It seems like as soon as the bell rings to get out of class the only thing people can talk about is their teachers. More specifically, they constantly rant about how incompetent, how abominable, how crazy their teachers are. It is starting to get ridiculous. Yes, it is an offense I have committed many times, but as students, we still owe our teachers a basic level of respect.

Consider this: the only reason the Liberty Staff comes to work every day is for us. They have dedicated their entire career to helping teenagers—arguably one of the most obnoxious age groups—be successful. Our teachers wake up early every day to get to school before us and stay after school or work at home on grading our papers and making lesson plans, all for our own benefit.

This is a huge time commitment that very few people would willingly choose to make, so we ought to appreciate the few individuals who have decided to dedicate their efforts to us.

I know that our teachers aren’t perfect. Everyone has had at least one of those days where they left class feeling like their teacher’s goal in life was to make them miserable, but in the scheme of things they have probably given you more help than harm. In fact, the classes that tend to be the most frustrating often end up being the ones that you get the most out of.

Plus, constant whining behind your teachers’ back is never going to fix any of the problems you have with them. If you have an issue with someone on the Liberty Staff, it is your responsibility to talk to your teacher or an administrator and attempt to work it out. Until you take it upon yourself to try and fix any problems you may have, you have no right to complain.

Next time you have any ill will towards your teachers, don’t just sit there and whine about it: be the bigger person. If it isn’t worth talking to your teacher about, then, considering how much the staff does for us, it isn’t worth ranting about in the first place