The second mother of Khmu students

Behind you there is always teacher!

Recalling the happy and sad memories of 18 years of teaching, Ms. Nguyen Thi Long (born in 1977)'s eyes sparkled with happiness when she told us about her little student Moong Thi Ngoc in Dinh Son 1 village (Huu Kiem commune, Ky Son district). This is a very special student of the Khmu ethnic group, whom she has accompanied and taken care of since she was a child, and later passed the Banking Academy entrance exam with a fairly high score. Now she has graduated with a bright future.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Long is one of 91 teachers with outstanding achievements in the period 1982-2022 of Nghe An province to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Ms. Nguyen Thi Long has known Moong Thi Ngoc since 2007, when Ngoc was in 3rd grade. Right from the first lesson, she was impressed by the outstanding intelligence of that little student. To encourage her, she accompanied, shared and wholeheartedly cared for each lesson.

However, when Ngoc was in 5th grade and did not come to class, Ms. Long had to go to Dinh Son village where she lived to find out. It turned out that during the summer months, she had to go into the forest with her parents to look after the fields. The distance from the fields to home was quite far, so each trip often lasted for months. Knowing the story, she and her colleagues immediately found a way to get to her. After traveling nearly 3 hours on a steep hill, the image of the small student with a dirty face urged her to do something to bring her back to studying.

A lesson of students at Huu Kiem Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities. Photo provided by the character

And then she decided to convince Ngoc's parents to let her live with her. Even though, at that time she had two small children, the whole family had to live in a rented house full of deprivation. But she knew, if she did not act, she might lose her future.

After picking up the student, she took care of his meals, sleep, and tutored him in Math and Literature. After that, he steadily achieved high results in the excellent student exams. This turning point gave him more motivation to awaken his desire to study and complete the next levels of education well. After graduating from primary school and entering new environments, even though she was no longer by his side, she was still his spiritual support in moments of weakness or when facing difficulties in life.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Long (born in 1977, yellow shirt) was born in Thanh Chuong but has been associated with Huu Kiem Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities since 2005. Photo provided by the character

Situations like Ngoc's are not rare in Huu Kiem Primary School - a school with 6 campuses located in the commune's villages. The school has nearly 430 students, mainly Thai and Khmu ethnic groups. Among them, more than 100 Khmu children have to stay at the school due to the difficult terrain, and can only visit home on weekends. Being young and far from home, for the children, teachers are like fathers and mothers to rely on during their childhood years.

To be close to students and parents, teachers in the school must learn Thai and Khmu languages ​​together, and at the same time help ethnic minority students to be able to use the common language fluently before entering higher levels of education. With enthusiasm for this, Ms. Long had the experience initiative "Help Khmu students pronounce the common language correctly". This initiative was then highly appreciated and widely applied in teaching practice at the school. With many innovations in her profession, in 2012, she achieved the title of National Excellent Teacher. For many consecutive years, she has maintained the title of Provincial Excellent Teacher, Grassroots Emulation Fighter and Provincial Emulation Fighter.

Recently, Ms. Nguyen Thi Long was also one of 91 teachers with outstanding achievements in the period 1982-2022 of Nghe An to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. This is truly a great pride for a teacher working in a remote area.

After many years of dedication and effort, Ms. Nguyen Thi Long has been recognized by all levels and sectors and awarded many meaningful Certificates of Merit and Merit. Photo provided by the character

Worrying after ferry trips

For Ms. Nguyen Thi Long, Luong Thi Phuong is probably the name that brings up the most regrets after 18 years of teaching. She said that Phuong was born in the same year and studied in the same class as Moong Thi Ngoc. However, her life did not have a happy ending like Ngoc's, but suffered many difficulties because her family wanted her to drop out of school early to get married and follow her husband to China.

Since she left to marry and live abroad, Ms. Long has been constantly sobbing when remembering her good student. Even though she was still young, she always knew how to behave and how to bring joy to those around her. The day she followed her husband to China was also the day Ms. Long cried a lot.

After many years of losing contact, a great joy came to her in 2021, when through social networking sites, Phuong contacted her. Knowing that her student was still healthy, she was very happy. However, that happiness could not stop her from regretting that she could not keep her student in her studies, and regretting her student's future.

Remembering her student Luong Thi Phuong, Ms. Long could not hold back her tears. Photo: Thanh Quynh

"The Khmu people depend on the forest for their livelihood, so they have to go on long trips to the fields for months. Poverty and hardship limit their thinking, so few people care about their children's education. There is not enough food, clothes, and books, so sometimes teachers have to use their small savings to support the children. Now that society has developed, the children have received more attention and support from all levels, sectors, and philanthropists, but it is not easy to eliminate the gap. That is also the concern of the teachers here," Ms. Long confided.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Long and her colleagues are still working hard every day to bring the words closer to the students. Although there are still many hardships and difficulties ahead, they always have a boundless love for the profession, just like what Ms. Long shared: "We always encourage our students to study with peace of mind, because behind them there are always teachers!"