Parenting Guide

If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher

Published by SchoolAdvisor | May 15, 2017

Today's the day to thank the superheroes who assigned you endless homework, made you memorize the periodic table, and (hopefully) inspired learning.

 It may come as a surprise that Teachers Day — the day set aside to commemorate and honour the special work of teachers — is celebrated throughout the world on different days. In our region, for instance, it falls on Jan 16 in Thailand; in Malaysia on May 16; in Brunei on Sept 23, in the Philippines on Oct 5; and in Singapore on the first Friday of September.

There is, of course, a World Teachers Day, which is celebrated on Oct 5. And some countries like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Germany, Maldives, Myanmar, Qatar and the United Kingdom celebrate it on Oct 5.

So, why is May 16 designated as Teachers Day in Malaysia?

Quite simply, because this is the date the Razak Report was formally endorsed by the Federal Legislative Assembly of the Federation of Malaya in 1956, a year before independence.

The Report, named after Datuk Abdul Razak Hussein (later Tun), the country’s first Education Minister (and later the second Prime Minister), was pivotal in providing a framework for the education system in post-independent Malaya and later Malaysia.

Teaching is far from an easy profession. So let us show some overdue appreciation for those who didn't just give you a warning for coming in late to class but also offered enlightenment about the world and how it works.

 

Six reasons we're grateful to teachers

1. We are grateful for your bravery

In today’s political climate, I have become convinced that good teaching is a singular act of bravery. To educate students instead of just preparing them for an exam, to continue to make children feel safe even if your job is not, to do what is right instead of what is expedient requires a special brand of courage. Thank you for teaching courageously.

2. We are grateful for your commitment

Teaching isn’t easy. Many of you knew that before you took the job and you stayed any way. You love your students and are committed to their success and you won’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Thank you for loving our children and our profession enough to stick with it even when things get rough.

3. We are grateful for your humility

You quietly work miracles in the classroom every day, asking for no recognition, and rarely receiving praise. It is often a thankless job but you do it anyway. Thank you for quietly working miracles in the lives of children.

4. We are grateful for your tenacity

When students don’t get it the first time, you try again. And again. And again, until they do get it. You don’t give up; you figure it out. Thank you for persisting with every child until he or she is successful.

5. We are grateful for your power

Only a teacher can transform the illiterate into expert readers, the ignorant into life-long learners, failures into scholars. You don’t just see children’s potential — you ignite it! Thank you for using your power to empower others.

6. We are grateful for your generosity

You love children and you selflessly give them your very best each day. You want to see them learn and you work hard on their behalf to ensure that they do. Thank you for sharing the gift of learning with your students, your colleagues, and your communities.

The movie, Taare Zameen Par explores the life and imagination of Ishaan, an 8-year-old dyslexic child. Although he excels in art, his poor academic performance leads his parents to send him to a boarding school. Ishaan's new art teacher suspects that he is dyslexic and helps him to overcome his disability.

  

HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY FROM ALL OF US AT SCHOOLADVISOR.MY!