Teaching's Reward

One thing I've learned as a teacher: it can often be a thankless job. You could put your heart and soul into your work, and your students would hardly notice anything. Sometimes, a student says thank you. Those times are few and far in between, and you learn to treasure those moments, but they can't be relied on for encouragement. Instead, a teacher has to learn at some point in his or her career that teaching is its own reward. You have to love what you do and care only about the people you help, because a teacher's success is measured only by the success of others.

90% of good teaching happens when nobody is watching.

That's one thing that Vietnam seems to get right. Every year, on November 20th, the country celebrates National Teacher Day. Instead of studying, the students spend the day appreciating their teachers by giving them flowers, cards, and other gifts. It is a yearly reminder of how important teachers are to Vietnam and its people. I've had the great privilege to be a part of that twice now.

And now on to a few pictures!

I was lucky to receive a few gifts from my students, both current and former. The handwritten letters were given to me by my old 9th grade students from last year. They were and still are some of my favorite students. Their words of appreciation are some of my most treasured belongings.

This doesn't look like much, but only because it needs an explanation. In my 6th grade classes, I use pictures of castles as part of my classroom management system. When I fold my arms in front of me, its my signal to the students to stop talking, sit up straight, and look at the teacher. It's worked better than anything I've used in the past, and my kids still seem to enjoy following it. This picture is an illustration of that. When I walked into one of my classes the other day, I discovered that one of my students had already prepared the bases of the castles for me to use.

This was the farewell party for one of my other favorite classes. I spent about 8 months teaching them. It's sad to say that I won't be seeing many of them anymore. Every one of them was a character. Each taught me things about Vietnam, about teaching, and about myself. They will always be important to me.

And now for a bonus picture!

This is Mexican food in Ho Chi Minh City. Notice the substitution of Doritos for tortilla chips...