Advice to Teachers Regarding the Trust They Owe to Their Students

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. Umm Ahmad asks about the ruling on a teacher who sometimes uses educational aids, or more often does not. When this happens, she begins to feel some discomfort, especially since she pays attention to educational aids when she learns that a supervisor will be present on a specific day. How should you guide us, may Allah preserve you?

Answer:
It is obligatory for the teacher, male or female, to be sincere in their work by performing it as required and conveying correct information to the students. The teacher’s concern should not be the arrival of the supervisor, inspector, or principal, such that they pay attention to their lesson and teaching only when they know that so-and-so will visit them. Rather, this should be their duty always and forever, whether someone visits them or not, because this is an obligation upon them and a trust in their charge that they must perform as required. As for the one who does not strive and does not care except on the occasion of a visit by one of the officials, this is a teacher who is not successful in his work and not upright in performing his duty, and he is closer to failure than to success.