'The third day of Tet for teachers' is vague in the minds of many young Vietnamese people, is that okay?

Teachers and students of Nguyen Du Secondary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) wrap banh chung together during a festival held before Lunar New Year.

The saying "The first day of the new year is for fathers, the second day of the new year is for mothers, the third day of the new year is for teachers" has many meanings, but all refer to spending the first days of the new year to express gratitude to parents and "teachers" who have raised and taught us to become good people and achieve success. Unlike previous generations, many students today do not visit and wish their teachers a happy new year on the third day, but that does not mean that the morality of respecting teachers is eroded.

Generation of technology

Many years have passed since her high school graduation, but Minh Phuong, a graduate student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, still clearly remembers the image of the literature teacher at Le Khiet High School for the Gifted (Quang Ngai) who guided her on her journey of learning. "We were her first literature class, so she loved us very much, from the bottom of her heart," Phuong recalls.

According to Phuong, the tradition of "the third day of Tet for teachers" is sacred and meaningful, but it cannot avoid the vicissitudes of the times. In the past, the third day of Tet was the only occasion for students far from home to visit and reminisce about past memories with their teachers as well as tell each other stories that happened in the old year. Now, thanks to technology, both sides can continuously update each other's lives without being limited by distance.

"Like the 3rd day of the New Year, although I couldn't visit my old teacher to wish her a happy new year, our teacher-student relationship didn't fade. Because we always kept in touch with each other via Facebook and followed and commented on each other's new activities during the past time. I also sent my New Year wishes to her via social networks during the New Year and many friends did the same," the 23-year-old girl shared.

Currently living thousands of kilometers away from Vietnam, "the third day of Tet" coincides with the school day, but Hanh Doan, a graduate student at Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), still arranged time to send New Year greetings to the teachers at the university in Vietnam where she studied for her undergraduate degree. "On the occasion of Tet, I wish you a new year of good health, good luck, good fortune and success in all things...", Doan wrote in a text message.

Thanks to technology, especially social networks, today's students can send New Year greetings to their teachers no matter where they are in the world (illustrative photo)

"Our generation has an 'explosion' of the study abroad trend and because of that, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese students have to spend Tet holidays far from home and family. However, being born and raised in the technology era also creates conditions for us to have our own unique ways to celebrate Tet in general, and 'Teachers' Tet' in particular. What is important is the feelings that students have for their teachers," Doan confided.

Le Phuong Uyen, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, gave another reason why "Tet for Teachers" today is no longer the same as before. That is because more and more young teachers also spend Tet visiting and going on spring trips instead of staying home waiting for students to visit. "Many teachers have their own plans for Tet, so we make an appointment to meet after Tet so as not to bother the teachers," the female student said.

"In reality, many young people today no longer know the tradition of 'The first day of Tet is for fathers, the second day is for mothers, the third day is for teachers'. My friends and I are no exception. We only see Tet as an occasion to date and meet each other after a year has passed. And if we see teachers posting pictures of their Tet celebrations on social media, we also take the opportunity to send them New Year messages and ask them how they are doing," Uyen added.

Don't wait until "teacher's day"

N.Khanh, a student at Hoa Sen University (HCMC), said that her family only taught her to celebrate Tet according to the tradition of "The first day of Tet is for the father, the second day is for the mother, the third day is for the grandparents", so the concept of "teacher's Tet" is quite strange to the female student and for many years she has never spent time visiting her old teachers on this occasion. "Many of my friends have the same thought", Khanh said.

However, Khanh said that it is impossible to judge today's young people as undermining the teacher-student relationship just because they do not know about "teacher's day". That is because they do not have to wait until this day, but before that, Gen Z students have been organizing many different activities, from online to in-person, to connect with the "ferryman". "Most recently, on November 20, my class returned to our old school to visit our dear teachers," Khanh said.

A senior student of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) waits for the teacher to write in the yearbook during the coming of age ceremony in May 2023.

Agreeing, Dang Xuan Bao, a student at a high school in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, said that he and his classmates often organize "bonding" (fun activities, parties that help connect members in a group - PV) or participate in competitions at school to preserve memories of their student days, and the homeroom teacher is always an indispensable factor. "The teacher is very 'willing to play', even spending his own money to support us," Bao said.

According to Bao, it is the dynamism and seeing each other as friends who can share and confide their feelings that shortens the distance between teachers and students, especially with young teachers of the 9X generation like the male student's homeroom teacher. There is no formality in how they treat each other, so going to the teacher's house to wish them a happy new year also makes the male student "feel awkward and unnatural", Bao expressed.

"I think we don't need to wait until 'teacher's day', any of us can express our gratitude to our teachers through social networks during the holidays, sometimes right at the moment of New Year's Eve. Or, we can wait until the day we go back to school to wish our teachers a happy new year, and also take this opportunity to receive lucky money from our teachers," Bao said with a smile.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/mung-3-tet-thay-nhat-nhoa-trong-tam-tri-nhieu-nguoi-tre-viet-co-sao-khong-185240213172646224.htm