Parents regret being returned gifts with envelopes by teacher in the middle of school yard

(Dan Tri) - Ms. Pham Hong Hanh (Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi) told a story that made her regret forever with her child's homeroom teacher 2 years ago.

With two children studying in public schools, Ms. Pham Hong Hanh has kept the habit of giving gifts to her children's teachers on holidays and Tet for many years.

Ms. Hanh admitted that, in addition to her love and respect for teachers, she could not help but want teachers to care about her children.

"Giving gifts to teachers is both a way of showing gratitude and a "custom". I give gifts on all the holidays and Tet every year. At the end of the school year, I also give gifts to my child's teacher to thank her for all her hard work for the students, even though we may not see each other again," said Ms. Hanh.

Ms. Hanh usually prepares a small gift, a handwritten postcard with her child's wishes and an envelope. All are wrapped in a box, wrapped in beautiful, elegant wrapping paper.

2 years ago, Ms. Hanh's child entered 2nd grade and received a new homeroom teacher. On Vietnamese Women's Day, October 20, Ms. Hanh bought her child's teacher a set of towels. As usual, she put an envelope and a card in the gift box.

Taking her child to school, she met the teacher in the school yard. After congratulating her, she gave her a gift, but she did not accept it.

"She said she would accept the congratulations, and would like to send the gift back to your father to give to grandma and mom. After pushing and shoving, telling her all sorts of things, I still couldn't get her to accept the gift. All day long, I was only thinking about how to give her the gift," Ms. Hanh recalled.

In the afternoon, when picking up her child from school, Ms. Hanh was told by her child that all the postcards her friends brought were returned by the teacher. She only accepted one hand-drawn card from one friend. She told the friends to bring the gifts home to give to their mother.

Faced with the "strange" incident, Ms. Hanh called the head of the class's parents' committee to ask about it and found out that the teacher had never received gifts or envelopes from parents or students for many years. She only accepted cards made by students and small flowers and flower pots with little economic value.

"At that moment, I felt ashamed. Until now, I still regret trying to push the gift into her hand in the schoolyard. It seemed like I had offended her," said Ms. Hanh.

On Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20, because she understood her teacher, Ms. Hanh and her child went to buy a small pot of succulents to put on the table. The next day, when she brought the gift to the class to congratulate her teacher, she saw that on the teacher's desk there were many flower pots and small potted plants. She used those pots to decorate the classroom.

The gift that Ms. Hanh gave her child's second grade teacher on November 20 (Photo: Provided by the character).

"Once, the class parents committee "forced" her to accept a gift. It was actually an envelope containing gratitude from the parents to this strange teacher. She reluctantly accepted it.

But as soon as she received it, she donated it to the class's scholarship fund to buy monthly gifts for students who made progress in their studies," Ms. Hanh shared.

According to Ms. Hanh, her way of encouraging learning is very interesting. For every student who deserves praise, she will give them a piece of paper with a sum of money written on it. At the end of the month, the students bring the "money" they have to her desk to exchange for gifts.

All the money to buy gifts for students is from her own pocket, not from parents' contributions.

Ms. Hanh confided: "At first, many parents were hesitant because she did not accept gifts. I myself also wondered if she was really giving her all to the children.

But what she did next made me ashamed. She not only taught well but also paid attention to each student. If anyone had any problems, she knew and texted the parents to discuss them. If any parent had difficulty in teaching their child at home and confided in her, she would help them solve the problem and find a way to "treat" the child.

Another special thing that makes Ms. Hanh appreciate her child's teacher more is that she doesn't teach extra classes.

Ms. Hanh and the parents' association repeatedly asked her to open a class to tutor the students. She refused, saying that the children studied at school all day, and in the afternoons and evenings they attended extra English classes, which was already a lot of study time, and they should not learn math or Vietnamese anymore.

When the school year ended, the parents of Ms. Hanh's children asked her to follow their children to grade 3. Once again, she refused because she had to follow the school's arrangements.

Two years have passed, Ms. Hanh's child has transferred to a new school because the family has moved. Ms. Hanh still regularly sends her child's old teacher greetings on every holiday.

"There are teachers who really change the way parents view the teaching profession and teachers, like my child's teacher," Ms. Hanh shared.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/phu-huynh-an-han-vi-bi-co-giao-tra-qua-kem-phong-bi-giua-san-truong-20241113130347783.htm