The Irreplaceable Personal Student-Teacher Relationship · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Image by www.audio-luci-store.it on flickr (CC BY 2.0).
Under the section Educational Relationships on the blog No hay mejor maestra que la vida (There is no better teacher than life), Luis María Llena León shares his experience with his high school students in Spain. What follows is the conclusion after an exchange between one of the students and the waiter in the place where they met to celebrate the end of the academic year:
No puedo añadir mucho más a las enseñanzas de aquel amable camarero. La educación se basa en una relación interpersonal; cuando esa relación fluye con facilidad y generosidad, la educación es más sencilla y fructífera; cuando hay dificultad en la relación, la hay en la educación. Mantengo una buena relación de amistad con algunos de los que fueron mis educadores y la mantengo, también, con algunos de quienes han sido mis alumnos a lo largo de todos estos años; todas enriquecen mi vida.
I can't add much more to the teachings of that nice waiter. Education is based in an interpersonal relationship. When it flows easily and generously, education is simpler and productive. When the relationship is difficult, the education is difficult as well. I keep a good friendship with some of my educators and I also keep it with some of my students all along these years. They all enrich my life.
Follow him on Twitter at @luismariallena.