A day with the teachers and students of Thỉn village.
Regarding Thỉn village, the common name for Team 3 of Khe Mọi village (Lục Dạ commune - Con Cuông district), I heard the village head, Vi Văn Tiên, excitedly announce: "The village now has someone in secondary school!" I was both surprised and happy because in nearly 25 years, since the first family settled here and formed the village, this is only the second school year that Thỉn village has had someone studying at such a high level. It was surprising because this small hamlet isn't particularly remote or isolated.
(Baonghean)Regarding Thỉn village, the common name for Team 3 of Khe Mọi village (Lục Dạ commune - Con Cuông district), I heard the village head, Vi Văn Tiên, excitedly announce: "The village now has someone in secondary school!" I was both surprised and happy because in nearly 25 years, since the first family settled here and formed the village, this is only the second school year that Thỉn village has had someone studying at such a high level. It was surprising because this small hamlet isn't particularly remote or isolated.
When I first visited Thin village in late 2009, the highest level of education in this Dan Lai village was only about a dozen fifth-grade students. This level of education was possible because the village had a primary school; otherwise, reaching the fifth grade would have been a significant challenge. The only way to get to the commune center was to trek up the mountain for about 8 kilometers. And to reach the village center, one had to take a 3-kilometer trek. So, isn't it a miracle that the students in Thin village have progressed to secondary school?
Mr. Tien explained to me that for the past two school years, the students from Thin village have been provided with meals and accommodation outside of school by their teachers, which is why they have the opportunity to continue their education. His words reminded me of an article I wrote last year about how the Dan Lai students from Thin village were given dormitory rooms by teachers at Luc Da Secondary School so they could live there while studying. Now, the teachers are even providing meals, so the students are very happy and just want to stay outside of school forever.
I rushed back to visit the school. The principal was away. Vice-Principal Trinh Dang Khoa led me to the boarding students' dormitory. Among the students was La Van Mann, a 7th-grade student who still remembered me. He pulled me into the room and proudly showed me, "We just got new iron beds, Uncle. The blankets and uniforms are also brand new." Just last school year, 8-10 students had to share one bed, but now each student has their own bed with their name on it, neatly arranged. Teacher Luong Thi Huyen said, "We haven't paid for these beds and blankets yet. The principal bought them on credit. I don't know if they'll come demanding payment this Tet." Mr. Khoa added, "The teachers in the school also contributed, but it's still not enough because the cost of all these facilities alone is about ten million dong. But keeping the students from Dan Lai here to study is enough to make us happy."
I suddenly remembered a story told by my English teacher, Luu Thanh Bang: In previous years, every weekend the principal would form a team to go to the Thin village to persuade parents to let their children attend 6th grade. They usually had to go at night because during the day most villagers were in the forest gathering bamboo shoots and roots. Many parents didn't remember their children's ages, only recalling: "My wife gave birth to him five years ago in a field on the hill over there." After dozens of trips to the village to persuade parents, they finally managed to get 11 students to attend class. Persuading parents to let their children go to school was difficult, but keeping them there was equally challenging, requiring determination and sacrifice from the teacher for the sake of the students.
Teacher Luu Thanh Bang instructs students in English.
So, day after day, outside of class hours, the teachers became "nannies" for the students: taking care of everything from meals to laundry until the children got used to learning to be independent. In addition, the teachers taught the students how to grow vegetables to improve their meals. They taught the students to wake up on time and break the habit of sleeping in. The teachers who stayed at the boarding school also took on the role of supervising the students.
Compared to schools with many boarding students, caring for the dozen or so Dan Lai students at Luc Da School is somewhat less strenuous for the teachers. Teacher Luu Thanh Bang likened it to: "Our school has few boarding students, like a family with few children; we have the means to take care of each one individually." However, the determination to encourage all students of school age in Thin village to attend 6th grade seems very difficult. During the past school year, two male students dropped out. Ultimately, this is because their parents don't pay much attention to their children's education, even though these students are not bad at school and enjoy attending classes. When the teachers went to the village to persuade the students to return to class, Thin, who was halfway through 6th grade, had to drop out because his parents forced him to. As the group left, the boy stood at the door watching them go, seemingly wanting to go to school very much. His parents, however, wanted him to stay home to look after his younger siblings, and in a few years, when he was a little older, he would go to the forest to gather food because no one has land to cultivate anymore.
Boarding students at Luc Da Secondary School doing household chores.
Teacher Bang lives more than 30 kilometers away from the school. It's not too far, but ever since Dan Lai joined, he's volunteered to stay and tutor the students in English. The teachers who live closer to the school each take advantage of their evenings to give extra help to the students.
That night, I stayed overnight to "visit" Mr. Thanh Bang and got to try out the empty iron bed of student Thin. With a clean blanket and mattress, I had a good night's sleep without dreams, yet some students still skipped school. At 5 a.m., students La Van Mann and La Van Em, sleeping in the bed next to mine, got up and turned on their lights to study. The girls in the next room got up to sweep the yard and wash dishes. And so, another day began for the Dan Lai boarding students at Luc Da Secondary School. I called the principal to say goodbye and asked about the school's efforts to soon achieve national standards. The principal laughed: "National standards are important, but keeping students from Thin village at the school is just as important."
Text and photos: Huu Vi
