Superteacher

I'm obviously failing to draw something for the Marvel month, but don't worry, here's some... superhero content.

It's actually an original character design - just me as some kind of a powerful teacher. While creating this character I had Doctor Strange, Thor, Captain America and Scarlet Witch in mind, but I didn't want to overdo it adding too many superhero details, so I added things like an academic robe (which basically became a cape) and a hat, the staff is a big metal pencil with an owl holding a diploma, the shield is a chalkboard and there are other details such as a bag and a book.

Anyway, I wanted him to look like a teacher, especially since there have been some affairs regarding education in my country recently and I had to react somehow. I've been tolerating jokes and misconceptions about my occupation for almost two decades but things just keep getting worse.

Namely, the first lady pressured her son's teachers to change his grades from 4 to 5 (something like B to A) two weeks after the school had finished. What really happened has yet to be investigated, but it was enough to cause reactions and make other teachers speak up openly about their experiences.

I'm not surprised by this affair because similar things happen on regular basis. There's been an open season for teachers for a long time, targeted by students, parents, collegues, principals, politicians, ministers of education, prime ministers or presidents. It doesn't matter if you did everything right, there are always someone else's interests that can easily interfere with your work and law can hardly protect you.

Like most teachers, I've also been a victim to similar pressure, but we're not allowed to talk about it. It happens subtly via messages, phone calls, pieces of advice in school hallways or "friendly" conversations with your superiors but it can sometimes result in a verbal persuasion in a locked classroom until you give in. This kind of behaviour has rooted itself as a rule we now accept without thinking and I often feel sad and sorry for my country. It was born in the nineties but then immediately fell into a coma and it's been surviving on life support machines all this time. No politician or political party have done their job so far and it shows in the layers of corruption, with the education system being just one of the victims. Almost everyone who gets in a position of power takes care about themselves first and gets away with it. We are just watching and electing the same corrupted people over and over again.

My thoughts are with all my fellow teachers involved in this unfortunate charade and I'm not feeling comfortable returning to my work next month knowing that any of us can be next. Again. 😔

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