"A teacher is one of the first soldiers of the national army. And that soldier doesn't have the right to turn her back or skulk. She always has to be on the front" is how Salonik Jhangiryan, a teacher at High School No. 1 named after Aksel Bakunts in Goris, describes the teachers.

 

Jhangiryan, raised in a family of teachers, as a child dreamed of becoming an attorney; however, as decided by her parents, she likewise became a teacher. This successively passed on profession ties her to the school, beginning from 1969. 

 

"I'm not at all discontent that I became a teacher. Most importantly, I very much loved and continue to love the children. The power keeping a teacher at school is her love of children," says Jhangiryan. 

 

For an honored teacher there are two professions that don't accept mediocrity: doctors, who might physically kill a person, and teachers, who might damage their minds and souls. "It's possible to reconstruct a building, but if a child, and forgive me for the expression, is moving along defectively, it's impossible to bring him back."

 

Jhangiryan works at a junior high school since, she says, children are special at that age. "Children in junior high are not 'blackboards that cannot be written on' as many seem to think. They have a unique way of thinking; you have to be able to listen to them, understand them, and only then guide them. A child is a spark, which we have to blow on to make a fire. And that fire, afterwards, will warm us, her parents, the homeland."

 

According to the teacher, the children gather 15 minutes early in the morning and began the class by outlining the day. "It allows the child to speak freely, think, and reason logically. No child in the class has his permanent seat, except for those children who have problems with their eyesight. In the morning, the child sits in that seat which is vacant. The aim is to facilitate tolerance among the children. No child is left out; all are equal — all respect, accept and listen to each other. Perhaps this is why the children are happy to come to class; they are never late; and there are no disagreements," says Jhangiryan.

 

"If children in junior high really adopt the basic rules of behavior, then they are rooted as part of their character. I am grateful to fate, that I have always come across wonderful children and parents. If a child doesn't have a learning disability, she can adopt the program material as best as possible. And if not, then I'm to blame, that I haven't explained it better, and the parent, who didn't the work along with me," she says.

 

In honor of the 21st anniversary of Armenia's independence, the president bestowed the highest state awards to individuals from various sectors (education, science, art, culture, and so on). Among those awarded are seven teachers, one of whom is Jhangiryan, who received a medal named after Movses Khorenatsi (Moses of Chorene). "Nothing has changed… it simply obliges you more, that your humble work could be so highly regarded."

 

On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Jhangiryan wishes all teacher good health and to be more devoted to their schools.