Teachers' Day Singapore Style

Teaching is a thankless job, at least in America.

The pay certainly isn’t lucrative compared to other professions. Politicians relish throwing stones at the educational system, bemoaning the supposed, ever-declining standards, although the best students from around the globe fight to get into American universities. Parents, rather than entertaining the possibility that their children might lack motivation or be to blame for their own academic shortcomings, blame teachers. Even kids, at times, seem to not hold education in very high regard.

And then I began teaching in Singapore, a place that revers education and the possibilities it brings. Education is one of the driving forces that transformed the tiny island nation after World War II from an economically-depressed, non-developed country into an economic powerhouse envied around the world.

In the two months since my arrival, I’ve already noticed a dramatic difference in the students. Sure, a few lack motivation, but the vast majority do whatever it takes to learn. A day doesn’t pass by without students, as they leave the classroom, thanking teachers for the lesson. Imagine.

Teachers don’t get into education for praise. Like most teachers, I enjoy seeing kids, who often begin a class initially with a lack of confidence and a lack of skills, over time, master the material. There’s no more satisfying feeling than watching light bulbs going off and watching kids end the year a lot more confident academically than when they began.

Still, a little appreciation never hurts.

Today, I experienced my first Teachers' Day, an event celebrated across Singapore. Throughout the morning and afternoon, students dropped off gifts to their instructors ranging from cards to candy to cookies to cake to...you name it. I've never seen so much gratitude.

After school, parents participated in an annual tradition of providing a lavish, catered lunch for the teachers. It's the parents' idea, their event, and they take care of everything.

Each teacher walked away with a gift from numbers drawn randomly. These weren't cheap door prizes. Two teachers won vacations, another three i-Pads, a couple of instructors rode away with bicycles, and several others food gifts. Wow.

It's amazing how much a pat on the back can do for morale. Well done Singapore. Well done parents at my school.