Burst into tears over a literature assignment from her teacher in Saigon.

ArticleWho has mail today?Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Anh (Literature teacher at Trung Vuong High School, Ho Chi Minh City) shared her experience on her personal page, receiving empathy from hundreds of friends and colleagues. She confided after completing a small "project" in Literature for her homeroom class - 10A3.

Ms. Quynh Anh recounted that during the Literature class on September 11th, the teacher unexpectedly gave the class a test. Unlike the traditional method, she played instrumental music and then read the prompt: "Imagine you are writing a letter to your parents, saying whatever you want to say. You can say anything you want; I will grade you based on the most genuine emotions, and I will not show it to your parents."

Immediately after reading the teacher's prompt, "Pink Goat" (the teacher's affectionate nickname for her student born in the year of the Goat, 2003) complained: "How can I write this, teacher? It's so cheesy!" The teacher remained silent, unsure if the students would cooperate, worried that they would write in a forced, empty tone.

Halfway through the test, the 26-year-old teacher heard sobbing somewhere. She remained silent, allowing the children to pour out their feelings, and the test was extended by 10 minutes beyond the allotted time.

"At the beginning of the school year, I was reviewing student files and noticed several cases where the names of either the father or mother were missing. My initial intention was to learn more about those students, but after receiving their essays, I discovered many other challenging circumstances," the teacher said, adding that she had shed tears not just once, but many times, after reading such touching essays.

A student who lost his mother wrote:

"I'm sure Mom is happy to see me happy and more mature. It's been so long since I last came to light incense for Mom, and I feel so guilty. Living here, Dad provides for me very well, but sometimes I long for the feeling of being cared for by Mom when I was younger. I wish I could turn back time and relive those moments."

I still haven't been able to say "I love you, Mom," and that's my biggest regret in life. But I know you'll understand my feelings because I rarely express my love in words; I only show it through my achievements. Everything is fate, so please don't be sad, Mom. The whole family loves you. If there's a next life, I want to be your child again. I love you! Wishing you happiness from afar."

With beautiful handwriting, and many words crossed out due to hesitation and changes in wording, a female student recounts the feelings of disappointment at the age of 14 when her parents divorced.

"Every night I cry because I think quite simply. I think that whoever I love feels the same way, so why can't Dad? I read in a book that if someone's home is the opposite of 'peaceful,' then the word 'unhappy' isn't enough to describe their life. I'm not sure if that's true, but from that, I also feel that I'm very unhappy."

High school, for me, was no longer as beautiful as I had always dreamed. Because I felt lost, and because every time I was tired, I knew Mom would be even more tired. So I was alone, I was sad by myself, I cried by myself, and then I laughed by myself. I got used to it..."

Another male student was overflowing with happiness with his family, promising his parents that he would grow up to be a good person.

"I've been more at ease and trying harder to fulfill my responsibilities, so that Mom knows her son is growing up and becoming the pillar of the family while Dad is away working. Although I'm still quite careless and mischievous, I will try even harder, just like how Mom and Dad take care of the family during difficult times."

"I feel fortunate to have read these sincere and emotional essays. I had promised the children not to show them to their parents, but I had to break that promise because they would see that the children are very profound, truly growing up, and deeply love their parents but have never dared to say it," Ms. Quynh Anh shared.

She said she cherished the letters written to their mothers in heaven, letters smudged with tears or sadness over the children's incomplete happiness.

During the parent-teacher meeting, the teacher used tape to cover up the private thoughts the children wanted to keep to themselves in each letter before sending them to the parents. Inside each letter, she attached a picture of the student in their uniform and a small piece of paper.

Many parents were pensive; some fathers smiled, while some mothers burst into tears. They wrote their thoughts for their children on pre-printed pieces of paper, and the letters from parents were pinned to the back of the classroom board.

"I just want you to know that your parents will always be there for you, supporting you every step of the way. Behind you is your parents' faith and expectations. Those things will always be with you when you're sitting in class," the teacher shared with her student.

"Initially, I intended to grade this test by the minute, but after reading the students' letters, I felt there was no need to grade it anymore; their emotions put into it are priceless," the teacher said, sharing that she had to apologize to her students for "breaking her promise" regarding the assignment.

Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Anh is a former student of Trung Vuong High School. After graduating from Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, she was recruited as a teacher and assigned to work at her old school.

In 2016, the projectI love my native language.Her project won first prize at the "Innovative Teacher on Information Technology Platform" competition organized by the Ministry of Education and Training in Hanoi.