Father, daughter, son, and daughter-in-law are all working at the same school.

23.11.2025 14:02

Seventy-two-year-old Sabri Murat, who has been teaching for 52 years and has touched the lives of hundreds of students, works at the same school as his daughter, son, and daughter-in-law. Expressing that he was born to be a teacher, Murat said, "My son and daughter-in-law are both Turkish language teachers. My daughter is also a classroom teacher. I never pressured them to become teachers like me. If you set an example, everyone will follow you."

Seventy-two-year-old Murat, who works as a Turkish teacher in many parts of Turkey, has been educating his students with the same enthusiasm for 52 years. As an administrator in the education world, Murat has touched the lives of hundreds of students, and his son, daughter, and daughter-in-law have also chosen teaching as their profession. Murat currently works at the same school as his son, daughter-in-law, and daughter during this phase of his career that has lasted over half a century.

"I STUDIED IN A VILLAGE SCHOOL"

Born in 1953 as the child of a farmer mother and a driver father, Murat began his education in a village school in Elazığ. He spoke in the classroom where he taught.

Murat expressed that he started his educational journey in a very challenging period in the village, saying, "I studied in a village school. I continued to middle school and high school in Elazığ because we didn't have a house there, staying with my relatives. I never had lunch in middle school and high school. Because when I arrived at my relatives' homes and they asked, 'Are you hungry?' I would say 'I'm not hungry' out of embarrassment. I spent six years like that, saying let's wait for their children to come in the evening and eat together."

Murat stated that he passed the Turkish Language and Literature Department of Atatürk University and graduated in 1974, explaining that he has been teaching since that year.

After university, Murat began his career as a Turkish teacher, noting that his first assignment was to his hometown Elazığ Atatürk High School, that he was in Elazığ during the coup in 1980, and that he was assigned to Sinop in 1982, where he taught for two months before working in private tutoring centers.

"I TEACH FOR 8 HOURS A DAY LIKE A LION"

Murat, who has taught in Elazığ, Diyarbakır, Malatya, Adana, and Istanbul, currently teaches at a private high school in Ataşehir and also has administrative responsibilities. He stated, "At my age, I teach for 8 hours a day like a lion. Physically, I may be insufficient, but I can convey it spiritually. I also do motivation work in the classrooms. I have meetings with parents. I do not teach how to be a parent; I cannot teach that. However, I share my experiences."

Murat emphasized the qualities of a successful teacher, saying, "With your behavior, your walk, your speech, and your leadership, a teacher role model must fulfill their role very well. I think a teacher is important, but even more so, a teacher is valuable. If a teacher is valuable, they should make the children and students they teach feel that they are valuable."

"IF YOU SET AN EXAMPLE, EVERYONE WILL FOLLOW YOU"

Murat, who teaches at the same institution as his children, continued his remarks as follows:

"My son and daughter-in-law are Turkish teachers like me. My daughter is also a classroom teacher. I am not a person who has influenced them to become teachers. If you set an example, everyone will follow you. From my perspective, if I were to be born 50 times, I would still choose to be a teacher. Because I learned humanity through teaching. I have great respect for other professions. Everyone has their own unique qualities, but pay attention, everyone needs a teacher. It is very difficult to walk a path without a teacher or a guide. My children have chosen that path. They have seen their father. They work hard but are very happy. Teaching is a profession chosen by my children, but it may have been influenced by my being a role model."

Murat expressed that his greatest asset is educating his students. "We have no property or wealth. Our greatest asset is our students," he said, noting that they have provided scholarships to at least 10,000 people and that money is not a priority for teachers; purpose and determination come first.

"HE WAS BOTH MY FATHER AND MY TEACHER"

Mete Murat, a 25-year-old Turkish teacher, expressed his happiness in working at the same school and in the same field as his father. He pointed out that his father has been a role model for him, as well as for his wife and sister, saying:

"My father influenced my choice to become a teacher. He was both my father and my teacher. He taught my Turkish lessons while I was preparing for the university entrance exam. Therefore, I chose my profession with love and willingness, not with difficulty, due to the relationship of being both my father and my teacher. I chose teaching not in the sense of continuing my father's profession, but to take him as a role model and to be beneficial to the country, to be able to do something. Because teaching is a profession that directly touches people."

Murat explained that besides teaching, they also engage in motivational activities to support students in exams.

Murat noted that most students no longer read many books, saying, "Students are trying to handle these things more through the internet. Our goal is to draw them to that point. In the exams, the number of words is very high. Currently, those who do not understand Turkish well cannot solve math or science questions in the exams. Therefore, we teach our students to learn and use Turkish very well."