Culture
Happy Vietnamese Teachers’ Day!
For many years, I have had a somewhat tainted opinion of our“ teachers” here, after spending some time with a local teacher( Ben) in Vung Tau that changed, discussing his position in more depth I developed a new healthy respect for the man, his profession and his colleges. The hours of work and effort behind the scenes that he detailed was almost unbelievable, as I have only seen and experienced in the past, the guys( using the term for both genders) in party mode, which appeared to be their only mode. How wrong I was! Ben didn’ t realise I was interviewing him at the time hence he was much more at ease and spoke honestly and frankly about his last 2 + years teaching here. When asked about the“ backpacker stereo type image” a lot of people here have about English Teachers, his response was“ Bad teachers? Sure, there are some, but that number is amazingly small given the size of the Vietnamese teaching profession, and the sheer number of students to be taught each year. What people see in general is us relaxing, not teaching in the classroom, and yes we do let our hair down sometimes, we have big classes, outdated books, argumentative parents and poor salaries.” Then went on to explain the enjoyment he and his colleges experience when they see that the kids they are teaching, comprehend and the light goes on. I remember someone, probably Dad, saying“ When you complain about the relevance of your teacher’ s lesson, if that teacher made you wonder and think about the world, if that teacher showed you a better way to live or took you on a journey into the art, science or history of this planet we share – then you have passed the lesson. Why? Because that’ s what you will pass on to your children. Next time listen more closely.” Teachers Day in Vietnam is a huge deal, it is without a doubt one of the most significant days of the year for some 20 million students in this country. Sure, the flower sellers run a roaring trade( but doesn’ t Hallmark do the same thing for every event) it’ s a traditional thing to do, a small gift and flowers, it’ s still quite popular with students and a sign of a teacher’ s approval rating with their students, to some students it is an important gesture towards teachers who hold power over their marks and future, to others it is a warm signal of appreciation for the teacher’ s help during the past year. Parents, think it’ s tough managing one or two kids at home – try 40 in a class!
Celebrate this year’ s Teachers’ Day with a deeper understanding that the man or woman who stands at the front of the class every day is pretty amazing! And don’ t forget the flowers!
48 The MAG Vung Tau