In recent years, every November 20, many schools across the country have issued notices requesting parents not to give flowers or gifts to teachers.
This year's Teachers' Day, a primary school in Quang Tri, Bac Ly Primary School No. 2 (Dong Thuan Ward), took the lead when issuing a notice requesting teachers and parents not to pay money, not to allocate parent association funds to visit and give gifts to teachers on the occasion of November 20 and holidays and Tet in the year.
This policy is of course welcome because it is a small reminder about the need to return the "clearance" of teachers' gratitude day as well as help the pedagogical environment become more transparent, equal and humane.
Because as Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao - Principal of the school - shared with Lao Dong reporter, many parents are still facing difficulties due to unstable economy, some families have 2-3 children studying. Therefore, the school has decided not to collect fees for visits or gifts during holidays to reduce the burden on parents.
However, there are also many opinions that Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20, is an occasion to show gratitude and remind us of the tradition of "respecting teachers and valuing worship" - a cultural beauty of the Vietnamese people.
Therefore, parents giving flowers and gifts to their teachers on November 20 is a personal need, so schools should not have documents prohibiting or refusing to accept flowers and gifts, leading to discomfort for parents and students.
It is known that recently, in some localities, the spirit and good meaning of Vietnamese Teachers' Day has been somewhat overshadowed by formal manifestations such as organizing gift giving, fund contributions, and organizing a huge event in the name of gratitude to teachers.
This unintentionally makes joy and the tradition of respecting teachers and teachers a concern, especially for low-income families and those in difficult circumstances. But that is still not a representative majority.
Parents and students giving flowers and gifts to their teachers on November 20 is a good tradition. And everyone, from parents, students to teachers, school leaders at all levels, should let everything happen naturally, without "suggestions", no forced, no calling for, no mobilizing contributions, no issuing documents to refuse or ban.
When the affection comes from true gratitude, it will find a simple but profound way to express it. A handwritten letter, a sincere wish or a small bouquet of flowers are enough to create a precious, sincere and touching gratitude.
Because in the end, the most precious thing about November 20 is not the value of the gift, but the meaning of gratitude through the sincere thanks of the student, and the teacher feels the trust and respect from his own students.
When the teacher-student relationship is nurtured by sincerity, understanding and humanity, even without gifts or flowers, Vietnamese Teachers' Day is always a beautiful and memorable day.
