Teachers who play 'multiple roles' in school
With their many roles, homeroom teachers are seen by many students as family members, as second parents, replacing their families in educating and supporting them at school.
Encourage students to improve.
Cao Tran Duy Oanh is one of the students who was once scolded by teacher Van Anh simply for getting below-average scores on a test.
Three years ago, this male student took the entrance exam for Nguyen Xuan On High School but missed the required score by 0.4 points. Feeling discouraged, Oanh accepted a course at the Dien Chau District Vocational Training and Continuing Education Center and neglected his studies for a considerable period.
Knowing that Oanh was a talented student from a family with a tradition of academic excellence, teacher Van Anh always encouraged and motivated her to regain her motivation to study. After more than a year of perseverance, at the beginning of 11th grade, Oanh confided in her teacher that she wanted to study at the Armored Officer School and was determined to "start over".
I believe it's not about what school you attend, but what you've learned from the school you're attending. Over the years, I've always been grateful that my homeroom teacher and all the other teachers have trusted and encouraged us to improve.
Student Cao Tran Duy Oanh - Center for Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Dien Chau District
Having worked as a homeroom teacher for many years in a unique environment, Ms. Van Thi Van Anh, homeroom teacher of class 12A at the Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center of Dien Chau district, shared that it is a demanding job. However, the more difficult it is, the more persistent and resilient the teacher must be to support their students.
Ms. Van Anh added: "In our class, with over 40 students, there are over 40 different personalities. Due to varying circumstances, many students lack family attention, leading to rebellious attitudes, discouragement, and a lack of motivation to study. In accompanying my students, I have to understand each situation, listen to them, and be ready to share with them whenever they face difficulties or obstacles. In other environments, the joy comes from students achieving high academic results, but at our school, the fact that our students are well-behaved, conscientious, and ambitious is already a great gift for us teachers."
In other schools, graduating from 12th grade and going to university is normal. But in my class, it was a struggle for both the teacher and the students, demonstrating a change in the students' perceptions, awareness, and decision-making.
Teacher Van Thi Van Anh - Center for Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Dien Chau District
.jpg)
Starting from the 2023-2024 school year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, a teacher at Le Hong Phong High School (Hung Nguyen), was assigned to be the homeroom teacher for a class with quite a few problematic students, including those with academic and behavioral issues.
Based on this reality, she spent a lot of time researching the causes and trying to understand the characteristics of each student in order to develop appropriate educational methods.
Adding to this, teacher Nguyen Thi Oanh said: "Each student is unique, so in addition to understanding the student, I have to connect with the family, talk and share with parents, and agree on educational methods between the teacher and the family to ensure a consistent impact, helping students change in a positive direction."
Educating students with special needs is a challenging yet meaningful task. With the efforts of the school, teachers, family, and friends, every student has the opportunity to change, develop, and become a useful citizen to society.
Teacher Nguyen Thi Oanh - Le Hong Phong High School
Relatives of the students
"I enjoy being a homeroom teacher because I get to be close to my students," shared Mr. Nguyen Van Thuy, homeroom teacher of class 12 C6 at Ky Son High School. Mr. Thuy also stated that, as a computer science teacher, he usually just does his teaching duties and then forgets about it. But with the added responsibility of homeroom teaching, the teacher can sometimes be like an older brother or father figure to his students.
"Most of my students live far from their families, in boarding school, and their studies and daily lives are all at the school. Every day, there are many stories revolving around them, and the homeroom teacher has to dedicate a lot of time and effort to fulfill their role and responsibilities," Mr. Thuy further shared.
Driven by his passion for homeroom teaching, even though he is over 40, Mr. Thuy boldly registered to participate in the Provincial Excellent Homeroom Teacher Competition this year. The knowledge and skills he brings to the competition are the experiences he has accumulated over nearly 20 years of dedication to this unique profession.
Notably, in his report on proposed solutions, teacher Thuy presented a plan for training students to learn independently, with the main target group being the students of class 12C6, which he directly teaches.
In his presentation, Mr. Thuy also provided compelling examples. These included student Vi Hoang D., whose parents worked far away, leaving him without anyone to care for him, so he often slept in class, was slow to arrive, missed classes, skipped lessons, and smoked. Or student Ho Y K., who was in 12th grade but had already gotten married, leading to feelings of depression, less interaction with classmates, and frequent visits home.
After a period of encouragement from their homeroom teacher and help from their classmates, these students became well-behaved, serious, and focused on their studies.
A homeroom teacher always has to juggle many roles – that's the sentiment shared by Ms. Lang Thi Cuong from Ha Huy Tap High School (Vinh City), one of the 15 most outstanding teachers in this year's competition.
She also said that students in each region have their own unique characteristics. In the city, with many temptations from the environment, from friends, and from the internet, students face a lot of pressure.
Faced with these challenges, homeroom teachers must act as a bridge between families, students, and the school, playing multiple roles: sometimes a teacher, sometimes a friend, a father, a mother, an older sibling, and sometimes even a consultant, a "judge," or an "investigator," always listening, sharing, and understanding their students.
The job has never been easy, but we homeroom teachers have been doing it every day with all our love and responsibility. Over 24 years of teaching, the motivation for me to strive and work hard in my professional work as well as in my role as a homeroom teacher has been the trust and affection of parents, students, and colleagues.
Teacher Lang Thi Cuong - Ha Huy Tap High School
