Teachers' Day ....

Teachers' Day is round the corner and it has been ages since I celebrated Teachers' Day. I remembered when we were in school, Teachers' Day was a holiday and on the eve, it would be a half day curriculum only. How fun. Students gathered in the assembly hall watching performances of fellow schoolmates performing the most ridiculous dances and songs. Some were good while some were really poorly choreographed.

I remembered there were some years which I too had my fair share of performances. My performances were always the best. ; ) I either played the piano, sang a song or read poetry. Okay, I know which bores you, poetry reading right? Nevertheless, whenever I finished my performances, I felt relieved having to finally shrug off that burden that followed me through rehearsals after rehearsals.

On Teachers' Day, Mom would always pack some presents for my teachers. I never understood the rationale behind this but it was likely a gesture equivalent to bribery, all for the purpose of having better results reflected in my year end report card - especially the part where teachers will give remarks like, 'Mark is a friendly and helpful boy who has great potential in excelling in the future.' Stop chuckling. Its true, teachers always praise me somehow or another. I was often a teacher's pet and I always stayed out of trouble or at least, I made it look that way.

Teachers play an important role in our lives, directing us the right way, grooming us to be fine men in society. Educating us and imparting as much knowledge as possible so that we will be able to contribute to our society in a positive way. What they do is much respected and noble. Many teachers I know forgo the opportunity of success in the corporate world, staying firm in their beliefs that their roles as educators play a more significant and important role in developing the future generations than the attractiveness of dollars and cents offered by Multi-National Companies and Government Linked Companies.

Wait a minute, don't get me wrong, teachers in Singapore are not lowly paid but that of the opposite. They are one of the highest paid civil servants with huge bonuses and one of the only profession that has a holiday marked for them, 'Teachers' Day'. Ever heard of a public holiday called ' Doctor's Day' or ' CEO's Day'? Now you know the importance of a teacher don't you?