The 100-year-old teacher from Nghe An and the shirt Uncle Ho gave him

Received shirt from Uncle Ho

At the age of 102, To Si Giuu (born in 1918, residing in Minh Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An)'s health has deteriorated significantly. He lies on the bed, covered with a cotton blanket and a fur hat. However, when his two younger colleagues, Mr. Lo Kam Y Hiep and Mr. Tran Huu Hy, came to visit, he still managed to get up.

The story of the arduous years of spreading knowledge in the most difficult areas of Nghe An province comes back to the stories of these teachers who are now of a rare age.

Although over 102 years old, teacher To Si Giuu still clearly remembers the time he met Uncle Ho and was given a shirt by him.

As a child, Mr. Giuu studied Chinese characters with his father, who was a patriotic scholar. When he grew up, his parents sent him to Vinh city to study Vietnamese and French. Thanks to his knowledge, he was assigned to work in the Education sector in Yen Thanh district. In the atmosphere of the August Revolution in 1945, teacher To Si Giuu was the youth leader of Van Tu commune, participating in seizing power in his home district.

From 1945 to 1957, he was the Principal of Minh Thanh Primary School and achieved many achievements in the work of eliminating illiteracy, eradicating ignorance, and improving people's knowledge. Thanks to his great contributions to the education sector, in 1958, teacher To Si Giuu was honored to receive the Certificate of Merit for Emulation Fighter in the Education Sector in 1957 from the General Confederation of Labor.

Also in this year, Mr. Giuu was the only representative of Nghe An Education sector to go to Hanoi to attend the 2nd National Congress of Heroic Emulation Soldiers of Workers, Farmers and Soldiers.

Teacher To Si Giuu and his younger brother and colleague Lo Kam Y Hiep recall a difficult time spreading knowledge in the highlands of Nghe An.

“I have been to Hanoi many times, but this trip was special. We met Uncle Ho, received his compliments and gifts, each of us a khaki shirt, and the government gave us several meters of fabric. He told us to always strive in our duties to maintain the title we have achieved,” the 102-year-old teacher recalled.

Uncle Ho's advice became a guiding principle throughout the working life of teacher To Si Giuu. The khaki shirt was kept by teacher Giuu as a treasure and the remaining meters of cloth were given to him, he decided to sell them to get money to make desks and chairs for students.

Later, the khaki shirt Uncle Ho gave was donated by him to the Yen Thanh District Cultural and Sports Center for display and propaganda work.

The khaki shirt Uncle Ho gave was given by teacher To Si Giuu to the Yen Thanh District Cultural Center (Nghe An) to display and educate the younger generation about tradition.

He is a man of intelligence, heart, and vision, always respected and admired by his colleagues, from his expertise to his character... I remember the days at the Mountainous Pedagogical School located in Con Cuong district, training student teachers mainly from the mountains and ethnic minorities, to create the first source of native teachers to send to the villages and hamlets to teach.

Those were difficult and deprived times. All conditions were given priority to student teachers, teachers had to build their own houses, grow crops, and raise livestock to work. At that time, he was the Vice Principal, but Mr. Giuu did not hesitate to do any work, he was always the "general" of production and livestock raising of the school.

In 1957, teacher To Si Giuu was recognized as an Emulation Fighter in the Education sector and was invited to attend the National Congress of Emulation Fighters of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers. At this Congress, teacher Giuu had the honor of meeting Uncle Ho and was given a shirt by him.

At that time, there was a lot of hardship, lack of everything, especially hunger. Many children could not bear it and wanted to drop out of school to go work on the fields. Mr. Giuu encouraged, advised, and kept them in school. Many of them later became Mr. Giuu's colleagues, taking on the work of spreading knowledge and eliminating illiteracy in the most difficult villages of the western districts of Nghe An", Mr. Lo Kam Y Hiep (80 years old) always reserved precious words for his colleague and teacher.

A lifelong career in education

Throughout his career as a teacher, Mr. To Si Giuu was assigned leadership duties in many schools in difficult areas inside and outside the province. In any area, no matter how difficult, with the vision, heart, and mind of a teacher and a father, he devoted himself to the common mission, to the cause of education and to his beloved students.

The morality and intelligence, the contribution to the education sector of teacher To Si Giuu is a shining example for generations of teachers in Nghe An.

In 1976, teacher Giuu retired. His greatest assets in life were the Certificates of Merit from the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, and the People's Committee of Nghe An province for his contributions. The Certificates of Merit were discolored but the handwriting was still clear, the most vivid evidence of the recognition of the Party, the State, and the Education sector for his contributions to the education cause.

Retired, the old teacher returned to enjoy the fields and gardens on the hillside overlooking the rice fields plowed all year round. On both sides of the gate were a pair of parallel sentences: "Books are fields, no one asks for taxes - Pen becomes a tree that easily blooms."

“This is his teaching, engraved so that every time he enters or leaves the gate, his children and grandchildren can read it and remember it in their hearts. He wants his children and grandchildren to maintain family traditions, respect knowledge, and strive to overcome hardships to study well and become successful people,” said Mr. To Si Luu, Mr. Giuu’s son.

During his career of educating people, Mr. To Si Giuu was recognized by many levels, ministries, and branches and awarded many Certificates of Merit...

The philosophies about learning and morality accumulated throughout his life of writing and chalk were partly influenced by the teachings of his grandfather, the patriotic scholar To Ba Ngoc - who made great contributions to the Can Vuong movement in the 19th century. Before being taken to the execution ground by the enemy, Mr. Ngoc advised his descendants: “There is nothing to hate about my life, you should consider money as coarse chalk, morality as a thousand pieces of gold. Live a clean life, do not do things that bring shame to your ancestors. At this time, national affairs are important, family affairs are small…”.

A special thing is that there are 4-5 children and many grandchildren who continue his career of educating people and have achieved many achievements in work. As the successor of his grandfather, Mr. To Viet Vinh - a teacher at Phan Dang Luu High School (Yen Thanh district, Nghe An) was moved: "I am proud to be his grandson, following his career. He is an exemplary, kind person, always puts studying first, loves work, and sets an example for his children and grandchildren."

102 years old, 70 years of Party membership, teacher To Si Giuu's greatest asset is the appreciation and respect of colleagues, children and grandchildren...

His life has had a positive influence on his descendants, so that we constantly try to preserve and enhance the family tradition. The only regret is that my grandfather devoted his whole life to the education sector, but until now, he has not been recognized as an excellent teacher due to time constraints.

At the age of 102, with 70 years of Party membership, teacher To Si Giuu is satisfied with what he has, despite being extremely honest. His greatest asset in old age is the appreciation and respect of his colleagues, children and grandchildren, the affection of his students and friends... Throughout his life spanning two centuries, he has remained loyal, devoted and worthy of the sacredness of the two words "teacher".