Islamabad student recounts teacher's ‘selfless act’ when earthquake struck

As panic spread during the earthquake, the teacher remain in the classroom till every student was evacuated

PHOTO: HUMANS OF PAKISTAN

A 7.5-magnitude catastrophic earthquake on Monday devastated northern parts of Pakistan leaving more than 200 dead and hundreds more injured and displaced.

Since then, people have taken to social media to narrate stories of their experiences when the earthquake struck. One such story is of a student in Islamabad who recalls how his teacher’s selfless act in helping vacate the class during the disaster without caring for his own safety has led him to reflect that there is more to a teacher than just teaching.

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“I was at university when the earthquake hit yesterday. There was chaos as everyone rushed towards the exit to save themselves. Everyone except one person,” he told Humans of Pakistan.

There was someone in the classroom who was not running towards the exit trying to escape. “My teacher. He evacuated the entire class first, ensured that every student was safe, then left the classroom,” the student said.

[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/HofPak/photos/a.587691221320292.1073741826.587679261321488/885972718158806/?type=3&theater"]


“This act of selflessness by a teacher proves that there's more to a teacher than just teaching: he's a role model and an inspiration.”

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And how does one repay such a noble act? One simply cannot. So a ‘Thank You’ note had to suffice. “This morning, when his class started, I gave him a 'Thank You' note. I believe that thanking him was the best way to boost his morale; to tell him how much I admired him and that he inspired me to be a better person. I then requested him to take a picture with the entire class so that we could keep it as a memento of his selfless act,” he ended.

According to Humans of Pakistan, the admirable teacher works at Comsats Islamabad and he teaches Numerical Computation.

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