The story of the 'unusual' Nghe scholar

THE "DIFFERENT" TEACHER

Book launch ceremony"From personality to style"The event was attended by more than 100 people, most of whom were colleagues and students of teacher Le Thai Phong. Among them, many were successful in life, had degrees and high positions, some were politicians, some were teachers, some were writers, some were journalists... The biggest thing they had in common was the respect and admiration they had for the author of the book. That love was big enough to pull them back to their homeland, whether from the South or the North, big enough for them to see each other as brothers in the same family, even though they had never met before, big enough for them to take care of every detail of the event, even though they were busy with a thousand and one things... That love was so big that, as soon as their teacher said hello on stage, tears just kept falling down below. For them, seeing their teacher standing here, right now, was already a happiness.

Even though he graduated decades ago, Mr. Le Thai Phong's students still visit him regularly. Photo: Nguyen Dao

In the minds of studentsPhan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, Mr. Phong is always the teacher with the "thin, scholarly figure walking sideways on the podium". He is the teacher with a strange teaching style with a board with few words, many days it is just twisted circles, each twist is an analysis. He is the teacher who many times is embarrassed to hide his tears when teaching a touching poem. He is the teacher who teaches with all his heart, does not accept empty Literature lessons and hates the incurable disease of "reading for students to copy"... It is that strange teaching style that makes the students open their mouths to listen with such fascination that they forget to take notes, and at the end of the lesson they stay to do Literature without giving questions, and even though they are very afraid of the teacher's scolding, they really like to study with him...

Talking about Mr. Phong's love for literature, his friend and colleague - Associate Professor Dr. Do Lai Thuy confided: "Teacher Le Thai Phong's love for literature goes beyond conventional conventions, passing on to generations of students."

If Mr. Le Thai Phong had only taught well, perhaps there would not have been so many sobs and choked up tears at the launching ceremony, there would not have been so many colleagues who honored him, there would not have been generations of students with two-toned hair traveling thousands of kilometers just to hold his hand... Mr. Phong did not only teach with words, he himself was an example. Commenting on "Cu Phong", teacher Nguyen Huu Quyen said: "Mr. Phong has the spirit of a Confucian scholar, is full of artistry, and has very modern thoughts and knowledge. Above all, no book can fully describe his unique, humane, affectionate and fully lived life."

Mr. Le Thai Phong signs books for readers at the book launch ceremony. Photo: Nguyen Dao

The “different” life of Mr. Phong is the life of a fearless teacher who always speaks his mind frankly, the life of a husband who respects family values, the life of a teacher who makes his students proud to be called “Phong son”…

After 40 years of graduating, Mr. Thai Van Sinh affirmed: “For Mr. Le Thai Phong, teaching Literature is teaching how to be a human being. Our human being bears the mark of the teacher. We will never forget his words: “Han vi chi giao bat kha vong”. So, the whole class of over 30 students, even though it has been nearly 40 years since graduating, still have the same close feelings as in the past, regardless of high or low, rich or poor. In life, we still remember the principle he taught: “The official determines the theory” (When a person dies, only when the coffin is closed can we conclude whether that person is good or bad) so as not to be confused or hasty in looking at people and behaving with them. The teacher also encouraged us to live with personality, with our own angles and identity, not to “sharpen all the edges to be round like a marble” (the teacher's original words often used). That is why, amidst the many changes in life, we are still ourselves, living according to ethics and morality and knowing how to respect differences.”

The emotion of former students when listening to their beloved teacher share. Photo: Nguyen Dao

At the launching ceremony of “From personality to literary style”, a student wrote a poem for teacher Le Thai Phong. When the poem was recited, the audience below, their eyes were wet again, the choking could not be held back. The last part of the poem reads:

… “Oh teacher, so many shining eyes

Looking up at the teacher with the eyes of children!

The sun still shines, even when the sun is gone!”

THE BOOK OF LIFEAND TIMELESS VALUES

The author of that poem is Mr. Nguyen Sy Dai. Sharing about his beloved teacher, he said: “When the theorists did not discuss poetics much, from 1967 - 1968, he made students deeply understand artistic techniques, the exquisite beauty of form alongside the beauty of thought, inspiring students to think in new ways to discover many fields of meaning in a literary work, not just limited within the framework of textbooks. He did not talk much about ethics, but his example, his love for beauty from literature trained generations of students who deeply loved people and the country, whoever pursued a literary career was famous for their creativity, whoever pursued a political career or other career was steadfast, with pure ethics”.

The book "From personality to literary style" by Meritorious Teacher Le Thai Phong. Photo: Diep Thanh

The critical essay “From personality to literary style” consists of 3 parts, the crystallization of a life passionate about literature, devoted to education. Part 1, including 9 essays written about Nguyen Du, has created a portrait of a great poet of the nation. Part 2 includes 13 articles about other famous writers of Nghe An such as Ho Chi Minh, Xuan Dieu, Truong Dang Dung,Nguyen The Quang... Part 3 includes 10 articles on the field of education with the passion of an educator and educational administrator - These are also the keys to creating generations of students that Mr. Phong is proud of.

For Mr. Phong, a teacher is someone who “teaches how to learn, helps students learn how to learn”, “stirring, arousing and forming thinking methods, ways of thinking, scientific methodologies for students”. He teaches students to be skeptical, to know how to explore, to worry, to dare to “argue” and go against the majority… At the launching ceremony, many generations of Mr. Phong’s successful students admitted that they have created, written, worked in newspapers, thought, lived, worked… with the learning methods and knowledge foundation that Mr. Phong imparted. That foundation is not at all outdated or out of date, on the contrary, it makes them more and more stable and developed.

Colleagues and students take souvenir photos with teacher Le Thai Phong. Photo: Nguyen Dao

“After studying abroad, I was really surprised to realize that I was very well prepared, even better than my European friends. Thanks to the values ​​that the teacher gave me, I calmly went through current issues and world operations based on eternal values. In that era, a teacher in Nghe An who could do this was unimaginable. For those who were not lucky enough to study with the teacher, they can access this valuable knowledge through the book. Because, the teacher's book is not simply about words and literature, it is a whole system of liberal ideology and a profound philosophy of life" - Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Hoa, lecturer at the University of Natural Resources and Environment, Ho Chi Minh City shared.

Dr. Le Thi Sao Chi - who specializes in training high school literature teachers confided: "In the lessons with him that year, 10 students were called on to answer one question, then those 10 students discussed and argued with each other, he spoke very little. Later I learned that it was a pioneering work right from the years when educational reform had not yet been implemented. Not only is it useful for students, Mr. Phong's essay is also a valuable document that researchers, teachers... can learn from."

The values ​​that teacher Le Thai Phong passed on to his students are now being passed on by his students to the next generation. Photo: Diep Thanh

Looking back on the educational career of his beloved colleague, teacher Nguyen Huu Quyen was moved: "Mr. Phong considered the teaching profession, specifically the teaching of Literature, to be a noble profession and he reached the end of his teaching career with that thought, and then he found freedom, independence andhappy".

During his book launch event, Mr. Le Thai Phong was the one who spoke the least. By the end of the event, filled with love, he choked up and said simply: “I am grateful for life, not because life is without misfortune, but because the happiness I have received is so great.” The happiness that Mr. Phong spoke of can probably only be felt by true teachers.