"Teachers Village" Phan Dang Luu

(Baonghean) - That is the village named after the famous revolutionary intellectual - Phan Dang Luu in Hoa Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. The village has 120 houses but there are more than 200 people working as teachers, each house has at least 1 person, each house has 7-8 people, so in addition to the name Phan Dang Luu village, there is another "name" which is "teachers village"...

Teacher's Village

Phan Dang Luu village is like a giant inkstone located in the south of Hoa Thanh commune. The modern feature of the village is that there are a few high-rise buildings but overall it still retains its old features, still the dark brown tiled roofs hidden under the peaceful green bamboo hedges. But and Nghien islets are still there as the eternal symbols of a land of learning.

A corner of Phan Dang Luu village.

We visited the village on a sunny morning, and as soon as we reached the village entrance, we heard children babbling while studying. Mr. Phan Xuan Luc, Secretary of the Party Cell of Phan Dang Luu village, said: Our village has always valued and placed education first. This village is not as rich in material things as other villages, but it is rich in knowledge. The most unique thing is that the village has only 120 houses, but more than 200 people are teaching. The village's teachers have all levels of qualifications, teaching from preschool to university, many of whom are principals, vice principals, and work in education management... According to Mr. Luc, the number of teachers in the village who have retired and are currently teaching is enough to open 4 schools. Not to mention the dozens of students in the village who are currently studying at teacher training colleges.

In the village, there are many families with 3 to 4 generations in the profession of "knocking children's heads", many families have parents, children, in-laws, grandchildren who are all teachers. Families with a "platoon" of teachers such as the family of Mr. Phan Dang Khai (12 people), Mr. Phan Xuan Chau (6 people), Mr. Phan Xuan Thu (7 people), Mr. Phan Dang Chuan (5 people)... We went to the house of Mr. Phan Xuan Chau, a former teacher at Phan Dang Luu High School, and saw him reading a book. He said: Even though I'm retired, I still have to read and improve my knowledge to teach the children in the village. After graduating from high school, I put down my pen and went to the battlefield to fight the Americans. After the war, I returned to continue my old dream and became a high school literature teacher. Mr. Chau married a woman who was also a teacher and had 3 children. Following in their parents' footsteps, his children are now high school teachers and have defended their master's theses. Including his in-laws, his family currently has 6 teachers.

Mr. Phan Dang Chuan teaches free of charge to students in the village.

Following Mr. Chau's instructions, we went to Mr. Phan Xuan Khai's house, where he and his wife are teachers. His six children all studied well, including the young scientist Dr. Phan Xuan Hieu - one of the 10 outstanding faces awarded the Golden Globe Award in 2013. Currently, his family is a "platoon" of 12 teachers including their sons-in-law. Mr. Khai said: Teaching is a traditional profession of the village. During the most difficult years, the salary was not enough to live on, but he and his wife and the teachers of the village still stuck with it, no one quit the job. This is the most special feature of the village. The village has many teachers, so it is very convenient for educating children. That is why the land and people here are very kind, pure and also very intelligent.

Not only families with a tradition of teachers, but also many farmers with a few acres of contracted land but also raised their children to be educated, such as Mrs. Nguyen Thi Han's family with 7 children, all 7 of whom are teachers. Mrs. Han said: "My life is so poor in education that I value people who are good at education, trying to save money to raise my children to become mandarins and scholars..." Teacher Phan Dang Chuan, Chairman of the Hoa Thanh Commune Association for the Promotion of Education, said that currently in the whole Hoa Thanh Commune, there are more than 1,000 teachers, but Phan Dang Luu Hamlet is the most typical. Perhaps our commune has the largest number of teachers among all the villages in Nghe An. Every time Vietnamese Teachers' Day or Tet comes, generations of students from all over the place flock to the village to visit their old teachers, as if they were going to a festival. The village is filled with flowers. That is the greatest happiness of the teaching profession.

Village of learning

Phan Dang Luu village used to have another name, Dong village, Ha Thanh. This is a cultural land with thousands of years of history. According to the Geographical - Cultural - Historical records of the commune, this land is famous for its tradition of studiousness, one of the cradles of the best scholars and students in Yen Thanh district... Since ancient times, the village has reserved a part of its land as "school land" to give to poor students who are good at studying and passing exams. Here, there are families and clans that have continuously had people with high scores for many generations and many dynasties. Many of them have become mandarins, teachers in the royal court... In particular, the village is the place where the outstanding revolutionary intellectual Phan Dang Luu (1902 - 1941) was born and raised.

Continuing that tradition, Phan Dang Luu village has always carried out the study encouragement movement well for generations. According to teacher Phan Dang Chuan: The study encouragement movement, the study encouragement association of the village and the clans here have existed since ancient times. Every year on September 2 (before the first day of school), the village and the clans organize meetings, encourage and award prizes to children who excel in their studies. The reward fund was established by the village's successful children to promote the village's tradition of studiousness. The association will help families in difficult circumstances so that their children can pursue their studies to the end. This is a spiritual encouragement that is not easy to obtain for generations of students in the village.

Every day at 7pm, the village loudspeaker will sound to remind students to study; the village security team will go to check. Any family that obstructs or affects their children's study time will be reminded, and repeated violations will be reprimanded on the village radio. Thanks to that, the self-study of the village students has become a habit. In addition, the village also has a Teachers' Association. This is the meeting place for retired teachers. The Association not only organizes many meaningful activities such as: Visiting, encouraging, sharing joys and sorrows and difficulties in life... but is also a place to share difficulties and experiences in the teaching profession for teachers who are standing on the podium,...

Because of being born in a village with many teachers and a learning encouragement movement like that, the students of the village in every period have excellent students at all levels, with the highest rate of admission to universities in the district. Up to now, the number of doctors in the village has reached dozens. Typically, Mr. Phan Dang Dieu's family has 3 children who are doctors and currently hold important positions in research institutes and state agencies. Almost every field has children of the village participating, including professors, doctors, musicians, poets, writers... some are high-ranking officials of the Party, government, and organizations from the central to local levels.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Duc, Chairman of Hoa Thanh Commune People's Committee said: No matter the circumstances, wartime or peacetime, Hoa Thanh still maintains its position as the leading educational unit of the district. Phan Dang Luu village is considered a traditional teacher's craft village, one of the typical villages promoting the movement of studiousness, encouraging learning, and encouraging talents of the commune and district to develop and spread more and more.

Article and photos:Tien Dung