Better to study hard than rely on teachers

I REFER to the letter “Lousy teachers dumped on arts students” (StarEducation, Nov 16) by Lacey The Lynxd. Life – not just the Malaysian education system – is certainly unfair. In this case, we want good teachers. But does a good teacher make a BIG difference in a student’s life? My answer is no. 

By the way, what is the definition of a good teacher? Errr ? let’s see. A teacher who has a PhD but can’t keep a noisy class under control? A teacher who only teaches his pet students? Or a teacher with high moral values who, instead of focussing on teaching, is always talking about virtues based on her own experiences?