Not afraid of hardship, just afraid of losing students

1. Ten years ago, she also cried when she came to work at Muong Tip 1 School, Ky Son District, Nghe An. A young teacher, a daughter of Vinh City, traveled more than 250km to the most remote area to teach, it would be strange if she didn't cry! The first time she came to the "border area", walking on a steep, rugged, rocky road. Before her eyes were only mountains and higher mountains, on one side was a river, across the river was Laos. For the first time she knew the feeling of losing all contact with the surroundings: no phone signal, no electricity, not even knowing how to communicate with anyone, surrounded by ethnic minorities, only very few people could speak Kinh.

After that, she stopped crying. She gradually got used to the simple life, lacking all the amenities. She read and gradually remembered the names of the villages, distinguishing between the Thai, Khmu and Mong villages. She also gradually got used to the faces of the students. The children were hard-working, dark, covered in dirt. When they smiled, they showed their missing teeth and their eyes were clear.

Her feet have become accustomed to the steep forest paths, to go up to the fields to catch the children to go to school. She finds joy in teaching them to read, write, greet politely and enjoy going to school. Each time a class of children completes the curriculum, moves up to the next grade, and then to secondary school, she is extremely excited. She feels that she has brought something meaningful to these highland children, helping them dream a little further, beyond this remote village. Every new school year, she looks forward to it, hopes. From the lowlands, she brings paper, pens, books, and clothes to give to the students.

But this school year, when she got to school, she burst into tears again. She cried not because of the fear, confusion, and sadness of a girl in her twenties 10 years ago, but because she felt sorry for her students, because of the terrible destruction caused by the flash flood. “Before my eyes, everything was swept away and submerged in thick piles of mud. The school gate was blocked by landslides more than 1 meter high. The students' classrooms were swept away and damaged. The houses where teachers from the lowlands came to work are now just empty lots... I was suffocating... We couldn't control our feelings. What should we do? When the new school year is approaching. Every school in the country is eagerly welcoming the new school year, we can only choke up and be speechless.”

2. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien confided: Some people, just a few, said that we teach in mountainous areas, border areas, have high salaries, so what are we complaining about? They said on social networks, when she talked about the recent devastating flood, when she wanted to call for kind hearts, to share and help teachers, students and people in the Ai-Tip area. She kept quiet, not wanting to explain anything. Because there are many people who truly understand and sympathize, most importantly, colleagues understanding each other, parents and students loving teachers is enough.

“If you want to make money, there are many ways. Go to the lowlands, go to the city, there are many things to do. But this is the job I chose. It is really because I love the job, because of the students, not just me, the other teachers at our school are the same. Just like the children I gave birth to, I have to love them, the teaching job I have chosen, how can I give it up?” She said, her voice choked.

Ms. Hien's husband is a soldier, stationed in the southernmost tip of Ca Mau in previous years. In recent years, he has been assigned to the North to take up a mission. The wife is in one place, the husband is in another, they are separated for a whole year and only see each other a few times. Their two daughters, one is 6 years old this year, the other is 3 years old, are divided into two groups: one lives with her maternal grandmother in Vinh City, the other with her paternal grandparents in Con Cuong District.

She could not take her children with her to Muong Tip, Ky Son. Her place of residence was only a temporary dormitory, and her husband lived far away. How could she both teach and take care of both children by herself? So, every month she had to travel back and forth to visit her children, but when one child was present, the other was absent. Only during the summer or holidays could all of them reunite.

This year, her eldest daughter also started first grade. She lives with her grandmother, is very obedient, and doesn’t cry or whine, because that would make her mother sad if she lived far away. But on the first day of school, her daughter’s first day of school, she couldn’t take her to school because she had to prepare for the students in the mountains. The school is located on the road to Hanoi, so she had to get there early to be on time. “So a few days before, I took my child to Hung Dung 1 Primary School (Vinh City) and showed him: This is the school where you will study, then introduced where the classroom is, where the restroom is, where the place to wash your hands is clean. Inside the classroom, I instructed him that this is the board, this is the chalk, he will sit properly like this, open his notebook, practice reading, practice writing... Then I told him to walk home by himself, to get used to the road. And I pretended to get on the motorbike to go home first. But he was able to get home by himself. I felt so sorry, but I didn't dare cry. I am also a primary school teacher, but I can't teach my child. Well, I rely on other teachers, my colleagues, to teach and take care of my child.”

