In third grade, my friends and I visited Ms. Nhung on November 20th (Vietnamese Teachers' Day). Hoa's mother had prepared a large bouquet for us to give to her. The bouquet was made from flowers in Hoa's garden, including peonies, white roses, red roses, white chrysanthemums, and forget-me-nots. Hoa proudly showed off the most beautiful flowers she had ever grown and picked herself. The flowers, freshly cut from the branches, still damp with dew, their fragrance wafted with every step we took.
Along the way, the whole group excitedly showed off their gifts for the teacher. My mother prepared a dozen freshly hatched chicken eggs for me. Hanh's mother gave me a piece of white fabric to make a dress. Phi's mother gave her a freshly plucked chicken to carry. "My mother didn't prepare anything for me because she's in the hospital. But last night I drew a portrait for the teacher," Thuy said shyly...
Ms. Nhung smiled broadly as she received gifts from each of us. She immediately framed the portrait that Thuy had drawn and placed it prominently on the cabinet shelf. The shyness on Thuy's face vanished instantly. She kept us all around to fry pancakes together. After devouring the crispy, greasy pancakes and drinking plenty of water, we happily headed home.
It's been over 20 years since then, not too long. I can't help but feel regret that things have changed so quickly. It's not uncommon for parents to slip a crisp, untouched banknote into the teacher's hand right in front of their child. Some parents even entrust their children with the responsibility of delivering cash and flowers because they have to rush to work on time.
My friend said that sometimes you have to nod in agreement with convenience, when everything is so hectic outside. I, however, think that convenience and the way children, and even ourselves, treat money uncivilly are not the same thing. Children may grow up with such lessons ingrained in their minds from their parents.
Every year, I still like to take my daughter to the flower shop and ask her what flowers she wants to give to her teacher. I explain to her that I'll give her a gift, but to make sure she likes it, I need to know her favorite color... My daughter agreed to be a "spy" to find out what color she liked, and then went with me to choose a handbag in her favorite color. This way of giving gifts isn't really anything new or unique, but both mother, daughter, and teacher are happy to see that we all feel cared for and that we share in the act.
There was a time when parents didn't give money to teachers, yet both teachers and students were very excited on Teachers' Day… Please don't blame the teachers!
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/tang-qua-cho-co-giao-20251120182314467.htm
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