Texan teacher graded papers from hospital bed until the day before his death — and the internet is divided

A good teacher is never off-duty; even in the most difficult situations, they prioritize their students and their well-being over everything else. Alejandro Navarro, a Texan, is a prime example of someone who stood by it until the end of his life. Navarro, a math professor, loved his job, and surprisingly, during his final moments, he was more worried about his students than facing death. In fact, a day before he died, he decided to complete his teacher's duties straight from the hospital bed. Apart from highlighting Navarro's passion for his profession, his story also raised serious questions about work-life balance. His daughter, Sandra A. Venegas, shared his story online through a heartfelt Facebook post (now deleted). 

Sandra clicked a photo of her dying father finalizing grades for progress reports while lying in a hospital bed. She said her father knew he would go into the Emergency room, so he packed his laptop and its charger in order to take them along with him. "Doctors were coming in to see him. They were running tests, they were telling him he needed to decide what he wanted in the event that his heart stopped: CPR and intubation, or to go in peace. He'd answer their questions and resume with grades," Sandra recalled. Moving on, she said that last time she was at her father's place, he spent those two hours working on his laptop. "I wish I had closed his laptop and enjoyed spending time with him," Sandra confessed. "Teachers put in so many extra hours, hours that many don't realize," she added, talking about how teachers are often taken for granted. Moreover, Sandra explained how, amidst a pandemic when most were busy battling a deadly health crisis, teachers were busy worrying about completing their duties.

"Teachers, let's not normalize working after hours; let's not normalize staying at work late. You are replaceable at work. You are NOT replaceable at home," she concluded. Teaching is one of the most underrated professions — it's something people often think is easy and that needs minimal to zero effort. However, a survey by the RAND Corporation revealed a different picture. According to the survey, teachers work 15 hours longer than their official hours per week. On top of that, they found that 1 out of every 4 hours that teachers worked per week went unpaid.

When Share To Aware shared the story on Facebook, the post received a mixed reaction. While some appreciated the teachers for always prioritizing duty, many questioned the system for treating them like robots. Reacting to it, Nabiha Arsh commented, "I can relate. I am a teacher. Just an hour before my major surgery, I was preparing and proofreading question papers. It was tough, but teachers are the nation builders, so they have to work all day and night. Proud to be a teacher." Ali Raza confessed, "Only some days back with an oxygen cylinder and mask, I was checking the papers of students and enjoying my COVID-19... I'm a teacher."

Another user on the platform, Sarah Ansar Kheiri, wrote, "May he rest in peace. Good teachers are an asset to society. But family time is equally important, too." Umme Habiba confessed, "Hmm, in July I got COVID, but I prepared online lectures in fever and pain and started getting well. But later on, my mother and father got infected, and then my father passed away." Echoing the sentiments, Iqra Malik wrote, "I can understand. I can relate also. I'm a teacher too. It may sound quite convenient, being a teacher and having their related duties, but in reality, it's one of the most responsible, accountable jobs if one is doing justice to their profession to the core." A user who goes by Yarusha N. Azim said, "So proud of your dad for prioritizing his duty. It's our system that needs to understand that teachers are not robots."

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