The conflict between moral obligation and legal limitations

Society is rapidly being corroded with the mentality of a teacher's role in the lives of their students ending the moment he/she steps outside the school premises when in actual sense education was never meant to operate that way. After immediate family members, teachers are role models in the lives of students. They go beyond tutoring in class as they are one of the primary factors that shape characters, imbued values and direct how their kids see the world. With the level of influence teachers hold in the lives of their students, controversial debates have been raised on how far a teacher can get involved. The length before it shifts from moral obligation to a breach of legal. Let's say a teacher sees one of his pupils acting wrong in a public space, is okay to caution him/her? Or simply ignore as it is way past work hours.

As a kid, my parents will always tell stories about what it means to be a teacher when they were younger. According to them, teachers were one of the most respected figures in the entire community and were even feared more by kids than their actual parents. Back then teachers had the power to come to pupils house to punish them for crimes committed whether in school or anywhere else. When children saw their teachers approaching, they were so scared to stay back and greet them that they would run into hiding. The community accepted teachers and gave the necessary power to groom and discipline children even outside the classroom/school environment because their position automatically makes them responsible enough to do what's right and also push children towards that path as well.

Flashforward to when I became a teacher myself, I discovered that these youngsters really looked up to me seeking answers to questions they couldn't even ask their parents. Countless times when they see me on the streets they try to maintain their best possible behaviour. I remember one time, a student was having an altercation with someone in public. The moment he saw me, he tried to settle everything amicably because he knew I was definitely going to scold him for that kind of behavior.

No matter how we look at it we cannot that deny the role teachers play in lives of students both inside and outside the school. Some teachers don't even want to get involved in the lives of the kids outside school as they believe that it doesn't cover part of their salary. However whether they want to admit it or not, teachers are guardians and have the power to impact the lives of this students. Imagine seeing your student being a nuisance in public and not correcting them because people say it is not your job. No matter how you look at it your students are an extension of your effort. If they become an asset to society it is because you contributed to making that a possibility so it's best to continue that teaching process regardless of the location.
Thank you

All images are mine