When youth is spent on 'ferry trips'

Although working in two different locations and fields, they are both considered the silent boatmen of the province's education sector, having overcome many difficulties to devote their youth to the cause of educating people. That cause is not only in words, but also in building a lifestyle for the community and society.

12 years of staying in the village

These days, immersing herself in the bustling city of Cao Lanh (Dong Thap province) to attend the program to honor outstanding young teachers at the central level, young teacher Vu Thi Hang still cannot forget the misty and cloudy Pu Tat range in Ken village and Rong village in Chau Loc land, Quy Hop district. Following that mountain range is the road to the schools she has been attached to for the past 12 years. A journey full of hardship but filled with joy and happiness.

Teacher Vu Thi Hang (born in 1989) and students at Chau Loc Primary School, Chau Loc Commune, Quy Hop District. Photo: NVCC

Recalling her early days in the profession, young teacher Vu Thi Hang said she was born and raised in Thai Hoa town. In 2010, after graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts Education (College of Culture and Arts), she was accepted to work at Chau Loc Primary School.

At that time, the roads through Cut Hamlet and Inh Hamlet were still small, muddy paths. When the rainy season came, it became a nightmare for many people because few vehicles could maintain balance when traveling on these roads. To get through, the only way was to hold sandals, hold things and move barefoot. The mud sometimes reached up to the calves. Especially in winter, the toes were purple from the cold. The school yard at that time was also slippery ground with rows of old, degraded buildings. For a long time, there were not enough students in each class so they had to study together. The difficulties could not be fully expressed in words, but all would disappear after each teaching hour, when she entered the classroom and saw the little students looking at her, waiting.

A class of teachers and students at the main school in Rong village, Chau Loc commune, Quy Hop district. Photo: NVCC

In addition to the main school in Rong village, Chau Loc Primary School also has two satellite schools in Ken village and Dan village. The students here are mostly Thai and Tho ethnic groups. The work of her and the teachers in the school is not only limited to each lesson, but also the journey to the students' families to persuade their parents to support their children in their learning journey. Because the people's lives are still full of hardships, and the schools are separated by rivers and streams, parents are not very interested in sending their children to class.

Therefore, there is no road in the village that is not worn out by her and her colleagues' footsteps. The salary is small but there is no shortage of candy packages and cakes to encourage the little students. It is that affection that makes the children here have more motivation to go to school. Because there, she is always there to accompany, guide and ready to share all the joys and sorrows of the children.

Teacher Vu Thi Hang accompanies students in many useful extracurricular activities. Photo: NVCC

In 2018, after 8 years of living in Chau Loc, she was able to move to more convenient schools. “That was my wish, but after a period of living in that land, the young students, the colleagues who shared hardships, the classrooms filled with smiles... have become a part of my flesh and blood. And I cannot leave it. That is the reason why now, and maybe forever, I will continue to live in the place where my youth once belonged,” Ms. Hang shared.

In addition to completing her professional duties well, to help her students ease their difficulties, in her role as the school's Team Leader and Secretary of the School's Youth Union, she has called for and implemented many activities to bring meaningful gifts to the students. These could be warm blankets, notebooks still smelling of ink, free haircuts or more importantly, colorful children's playgrounds.

After those efforts, she was recognized by the school and all levels of the industry. For many years, Ms. Vu Thi Hang has been a grassroots Emulation Fighter, achieving the title of excellent teacher at the provincial level in the 2018-2019 school year. She was awarded a certificate as an exemplary teacher-youth following Uncle Ho's teachings at the school level in July 2021 and May 2022. These are meaningful sources of motivation for her to continue to stick with the path she has chosen, with silent ferry trips through the misty Pu Tat range.

Representatives of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union met with Mr. Truong Van Hung and Ms. Vu Thi Hang before they left for Dong Thap province to attend the 2022 Central-level "Outstanding Young Teachers" commendation ceremony organized by the Central Youth Union. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Teachers do not just teach letters.

During the recent 2022 Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign in the border land of Tam Hop (Tuong Duong), the local people still remember the enthusiasm of teacher Truong Van Hung (Vietnam - Korea Industrial Technical College, Nghe An). After nearly a month of volunteering, he and the school's students used their expertise to repair and complete many works to serve the students' studies and the people's lives.

Mr. Truong Van Hung (right cover) has made many practical contributions to the activities of repairing and constructing infrastructure works and building new rural areas in the volunteer area of ​​Summer 2022. Photo: Thanh Quynh

That journey of bringing expertise and volunteering activities is also remembered by many people through the project of repairing the flagpole of Mat Island that he and his students successfully implemented last July. Accordingly, at the end of 2021, after 6 years of use in harsh weather conditions, many parts of the flagpole of Mat Island were severely damaged.This has caused Nghe An Provincial Youth Union and related units to be extremely concerned. Because this repair encountered many difficulties when the flagpole was almost as high as a 5-storey building (nearly 23m), and was located on top of a mountain, it was very difficult to bring in the machinery system for repair. To overcome this situation, some businesses have stepped up to undertake the repair with a minimum budget of 300 million VND. That is truly a large source of funding.

Promoting the role of Secretary of the school's Youth Union, he mobilized the school's excellent teachers and students to research with him to find a solution to overcome the above project. After more than a month of implementation, everyone finally found the most optimal solution.

Teacher Truong Van Hung and students repair the flagpole of Mat Island. Photo: NVCC

Immediately, Mr. Hung and 3 students accompanied by the Provincial Youth Union, Cua Lo Town Youth Union and the Youth Union of the Provincial Military Command were present at Mat Island. In the next 3 days, the teachers and students used all their enthusiasm and courage to climb to the highest point of the flagpole, to complete all the existing damages. The moment of seeing the National FlagThe country was flying back, both teachers and students had tears in their eyes.

Before that, the teacher and more than 100 students of the school had together reused old cars to repair and improve them. After much dedication from teachers and students, 110 cars were completed and handed over to children in the two mountainous districts of Quy Hop and Tuong Duong. What the teacher still remembers is the happy smiles of the children when they have a meaningful means of transportation. Those smiles are the motivation for him to continue his next activities.

As Secretary of the Youth Union of the Vietnam - Korea Industrial Technical College of Nghe An, Mr. Truong Van Hung, along with students and the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, handed over 110 bicycles to children in the highlands of the province. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Mr. Hung confided: “Although the technical profession is dry, don’t let your soul dry with it. There are many difficult situations out there that always need to be shared and helped. Therefore, I always encourage students not only to make efforts in studying, but also to know how to apply the knowledge they have learned to carry out volunteer activities for the community. That is the luggage for them to grow up and become useful people for society.”

Mr. Truong Van Hung and Ms. Vu Thi Hang received the Certificate of Merit for "Outstanding Young Teachers" at the central level in 2022. Photo: NVCC

After those contributions, Mr. Truong Van Hung received many Certificates of Merit from Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, Central Committee of Vietnam Youth Union, Central Committee of Youth Union and achieved the title of outstanding young lecturer of Nghe An province in 2021. Under his guidance, there were excellent students of the school who won the C prize in the National Vocational Education Student Startup Project Competition in 2020, 8 student startup projects guided by him entered the Semi-finals of the National Vocational Education Student Startup Project in 2021, with 2 excellent projects entering the final round. That is the luggage for students to confidently establish themselves and make a career in their homeland./.