Letter from a student in Saigon who spent three years in first grade to his former teacher

Receiving a "teacher's love" letter from a 13-year-old student who had to repeat first grade twice, teacher Chi was moved to tears.

These past few days, Ms. Huynh Thi Phuong Chi (40 years old), a teacher at Thanh Loc Community Learning Center (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) has been opening her bag from time to time, rummaging through the letter from her former student, smiling happily. The bright pink letter with clumsy handwriting and many spelling mistakes was from Chau Tuan (13 years old), currently in 4th grade.

The letter Chau Tuan wrote to Ms. Chi.

"Tuan's family is very poor, his parents work for hire in District 12. A few years ago, Tuan entered first grade at the center, and after three years I let him move up a grade because he was a poor student," said Ms. Chi.

Yesterday morning, while teaching first grade writing, Tuan shyly asked permission to meet, then he hesitantly gave this letter to his old teacher with the message: "I wish you a Happy November 20th."

Reading the letter, Ms. Chi smiled, because she realized that the lessons she had taught Tuan were written in the first few lines, and the following lines were the student's personal story. The letter was a bit awkward in expression but full of emotion.

"I'm so happy, I read it over and over again, I love my student so much and feel his true feelings for me," she said, her voice filled with emotion.

"Pick up a pen and I want to write a poem,

You gave me the whole sky of knowledge,

Write about your childhood with her,

She taught me my first steps in life,

She still remembers the old days when she used to teach,

No knowledge, no success.

It's been a year since I left my familiar class, my teacher's study and play hours, and the rows of shady trees that provided shade on my way to school.

Her health is different now. Her hair is gray, her voice is weaker than before, but her smile remains unchanged.

Maybe because she always loves us, that's why every time I encounter difficulties, I often think of that old smile and tell myself that I will overcome it.

If we always know how to smile, nothing can stop us.

Today is the anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20. I wish you health, faith, and to always overcome the storms.

Time, please stop so we can bow our heads once more. Calling you teacher with faith and love..."

Ms. Chi is teaching first graders at the center.

Thanh Loc Community Learning Center is located in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Saigon and is home to over a hundred students, mostly children of migrant workers. They cannot afford to go to formal school so they are sent here.

The teachers at the center, most of whom are "non-professional" because they come from many different professions, teach children on a voluntary basis. "The children here are poor but very emotional. On holidays, the children draw cards on exercise paper and give them to the teachers," Ms. Chi shared.

Nearly 20 years ago, Ms. Chi graduated from Banking University with a degree in Accounting. After working for a few months, she had a traffic accident. Due to poor health, she could not work so she stayed home to help with the housework.

In 2007, she was introduced to the teaching center as an unpaid volunteer, without allowance, and has been with the center until now.

Vietnamese Teachers' Day greeting cards from poor students at the center.

Currently, Ms. Chi and many other teachers at the center do not receive salaries, only receiving allowances for teaching hours, less than one million VND per month. However, everyone brings joy every time they go to class with the children, teaching with all their heart with the hope that they will be able to read and write, and later find a job to ease their hardships.

According to VNE