The 20th of November is Teacher's Day in Vietnam. It is celebrated nation wide, and although some of my colleagues had hinted that it was a big deal, I didn't quite understand the scope of it, until I had the chance to live it.
A few weeks earlier signs started popping up around the city. They could be seen outside language schools, restaurants and even corner stores.
On Tuesday after school our Board of Directors (BOD) hosted a ceremony and dinner for all the teachers at our school. There were speeches and thank yous, and CIS principal Sheryl Freeman took the time to explain to us how respected and valued teachers are in Vietnamese society.
The Vietnamese believe that one of the traditional values of the Vietnamese people is the promotion of learning and the respect for teachers. In the Feudal and Colonial periods, teachers were seen to have more importance than parents; their position was “only lower than the king” (Worldbank, part 1.paragraph 1, 2010).
When I heard this for the first time, I really felt a new level of responsibility. I had a renewed realization of the potential value and impact that a teacher can have on a student's life. It's something that we all know, but at that moment in time, I could feel it.
We all received a gift of 500,000 vnd from the BOD and enjoyed a social dinner.
Stepan, and some of his crew.
Viktor and Sammy...enjoying the dinner. :-) It wasn't really a kids event, but hey, it was right after school, and where are we supposed to put them? ;-)
It really did feel like everyone was celebrating Teachers' Day. We even received a basket of flowers from or real estate agent, Thao.
Flowers from Thao (our real estate agent).
Students of all grades prepared songs, dances, musical theater, a speech and a great video. Teachers did no teaching on this day. One of the students was appointed teacher for the day, and actually led the classes for the day. All students were dismissed at noon, right after lunch. The philosophy of the day was to give all the teachers a break and show them appreciation.
Some of the gifts we received. Stepan and I are not classroom teachers with our own classes, but we were still thanked for our contribution to the students school lives. One of my students brought me pearl earrings (from his parents' company - Hoang Gia Pearl). I'm serious. ..I was NOT expecting that one! Some teachers had so many gifts they could not even carry them all. Flowers, cakes, money, dresses, Channel lipstick...and the list goes on. It was actually quite overwhelming. One of the Vietnamese TA's told me that this is nothing...She said that teachers at public schools are treated to a weekend away or trip (overseas). Can you image going away as a whole staff! ?
It was quite the day. ..Teachers' Day, a first for me on many levels. Everyone loves to feel appreciated; it was fun being the guest of honor for the day.
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