海角大神

Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5-11, prompts the beginning of end of the school year appreciation gifts and celebrations for teachers in the US. Many are flooded with cards, flowers, and other goodies. There鈥檚 no doubt that being a teacher is one of the most challenging, yet often under-appreciated jobs in the US.听

I鈥檝e had some pretty remarkable teachers throughout my life, as I鈥檓 sure many students have. But one thing I regret not doing as a student was to听show more appreciation to those teachers. Sure, I have given my favorite teachers small gifts throughout the years, but I wish I had thanked them, from the bottom of my heart, for all their hard work and care, especially since I myself am now a teacher, and realize the time and effort spent inside 鈥� and outside 鈥� the classroom.

My friends from different countries have shared with me how teachers are appreciated 鈥� daily 鈥� in their cultures.

In Singapore, whenever a student sees a teacher in school, the student will greet and bow to their teacher.听

鈥淎sian culture is quite strong and we respect elders,鈥� writes Hani AlleSandria, a听laboratory听technician at a school in Singapore in an I.M. conversation.听

Ummi Kaltsum, an accounts assistant from Singapore, also writes in an IM conversation that showing respect to teachers is a must. 鈥淲e Asians are quite conservative and our culture is more to respect the elderly.鈥�

In the Philippines, students use formal honorifics when speaking to their teachers, by addressing them as "sir" or "ma鈥檃m," according Dee Harper, a Filipino-American, English as a Second Language instructor at the University of South Carolina.听

Ms. Harper says that students take turns to erase the board for the teacher. On Teacher鈥檚 Day in The Philippines, celebrations last all day long. 鈥淢any times, students show respect and appreciation by giving the teacher a gift like food or flowers or even some kind of card,鈥� writes Harper in听another I.M. conversation. 鈥淭he students perform and put on various shows for Teacher鈥檚 Day. They like to sing and dance there.鈥�

In Turkey, when the teacher walks into the classroom, the students stand up, to show respect. The students only sit down when the teacher tells them to, writes Sumeyye Coban, an architect from Turkey, in an email exchange.

鈥淎nd during the lesson, if [the] teacher talks to a student or asks a question, he/she stands up to answer. [The student] can never talk while sitting [at] his desk,鈥� writes Ms. Coban.听Students never call their teachers by name, but instead use the Turkish word "枚臒retmenim" which translates to 鈥渕y teacher.鈥澨�

In Egypt, students give their teachers gifts on Mother鈥檚 Day (in March) if she鈥檚 a female, to signify their recognition and respect to the teacher as a motherly figure.听

In Japan, at the beginning of each lesson, students stand up and tell their teacher 鈥減lease teach us.鈥澨� At the end of each lesson, the students stand up and thank the teacher for teaching them, says Kasumi Yamazaki, an instructor and PhD student at the University of Toledo. 听听

Students also bow to their teachers as a sign of respect. Students in Japan are not only taught to respect teachers on a daily basis, but to appreciate the school by keeping it clean. 鈥淓veryone is responsible for cleaning and we even clean the toilets and bathrooms. Not a single outside business cleans it,鈥� she adds.听

Sure, teachers are grateful for flowers and chocolate, but a teacher will most likely remember a student for their respect and kindness towards them, their peers, and to the school. A student will also leave a lasting impression when they show gratitude towards education and an eagerness to learn. And yes, Starbucks gift cards are nice, too, because let鈥檚 face it, teachers deserve a little treat every once in a while.