The 'strange' thought of a female valedictorian in a remote commune in Nghe An

We went to the house of female student Luong Thi Thanh Thao in Tam Huong village (Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district) on a weekend. The house is located in a small alley facing the Lam river. Only Thao and her father Luong Van Hoa were still at home, her mother had gone to the acacia plantation since early morning. Thao is a 9th grade student at Tam Quang Secondary School who has just passed thevaledictorianCivic Education inkNghe An Provincial Excellent Student Competitionwith 15 points in Group B.

Student Luong Thi Thanh Thao at the ceremony to honor students and teachers with high achievements in the 2020-2021 school year. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Mr. Luong Van Hoa, Thao's father, said that he had keratitis since before Tet and had to go to the hospital many times but the treatment was still not cured. All expenses in the house depended on his wife. Fortunately, God gave him two obedient children. The eldest child finished vocational training and went to Hanoi to find a job, while Thao was both a good student and knew how to help her parents with all the household chores.

The trunk was both a place to study and a place to store my books during my junior high school years. Photo: D. Tuan

Thao's study corner. Photo: D. Tho

In the house, there is a separate study corner for Thao. There is only a small chest that is both a place to store books and also a “desk” for her to study every day. Mr. Hoa said that since the house was finished, he has not had the conditions to build a table for her to study, so Thao has to endure the pain of bending over the chest to study. However, when studying, she is very serious and focused.

Hearing her father say that, Luong Thi Thanh Thao shyly shared with us: Seeing my parents working hard, I also tried to study hard. When hearing that I was chosen to take the Civic Education exam, everyone was surprised. Everyone, including my parents, thought it was a minor subject and very boring, so very few people supported it. But for me, this is a subject that helps me with many things in life and always brings new things.

Mr. Luong Van Hoa is proud of his son's achievements. Photo: D. Tuan

“Before, I was very stubborn and only wanted to do what I wanted without thinking about others. But after school hours,Civic education, I realized that I really still have many shortcomings that make people around me sad. The practical connections in this subject have awakened me and made me live better, know how to love, share and love life more" - Luong Thi Thanh Thao shared.

When we asked her the secret to excelling in this subject, which is considered boring, the Thai female student was frank: I live here and there are very few books and newspapers, and there is no internet, so I mainly study by myself. With this subject, in addition to learning knowledge in class, I have to make many practical connections. In my free time, I watch TV about hot issues in the country and the world to gain more knowledge. And while studying, the most important thing is to apply what you have done in life to the lessons.

Outside of school hours, Thao also helps her family carry bamboo from the forest to sell to earn money for school. Photo: D. Tho

It’s that simple, but for this Thai female student, it’s the most effective way to study Civic Education. Thao also said that in reality, she doesn’t have much time to study, she only studies until about 10pm at night, then wakes up at 4am the next morning to study again and then goes to school. “Studying in the morning helps me remember better because it’s quiet at that time so I can concentrate on the lesson” – Thao “revealed”.

Because her family was poor, after finishing school, Thao went to the fields to help her parents plant acacia trees and carry bamboo to the forest to sell. Because of that, Thao's dream was to take the exam to enter the police academy to help her family's hardship.