15 reasons to say thank you on Teachers’ Day in Hong Kong

Teachers do so much to help our children. Can you ever say thank you enough? Here are 15 reasons I'm grateful for my daughter's teachers.

My daughter bounced in the door from school today and announced, “Today was the best day at school! Better than any other day at school!”

And my heart almost exploded from love and gratitude.

She’s just started at our neighborhood primary school, where Cantonese is the language of instruction. My husband and I are both Americans so we, sadly, do not speak any Cantonese at home. So I knew that this year’s start at primary school would be a huge transition for her, in more ways than one.

I have been worried about how she would adjust, but it’s been smooth sailing so far and the entire experience has made me profoundly grateful for her current teachers at primary school, and for her previous kindergarten teachers.

Which only seems appropriate, since 10 September is Teachers’ Day in Hong Kong. What better time to say thank you? So here are 15 things for which I want to say thank you in honour of Teachers’ Day in Hong Kong.

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What Mcdull means to me, as a Hongkonger

10 September is Teachers’ Day in Hong Kong

1. Thank you for taking care of my daughter.
2. Thank you for teaching her the language of her birthplace in Hong Kong.
3. Thank you for teaching her to love music and singing songs.
4. Thank you for encouraging her to make friends and to try new things.
5. Thank you for teaching her to love art and for showing her how to use scissors, glue, and paint.
6. Thank you for teaching her how to skip, jump, and dance.
7. Thank you for teaching her how to count – in three languages! – and how to do sums.
8. Thank you for teaching her how to be patient and to wait for her turn in line.
9. Thank you for teaching her how to share and how to be considerate of those around her.
10. Thank you for noticing when she has struggled, and for the extra time and encouragement you provided.
11. Thank you for your patience when she has not always done what she should.
12. Thank you for all the extra time on weekends and evenings answering our questions via WhatsApp about the Cantonese homework.
13. Thank you for challenging her to try things that we didn’t think she was capable of, and for all the support along the way.
14. Thank you for teaching her about Cantonese holidays and culture—lion dances, lanterns, and lai see!—that are not familiar to me and my husband, but will be an important part of her life growing up in Hong Kong.
15. Thank you for teaching her to like siu mai via snack time so that now we can go out for dim sum together as a family!

I know that as my daughter’s education continues there will be even more for which to be thankful. So I’m looking forward to adding to this list every year on Teachers’ Day in Hong Kong.

Have you had a teacher make a difference in your life, or in your child’s life?

Say thank you on 10 September for Teachers’ Day in Hong Kong. And it’s never too late to show your appreciation, so be sure to check out our gift guide – selected by a former teacher! – to say thank you all year long.