Recently, I had an e-mail from my son, who is teaching, under contract, in Hanoi, Vietnam (he’s been there about a year). In it, he wrote:

“They had Teachers’ Day in Vietnam on Tuesday – actually starts on Monday. Students bring flowers and presents for teachers they like, and people go and visit their former teachers and bring them presents. Being a teacher at present, I think this is a fantastic idea! A Vietnamese friend of mine got something like 20 bouquets and lots of presents. It’s quite a pleasant surprise being in a country that esteems teachers so highly.”

Maybe we could benefit from some examples of former (and even present) adversaries.

Teaching is his second career; Vietnam is only his second posting.

In an earlier letter, he wrote, “I’m gradually learning the tricks of the teaching trade. It has tricks, like any other. You have to keep the students entertained, so they’re learning a lot more than they think, while they are having fun.”

I’m sure all of us have had some teachers with whom learning was fun.

Dorothy Prince, Auburn