1st of September is Teacher's Day. But already we are celebrating it in school. Parents came to school come bearing gifts for the teachers. And even though i am not a teacher, i received gifts too. It felt nice even though i did not expect it. Some of the parents of the children i see for therapy were very kind and made us feel very apperciated. The gifts were not expensive, just a card or two, some flowers, little knick knacks and lots of food, most of which were cooked by the parents themselves. Everyone was just trying to say "thank you" in his or her own little way.

It is not easy being a teacher in a special school, i have noticed. A lot of care, patience, tolerance is needed. It is not unusual to see a teacher helping change a diaper, wipe up soiled floor, calming a throwing up child, wiping running noses, helping a fussy child to pick up the spoon to eat. More often than not, teachers have to deal with not one, but at least three other children at any one time. Being a therapist is nowhere as tiring as being a teacher. I can see why most parents are so grateful to these dedicated teachers. I am grateful to these teachers too. Because they know their student so well, i often rely on them to be able to work with the child. For example, the teachers could calm down a child who has stranger anxiety and started to tantrum at the sight of an unfamiliar psychologist trying to conduct a formal assessment on them. And it always pays to asked the teachers about the child first before coming to any sort of conclusion why a child is acting up. This is because the teachers are more intimately involved with the child, than a therapist who have only seen the child once or twice, regardless of how knowledgable a therapist can be.

One can never underestimate the extent of closeness a therapist have to work with the teachers when come to helping a child. And thus far, i am really happy when working with the teachers in school. They are generally people who are really concern for their little charges and are very willing to work with anyone to help improve their students' lives. I am very thankful.

So to all my collegues, all i really want to say is Happy Teachers' Day.