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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Teachers should not expect lavish gifts on Teachers' Day
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->FIRST, a happy Teachers' Day to all our dedicated teachers.
I remember, in years gone by, we used to show our appreciation to our teachers on Teachers' Day by making personal cards and giving school concerts with some small 'makan' paid for by the school. This hardly cost our parents any money but it instilled in us the right attitude to be grateful to our teachers and others.
However, now my children are pressured by their peers to present gifts to their teachers and some of these don't come cheap. A card won't meet the same standard as a gift. In a single-income family, I struggle to earn a decent living and provide for my family and each year, I have to spend money on such non-essential gifts. My children told me the 'benchmark' for gifts had been raised even higher the past few years, with some of their classmates giving tins of abalone and packets of bird's nest, and ordinary items won't do.
I am perturbed by the now standard practice of showering teachers with gifts and especially more and more expensive ones. While I fully support the view that students should be moulded to respect and show gratitude to their teachers, I wonder if schools have gone too far in expecting parents to shower their teachers with expensive gifts.
I worry that my children will lose face or, worse, be criticised or taunted by their classmates or even their teachers. I cannot afford to have them suffer such emotional stress, pain and scars.
Surely there are other ways to teach the young to express gratitude to their teachers, as in days gone by.
Lee Kwok Weng <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start -->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->FIRST, a happy Teachers' Day to all our dedicated teachers.
I remember, in years gone by, we used to show our appreciation to our teachers on Teachers' Day by making personal cards and giving school concerts with some small 'makan' paid for by the school. This hardly cost our parents any money but it instilled in us the right attitude to be grateful to our teachers and others.
However, now my children are pressured by their peers to present gifts to their teachers and some of these don't come cheap. A card won't meet the same standard as a gift. In a single-income family, I struggle to earn a decent living and provide for my family and each year, I have to spend money on such non-essential gifts. My children told me the 'benchmark' for gifts had been raised even higher the past few years, with some of their classmates giving tins of abalone and packets of bird's nest, and ordinary items won't do.
I am perturbed by the now standard practice of showering teachers with gifts and especially more and more expensive ones. While I fully support the view that students should be moulded to respect and show gratitude to their teachers, I wonder if schools have gone too far in expecting parents to shower their teachers with expensive gifts.
I worry that my children will lose face or, worse, be criticised or taunted by their classmates or even their teachers. I cannot afford to have them suffer such emotional stress, pain and scars.
Surely there are other ways to teach the young to express gratitude to their teachers, as in days gone by.
Lee Kwok Weng <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start -->
