Nigeria, Oct. 6 -- As the world celebrates the 2026 World Teachers' Day, it is worth pausing to remember the men and women who stood before us in classrooms, chalk in hand, lesson notes under their arms, patiently trying to turn ignorance into knowledge and uncertainty into confidence.

For some people, however, the occasion may bring little more than a passing memory. The teacher has become a distant figure, almost forgotten in the rush of adulthood. For others, the memories are vivid. They remember the teacher who refused to give up on them, the teacher who corrected them when they went astray, the teacher who saw something in them that they could not yet see in themselves. For the former, it may well be: "Goodbye, teacher." For the la...