become as adults wether it be for the better or for worse. Although, it may not always be teachers specifically that shape our future because we are around them for the majority of the first 17 years of our lives, they make a huge impact on who we become as adults. Teachers are responsible for teaching children and teenagers how to be adults and to teach them to be the best people that they can.

A Teachers Reward shows how a teacher can negatively affect a students life. In this story a man named Raybe Simon goes to visit one of his old teachers from school, at first she doesn’t recognize him but she eventually realizes that he was a student that she was not very fond of. After quite a bit of conversation with Raybe the woman remembers that he had been to jail and had just recently got out, “I remember you! You were no good to start with. No motivation. No follow though. I knew just where you’d end up. You’ve run true to form”, she says not realizing that she was a driving force as to why he had gotten involved in things that led to his jail time. She had mistreated him while he was in school by hitting his hands when she believed that he had done something wrong, even if he actually did nothing wrong. Instead of being treated with respect and nurture, Raybe was abused physically and mentally which led him to believe that he truly was a bad person. Because of his childhood experiences Raybe was led down the wrong path and ended up being put in jail, and eventually came back for his revenge. If Raybe had been treated differently during his time in school the likelihood of him going down that path would have been significantly less. This story is a great example of how important it is for teachers to create a positive influence in students lives as treating students as delinquents constantly will greatly impact how the child will grow up and act as an adult and can eventually come back to haunt them.

Long, Long After School tells the story of a man named Wes who looks back on to his time in school. His story is similar to Raybe’s in the sense that they were both mistreated growing up but instead of degrading Wes much like Raybe’s teacher did, Wes’ teacher Mrs.Tretheway supported Wes. Mrs.Tretheway and Wes are the perfect example of how important a teachers role is in a child’s life. Wes was judged by the colour of his skin by his peers and instead of following along with the class and judging Wes, Mrs.Tretheway taught not only Wes but the other students the importance of inclusion and acceptance. When kids would say mean things to Wes like saying his “hands are dirty” Mrs.Tretheway would lead by example and be kind and accepting to Wes. His teacher continued to leave a positive influence in Wes’ life and that ultimately shaped him into being the good person that he became. Mrs.Tretheway knew the impact of her actions and the importance of how she treated Wes. All the positivity that Wes received growing up from his teacher allowed him to be happier in his adulthood and appreciate the inner beauty of people. If Wes received the same treatment that Raybe received he most likely would not have been as happy with his life as he needed up and could have possibly ended up in jail much like Raybe.

In both stories it is clear that each character did not have great childhoods for different reasons, but it was the way that they were treated by their teachers that shaped how they grew up. Raybe was treated as a delinquent that would not go far in life and that led to him living a life of crime. His teacher clearly did not leave a positive impact on his life and it left him with bad memories of his childhood and left him believe that he really was a bad child. Wes, on the other hand, also had a rough childhood but his teacher made him feel as though he was important and shows how important it is to leave a positive impact on ones students. Since Wes was treated with kindness and not constantly put down for things he ended up having positive memories of his childhood and his teacher. The support that Wes received from his teacher Mrs.Tretheway apposed to the negligence that Raybe got from his teacher clearly shows how important teachers are in a child’s development into adulthood.

Overall, both stories showcase how important it is for a teacher to support their students and lift them up rather than brining them down. In A Teachers Reward it is clear that when teachers do not treat their students properly and with respect it can have a very negative outcome on how a child will grow up. However, when a teacher positively impacts a child’s life such as in Long, Long After School the child is more