Holding on to the Essence of Value

Today has been one of those days that leave you drained to the bone, the kind of day where you can almost feel your strength being squeezed out of you. If there is an adjective that perfectly describes being used to the brim, then that is exactly how I felt. I got to work quite early—around 6:50 a.m. because I needed to oversee what was happening around the school and also monitor the morning lessons. But even with the early start, the day did not give me a moment to breathe.

Immediately after the assembly, I walked to my class for the first period. The first two periods felt nothing short of exhausting. Many students had not updated their notes, and I could not understand how they had allowed such basic tasks to pile up. I became upset, not only because of the incomplete notes, but also because it reflected a deeper problem: the growing laziness and nonchalance I see in many students today.

My mind went back to my own days in secondary school. Then, we were always eager to please our teachers. In fact, we used to remind them about assignments they had given, especially if they forgot. But now, everything seems to have changed. Today’s students need to be constantly reminded, and even then, some still act as if you are disturbing them.

At times, I wonder if the growing belief among young people that “education is a scam” has contributed to this mentality. Many of them have been influenced by social media and the stories they hear online. They see a few people bragging about quick money and shortcuts, and they immediately think that education is no longer important. Imagine a secondary school student boldly saying that he makes more than a teacher’s salary from one “hustle.” I always tell them that it is not the amount you make that truly matters. What matters is the source of the money and the kind of value you are offering in exchange for it.

I often take time to talk to them about value—what it means, how it shapes who you become, and why it determines how people remember you. Your value is the service you offer to the world, the part of yourself you bring into society, and the reputation you build over time. Money comes and goes, but value remains. It is what will speak for you long after your voice is silent.

Life is truly not about how fast you run but how well you grow. It is a journey that unfolds in stages, and each stage has its own lessons. The problem with many young people today is that they want to jump from the beginning of the road to the end without walking the middle. But growth can not be rushed. Strength can not be hurried, and success can not be microwaved.

Despite the challenges, I remind myself every day that today’s youth are the leaders of tomorrow. That is why we can not give up on them. We must keep teaching, guiding, correcting, and enlightening them. Even when the work feels heavy, it is still a responsibility worth carrying.