Happy Teachers Day!
Updated:2011-09-09 11:05
(chinadaily.com.cn)
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Editor's Note, China has a long tradition of respecting teachers. There is an old Chinese saying, “Once my teacher, forever my father,” which illustrates tremendous respect for mentors. In 1985, the 6th National People’s Congress decided to mark September 10 as Teachers Day. The festival was initiated as a reminder that teachers should be held in reverence for instilling knowledge and morals in students. It also serves as a reminder to teachers, popularly known in China as engineers of the human soul, that they need to reflect on their self-improvement in terms of knowledge and personal integrity. The government then issued a sequence of laws to protect teachers’ rights, improve their working and living conditions. Teachers' income was raised, and primary and secondary school teachers were included in the selection of special government allowances. Teachers Day was set in September because it's expected to create a nice environment for teachers and students at the beginning of a new semester. This year's Teachers Day (Sept 10) happens to be during the Mid-Autumn holiday (Sept 10-12). How will teachers celebrate their holiday and how will students express their thank-you’s? A hot debate on "To gift or not" and "what gift should be presented to teachers" has started online several days before Teachers Day. What's your stance? |
News |
Hu salutes teachers ahead of Teachers' Day President Hu Jintao sent festive greetings to teachers ahead of national Teachers' Day, which falls on September 10, during his visit to Beijing No. 80 High School on Friday. |
Wen vows to increase investment in rural education |
Premier Wen Jiabao has promised to increase rural education investment and improve the welfare of rural students as the country looks to tackle the uneven distribution of educational resources between rural and urban areas. |
When Teachers Day meets Mid-Autumn Festival |
This year's Teachers Day (Sept 10)?falls on a weekend, and it happens to be during the Mid-Autumn holiday, some parents are planning to send teachers gifts in the name of the traditional festival; some even started posting requests for Groupon online, mainly for gift cards from supermarkets and shopping malls. |
Wang Yong nominated as "China's most beautiful teacher" |
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The following are excerpts from netizens in?an online discussion. | ||
Confused parents | Troubled teachers | Concerned netizens |
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"I was always very nervous—not about how to accept the gifts, but about how to return them. Sometimes they are so insistent that I have to accept. When this happens, I will go buy some clothes or toys for the children in return. What I would like to tell parents is: for the children’s good, please communicate more with the teachers rather than send them gifts." --- A teacher named "OK Mom" who has been in early childhood education for six years |
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'No Gifts on Teachers Day, Please!' | |
A?recent article on xici.net titled "On Gifts on Teachers Day from the Perspective of a Teacher" has drawn great attention. The author, Ms. Chen, a primary school teacher in Dachang District of Nanjing, appealed to parents to stop sending gifts on Teachers Day. [More] | " Who receives a gift sells his liberty", "We resent some parents' behavior of giving gifts, because we know for sure that they do this for utilitarian purposes." "I can only tell you that few teachers would change their attitude to the students as a result of gifts from the parents, and no child would make great progress just because his/her parents give the teachers gifts." ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? --Ms. Chen |
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When it comes to true love, it starts with our teachers. We couldn't spell the word love or know what it means without teachers who show us how to read and use words. Often, the best gifts come straight from students' hearts, such as?a hug, a smile, a thank-you, a card. Teacher Ms. Chen said "My favorite gifts are the cards in my drawer, made by the children themselves. I also ask my son to make cards for his teachers, because I know what the teachers really value." |
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Handmade cards | Bouquet of gratitude for 99-year-old teacher | |
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Big smiley face for teachers | Paper cranes for Teachers Day | |
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A teacher and his boat During 25 years of teaching, Shi Lansong has been taking his students to and from school on his wooden boat across a 2-kilometer-wide lake in a village in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. He has gone through eight boats. Shi said he will continue doing this for the next 15 years, until he retires. |
A rural teacher who shoulders more Shao, 43, lost his right arm 25 years ago as a migrant worker and returned home 13 years ago, getting a job a rural teach er. | |
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The guard of a rural teacher Zhang, 49, teaches several classes everyday, including Chinese, mathematics and morals. The school now has only four students left and Zhang, who came to the school 28 years ago, is the only teacher. |
A teacher's commitment to an island school Located on an island in Taiping Lake reservoir, Machuan Primary School has five students. This September, four of those students transferred to another school, leaving just one student remaining. The only teacher at the school, Zhang Quanzhi has been teaching at the school for 16 years. | |
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