Thanksgiving 2012 by the Richards!!!

Thanksgiving was just last week and I was really excited to receive a video from my previous manager documenting how his family prepares for Thanksgiving meal as well as explaining its meaning. It was right on the night of Thanksgiving, which meant his son Brian probably put the video together right after the dinner. It was such an effort that I don't know how to thank except to film the kids' priceless reactions for them.

What I was really glad about this opportunity wasn't just for the kids to learn about the festival, but the need to be appreciative at all times, for every detail that defines their lives. Not only does the video explain Thanksgiving, it also explains family values. Tolerance, accommodation, sacrifice and trust.

Special mention:
At the end of the video, I had the kids make a card each to talk about what they are most thankful for. Many of these kids are raised by their grand parents or single parent families. They are not wealthy, some live in conditions that can be qualified as slum. There is this particular girl(and her younger siblings) whose parents are the most problematic couple in the whole school. They neglect their kids, don't bother to bath them(or make them bath themselves), or take care of their basic needs. The kids come to school smelly with dirty clothes and shoes. They come without books or even the entire school bag because they "lost" it in the house. Their house is basically a rubbish dump site. Approaching it, you will get hit by a strong stench. Stepping into the house will have you knocked over by a different strong stench. Basically, it's a combination of everything you can think of. Unwashed clothes, rotten food, urine and alcohol. The kids run around dangerous thrash that their dad picks up from who knows where. The parents aren't nice folks either. Often they get drunk. Sometimes they beat the kids.

This girl is the eldest kid in the family. Well, the "father" isn't her real father. It's complicated. Something along the line of "not getting married in order to stay on the government support program". She's the most mature one of the lot, the most considerate one, with the best learning motivation and attitude(but with a bit of laziness). However, she understands her situation is shows effort to be the best she can.

Despite her lousy parents, on her Thanksgiving card, she thanks none other than her parents. That's tolerance, accommodation, sacrifice and trust. I hope she makes her way out of her current ditch, but always remember her roots and always be there for her family.

So here's the original video from my manager. I just included the Chinese subtitles.





And here's the class itself with the video: