If we ask a child who the most important people in their life are, it’s very likely that after their parents or primary caregivers, their teacher will almost immediately come to mind. And yet, when we, as a society, think about who deserves recognition, applause, and constant support, teachers tend to rank surprisingly low on that list. As a psychologist who works closely with children, adolescents, and the adults who accompany them daily, I want to dedicate this space to discussing something I consider urgent: the real, psychological, and human importance of recognizing the work of teachers.
Let’s think for a moment about what it truly means to be a teacher today. It’s not just about teaching academic content, although that in itself requires enormous preparation. A teacher emotionally supports a group of twenty, thirty, or even more children at the same time, each with their own story, their own learning pace, their own family and emotional difficulties—often invisible to the rest of the world but perfectly visible to those who spend six or more hours a day with them. A teacher notices when a child has arrived without breakfast, when something is amiss at home because their behavior has suddenly changed, when a child needs a word of encouragement at the precise moment when no one else is offering it. This constant, silent, and often unrecognized emotional support has a real psychological cost that is frequently ignored.
Organizational and workplace psychology has extensively studied what happens when a person performs deeply demanding work, both emotionally and cognitively, without receiving recognition commensurate with that effort. This phenomenon is known as professional burnout, and teaching is one of the professions where this burnout occurs most frequently. We’re not just talking about physical fatigue from long days, but about a profound emotional exhaustion that arises when someone constantly gives of themselves without feeling that this effort is seen, valued, or reciprocated by their environment, whether by families, institutions, or society in general.
This is where recognition ceases to be a mere gesture of courtesy and becomes a genuine factor in mental health. Feeling valued activates a sense of purpose and belonging in everyone, acting as a psychological buffer against stress and burnout. A teacher who receives consistent recognition, not just on specific dates in the school calendar but on a daily basis, is more likely to maintain their motivation, energy, and ability to continue giving their best in the classroom. And while this may seem like a benefit directed solely at the teacher, it actually has a direct impact on the children, because an emotionally supported teacher is much better able to emotionally support their students.
The recognition I’m talking about doesn’t need to be grand or expensive. Often, it’s the small, frequent gestures that have the greatest impact. A short thank-you note from a family, a message that specifically acknowledges something the teacher did well, such as the patience they showed with a child during a difficult time, or simply asking them with genuine interest how they are, beyond their children’s academic reports, builds a bond of mutual respect that strengthens the entire school community. From within institutions, this recognition can also translate into genuine spaces for listening, reasonable workloads, and policies that understand that a well-cared-for teacher is, ultimately, the foundation of quality education.
I also want to mention something I frequently observe as a psychologist: the tendency to place expectations on teachers’ shoulders that actually belong to a collective effort between family, school, and, in some cases, other support professionals. When a child presents learning or behavioral difficulties, it’s common to hear comments that place almost exclusive blame on the teacher for not having resolved the issue, without considering that parenting, emotional support, and therapeutic work, when necessary, are equally important pieces of the same puzzle. Recognizing the teacher’s role also implies recognizing its real limitations, understanding that a single adult, however qualified and committed, cannot single-handedly provide everything a child needs to fully develop.
Building a genuine collaborative relationship between families and teachers, based on trust and mutual recognition, rather than mistrust or constant criticism, profoundly transforms the school environment.
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