Teacher’s Day in Argentina: September 11 and What to Give

In Argentina, Teacher’s Day is on September 11, commemorating the death of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (the former president known as the father of Argentine public education), who died on that day in 1888 in Asunción, Paraguay.

The teaching dates — there are several

Date	What is celebrated
September 11	Teacher’s Day (preschool and elementary school)
September 17	Professors’ Day (secondary and higher education), in honor of José Manuel Estrada
September 21	Students’ Day
September 13	Librarians’ Day

September is, basically, the school month of the Argentine calendar.

What works as a gift

• An arrangement from the whole class. It’s the most popular option and the one that works best: it’s visible, it’s shared, and it doesn’t put anyone in an awkward spot.
• A desk plant. Succulent, pothos or African violet. It lasts for years and takes up no space.
• Flowers + something for coffee time. The classic teachers’ lounge combo.
• A letter from the kids. By far what gets kept the most. It costs nothing.
• Something for the classroom, if you know what it’s missing. It’s the most useful gift and the least common.

A typical problem: there are a lot of them

If there’s a homeroom teacher, an inclusion support teacher, specialist teachers and aides, individual gifts become impractical. Two solutions that work:

• One large arrangement for the teachers’ lounge, from all the families.
• Identical small bouquets for everyone. It costs less than it seems and avoids leaving someone out — which is the most common mistake and the most awkward.

School logistics

Schedule delivery during school hours and let someone at the school know something is arriving. A bouquet that shows up at seven on a Friday evening sits at the front desk until Monday. And if the school runs morning and afternoon shifts, confirm which one the person works.