Educating students with love and responsibility.

On this occasion, Nghe An Newspaper had a conversation with Dr. Phan Trong Dong, an outstanding educator and Principal of Dien Chau 3 High School.

Always strive to do your best in the role of a teacher.

Interviewer: You've been teaching for almost 30 years. Is this the profession you've loved since your school days?

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trọng Đông:I am the child of a fallen soldier. My father died in December 1975, when I was just one month old. At that time, the country was at peace, and he was discharged from the military and stayed behind to take over the liberated areas.

On the day he died, the letter informing his wife of the birth hadn't even arrived yet; he only knew she was pregnant. Later, my mother raised me alone. She worked as a traditional medicine officer, but her health was poor, and my mother and I had a very difficult childhood.

As a child, I was a good student. In 1990, I was one of eight students selected to attend the Asia-Pacific Summer Camp Festival in Japan. Later, I took the university entrance exams and was accepted into three universities: Agriculture, Medicine, and Education. Medicine was my dream school, but as I mentioned, my family was facing financial difficulties at the time. It was impossible to support my education at a medical school, so I chose Hanoi University of Education, majoring in Biology. The choice was entirely random; no one guided me. After graduating, I had the opportunity to work at the Institute of Agricultural Genetics, but I chose to teach because it offered stability and a steady income.

My teaching career also yielded quite good results early on. When I first graduated, the first school I taught at was Do Luong 2 High School. Before that, the school hadn't had any students who won provincial-level awards in Biology. After coming here, I discovered, nurtured, and began to have students who won provincial-level awards. This result motivated me, and I thought that perhaps my teaching career was also effective.

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Throughout my career, I've participated in many activities and held various positions, and looking back now, I realize that choosing the teaching profession was the right fit for me. The profession chose me. Here, I can develop my professional skills, pedagogical expertise, and even the managerial qualities of an educator.

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trong Dong

PV: In 2024, you were one of 64 teachers in the province to be honored with the title of "Outstanding Teacher." Is this the ultimate goal for every teacher who chooses to dedicate themselves to the "blackboard and chalk"?

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trọng Đông:Titleoutstanding teacherIt is a prestigious title, and not only I but everyone desires it. It is also the dream and aspiration of every teacher. However, I don't set a goal for myself to strive for the title of "Outstanding Teacher," and focusing solely on the title would lead to failure.

Since entering the profession, I have always believed that if you do good work, good things will come, and if all the necessary elements are present, it will be realized. To be awarded the title of outstanding teacher, in addition to personal ability, teachers need an environment where they can shine and have supportive colleagues, including family, peers, and superiors (whose work is evaluated based on results)...

In the schools where I have worked and served as principal, we have always made opportunities to honor outstanding colleagues, regardless of their position—whether they were chemistry teachers, physical education teachers, or math teachers, and so on.

This year, three teachers at Dien Chau 3 High School were honored with this title, making it the high school with the highest number of teachers awarded the title of "Outstanding Teacher" in the province. Some of my colleagues are truly admirable because, if judged by the criteria, they would have met the requirements more than 10 years ago. However, at that time, they declined, not seeking fame or fortune, believing they were still young and giving the opportunity to others.

A balance between authority and love.

PV: Educational reform is a topic that has been discussed and implemented for over 10 years. This process has involved many issues that have been debated, considered, and analyzed. In schools, what aspects have seen the most noticeable changes?

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trọng Đông:During the reform process, I noticed the first and most significant change: the education of students' thinking skills. While previously education was primarily based on the authority and power of the teacher, now it also involves educating students with love and compassion. This is a very positive aspect. Education based on authority creates discipline and order, but it also has limitations that reduce students' dynamism and creativity. A harmonious combination of authority and love will help students develop, express themselves, and be themselves.

There have also been significant changes in teaching methods. Before the implementation of the new curriculum, teaching was referred to as lecturing, where teachers would simply pass on their knowledge and skills to students. This lecturing was one-way, with teachers teaching and students learning in the classroom.

With the new program, teaching methods will change for the better, and teachers will utilize all previous methods, including lecturing, classroom instruction, and organizing learning activities for students. As a result, students will be able to explore, form, and develop their thinking skills.

