"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, many houses have 7-8 people, so in addition to the name Phan Dang Luu village, there is another "name" which is "teacher village"...

Teachers' Village

Phan Dang Luu village is like a giant inkstone located in the south of Hoa Thanh commune. The modernity of the village is the presence of a few high-rise buildings, but the overall appearance still retains its old features, with dark brown tiled roofs hidden under the peaceful green bamboo hedges. But and Nghien islets are still there, symbolizing the land of learning for thousands of years.

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 the 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 do educational management work... 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 following the profession of "teaching children", many families have parents, children, in-laws, grandchildren who are all teachers. Families with entire "platoons" 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: "I am retired but I still have to read and improve my knowledge to teach the children in the village." After graduating from high school, he put down his pen and went to war against the Americans. After the war, he returned to continue his old dream and became a high school literature teacher. Mr. Chau married 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, he and his wife are teachers. His six children all studied well, the most prominent of which is young Doctor of Science 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 in-laws. Mr. Khai said: Teaching is the 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 to teach 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 have raised their children to be educated, such as Mrs. Nguyen Thi Han's family with 7 children, all of whom are teachers. Mrs. Han said: "My life is so poor that I value people who are good at reading, trying 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 everywhere 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 for Promoting Education

Phan Dang Luu village in the past also had another name, Dong village, Ha Thanh. This is a cultural land with thousands of years of history. According to the Locality - Culture - History 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 passed 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 promotion movement well for generations. According to teacher Phan Dang Chuan: The study promotion movement and the study promotion 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 students who do well in their studies. The reward fund was established by the village's successful children to promote the village's tradition of studying. 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 of 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 movement to encourage learning, the students of the village at all times have excellent students at all levels, with the highest rate of admission to universities in the district. Up to now, the number of PhDs in the village has reached dozens. Typically, Mr. Phan Dang Dieu's family has 3 children who are PhDs 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 of whom are senior 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