16. Who do you want to thank most? Maybe your parents or other family members. But for some of the most successful people in the world, their answer is the teachers in their childhood.
The teachers behind famous people
Can you imagine the life without a personal computer? Well, without two of Bill Gates' high school teachers, we could live a life like that today. Gates' maths teacher, Fred Wright, asked him to push himself just a little bit harder. And his drama teacher, Anne Stephens, helped him become the star of the school play. Gates thanked his teachers — without them, there would be no Microsoft.
An adult you can trust
For some children, teachers are the only positively influential people in their lives. Antwone Fisher, a best-selling writer, grew up with step-parents, and didn't have many adults that he could trust. But his primary school teacher, Mrs Profitt, was the first adult he ever trusted. "She spoke to all of us with respect. I think that it was Mrs. Profitt's respect that made all the differences in my life."
A day to say "Thank you"
There are thousands more stories like this, from famous people to ordinary people all across the world. That's why UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) calls on people to celebrate World Teachers' Day on October 5 every year. UNESCO wants us to remember that education is a basic human right and every child should have free education. UNESCO also hopes to train 69 million new teachers by 2030 so that everyone can go to school, because, sadly, 264 million children in the world today are not in school because there aren't enough teachers.
If you have a teacher, you're one of the lucky ones. One day, you'll probably look back at your life, your success, the dreams you've made come true or the difficulty you've gone through. It's likely that you'll find a teacher whose words have helped you achieve these things. Perhaps you already know who that teacher is. Why not find him or her and say "thank you" next World Teachers' Day?
(1)Who asked Bill Gates to push himself just a little bit harder?
(2)What made all the differences in Antwone Fisher's life?
(3)When is World Teachers' Day?
(4)How many new teachers does UNESCO hope to train by 2030?
(5)Why is it lucky for us to have a teacher?