Through the process of implementing reforms, we have also seen changes in schools after the teaching methods were changed.

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Without educational reform, a rural school like ours probably wouldn't have many students with the opportunity to get into top universities.

However, with modern teaching methods that help students develop their abilities, they are now confidently participating in aptitude and critical thinking assessment exams, as well as taking international language certification exams. Therefore, they will have more opportunities.

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trong Dong

PV: In the process of educational reform, the "Happy School" model is considered an important step forward, aiming to create a positive educational environment where students are not only equipped with knowledge but also nurtured spiritually and develop a well-rounded personality. For Dien Chau 3 High School, the first school to pilot the "Happy School" model in Nghe An, what are the school's expectations when building this model?

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trọng Đông:Calling it a pilot program isn't entirely accurate. In fact, our school is doing this voluntarily; we have only one mindset, one simple goal: to choose what's best for our students, from the quality of teaching and learning conditions to the final learning outcomes.

Throughout the implementation process, many difficulties were encountered. This was because, despite the school's stated purpose being a "happy school," there was no specific method or formula for building the model.

If we're talking about construction...happy schoolFocusing solely on achievements, facilities, or teaching methods is incorrect. Simply put, it's a school where students learn according to their abilities, and teachers teach according to their capabilities. To achieve this, the school must create an environment and mechanisms where students and teachers feel happy and fulfilled. From this environment, teachers and students must achieve success based on the students' own abilities, allowing them to develop their potential to the fullest.

We also understand that implementation should not be based on illusions, but rather on building a learning environment that is appropriate to the economic conditions and cultural context of the places where the children live.

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Our dream is not to build Dien Chau 3 High School into a high-quality educational institution, but rather to transform it into a cultural, educational, and sports center for the region. From here, not only students but also the local community can benefit, and students can develop their skills outside of school hours. Graduating from this school, students will possess exemplary cultural values ​​that will be passed down from generation to generation.

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trong Dong

Looking back at the results after four years of implementation, it's difficult to give a clear qualitative assessment. However, we can clearly see the changes in the school. Last academic year, our school received good news regarding the quality of teaching and learning, with three students being commended for achieving high scores in the 2024 High School Graduation Exam, our 12th-grade students ranking in the top 5 in the province, and our graduation exam results improving by eight places compared to the previous academic year.

Upon receiving these achievements, we were overwhelmed with happiness. In fact, during the school year, we didn't set performance targets for teachers. Instead, we built our success through attitude, gestures, and behavior, which were demonstrated through actions. These results were achieved through teachers' self-competition, and through the motivation of both teachers and students who received timely praise and encouragement.

PV: Vietnam has Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20th, and the world also has World Teachers' Day on October 5th. These are ways to honor and recognize those who work as educators. So, in the new era, what qualities do teachers need to possess to meet the increasingly high demands of society? And as a manager, how do you need to change to better fulfill your assigned duties?

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trọng Đông:Regardless of the era, the core requirement for being a good teacher is to possess good knowledge. Secondly, one must have good character, ethics, a loving heart, enthusiasm, and dedication to the profession. These are two fundamental and essential elements, necessary conditions for the profession.

However, in today's modern society, teachers are also required to possess management skills (both in the classroom and in educating students), and each individual must know how to develop their own personal plan. Furthermore, they must have the ability to integrate so as not to fall behind society and their students. Without these qualities, their authority will be lost and they will not be respected.

The new society demands changes in education, and leaders must change as well. Previously, principals were primarily educators who held the mindset of educators, managing through their qualities, abilities, and authority. In the current trend, leading an institution requires being a good administrator; that is, possessing the authority of a teacher, strong management skills, and a sound management mindset.

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Leaders must also be prepared to accept dissenting opinions. Personally, I always think that within good things there are bad things, and within the bad, we must find the good to do, and within the bad, we must find the less bad things to address first and make adjustments. And if we don't acknowledge the bad, we won't be able to work, and there will be no progress.

Meritorious Teacher Phan Trong Dong

Interviewer: Thank you for joining this conversation!