3. Although she had anticipated it, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien did not expect that the road to school would be cut off, with many sections completely wiped out. “We had to walk to school, not daring to go alone but meeting in groups,” she said. The only road from Muong Xen through Ta Ca, to Muong Tip, Muong Ai running along the Nam Tip River, was completely destroyed and cut off when the flood came. There were sections where more than half of the hill had collapsed into the river, and we had to climb to the top to get across. There were also sections where we had to hold on to each other to get through the fast-flowing stream.

Her legs were tired, her clothes were covered in mud. When she reached Xop Phong village, Ms. Hien fell into the abyss. Grasping the roots of a tree, she inched up, her colleagues who were ahead quickly turned back to help pull her up. The place where she fell was in Xop Phong village, where a hill had collapsed, collapsing and sweeping away two villagers. “When we got out of the abyss, knowing we were still alive, all the brothers and sisters hugged each other, happy, sad, and scared. We were also very scared, it was dangerous, difficult, but after we “came to our senses”, we stood up and continued walking, telling each other to be more careful,” she recounted, her voice still trembling.

After two days, Ms. Hien and the other teachers finally arrived at Muong Tip 1 Primary School. “We felt like we had done something extraordinary, and were completely exhausted afterwards. Seeing the messy classrooms, some of which had been flattened, brought tears to everyone’s eyes. But somehow, at that moment, we felt stronger, as if there was a driving force urging us to work. Each person had a hand, cleaning, sanitizing and pushing the mud out of the school yard.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien currently teaches at Na My village, located right on the edge of the stream. But after two floods, the classroom, the teachers' temporary housing, and the community cultural house were all destroyed and swept away by floodwaters. The teachers moved to the main location in Vang Phao village. There is no electricity, no clean water, and no food. The teachers' meals these days are only dried fish and bamboo shoots. The rice is also covered in green mold, and rubbing it with salt over and over again still cannot make it white.

After 10 years of teaching in Muong Tip, she thought she had gotten used to the hardships and was no longer afraid of anything. She had also experienced the historic floods of 2011, but never before had the floods been as intense as this year. Teachers worked hard, but as soon as they finished cleaning up, mud from the mountains was carried by floodwaters down to fill the schoolyard and classrooms. They could only encourage each other: If we can't finish today, we'll continue tomorrow or the day after.

She asked the villagers, they shook their heads in bewilderment: “This year, teacher, we will definitely be hungry. The rice warehouses stored in the fields were washed away by the flood or were soaked in water and ruined. The taro crop that had not yet been harvested was also destroyed.” If the people are hungry, it will directly affect education. Therefore, no matter how difficult or miserable it is, the teachers will try their best. The only thing that Ms. Hien and the whole school are afraid of is losing students.

4. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri - Principal of Muong Tip Primary School said: This school year, Na My has a total of 31 students, the first, second and third graders will be temporarily arranged to study in the kindergarten classroom. The fourth and fifth graders will be transferred to the main school in Vang Phao village, 2km away. However, the road from Na My to Vang Phao is currently severely damaged, making it unsafe for students to go to school.

At this time, all teachers are present at the schools, welcoming students and organizing classes. If any students are missing, they will go to their homes to persuade and encourage them to go to school. In areas where it is still dangerous, the school accepts that students will miss some of the first classes of the year. But when traffic and classes are stable, they will immediately start teaching and make up for the previous missed classes.

Ms. Hien confided, “No matter what, the safety of students is still the top priority.” Difficulties sometimes make us feel discouraged, but should we give up because of that!? To continue trying as we have tried before. To have enough strength to keep students coming to school, not dropping out halfway. To let the flood pass, and the hands that used to hold the chalk and pick the hoes and shovels to clean up and rearrange everything will be there before. Because without the teachers, the school would be in ruins.