The role of a teacher is very essential in our life. A major part of our life is spent in their presence and we often end up emulating them. They have an effect on our lives that goes beyond the academic knowledge and lessons they impart. The speaker in the given passage also states that he learnt qualities like independence along with his lessons from his teachers. These extra qualities that we learn from our teachers make up our personality. Therefore, I do agree that teachers do mould our characters and are to a certain extent responsible for it.