The silent ferrymen

(Baonghean.vn)They - the people who work hard every day on the podium, devoting all their heart to imparting knowledge to students, sowing the seeds of knowledge for them and silently waiting for the day of sweet fruition. They are the teachers in remote areas who overcome all difficulties and obstacles to "carry letters to the mountains"; or the teachers in special education environments - teaching children with disabilities; and the old teachers who have completed their mission of "ferrying" people across the river but still quietly open charity classes, they are the ones who have contributed to raising the dreams of many poor students...

The heart of teachers in the highlands...

At the beginning of the new school year 2011-2012, I had the opportunity to go to Ky Son for work. Storm No. 2 swept in, and the flood swept away all the desks, chairs, books, teaching aids, and teachers' offices at Muong Tip 2 Primary School (Ta Do village, Muong Tip commune). After the storm, the school was covered in mud, desolate and ruined. We were heartbroken when we saw the teachers with dirty hands digging through the mud, looking for books and remaining supplies; our hearts ached when we saw the teachers collecting each broken brick, picking up each tile to rebuild the classroom in time for the new school year... Without natural disasters and storms and floods, the "sowers of knowledge" in these highland villages would have had enough hardships. To get the children to go to school, they had to go to each house to persuade and mobilize the parents; when the children lacked books, food, and clothing, they were willing to spend their own money to help them even though their income was not worth much.

I still remember the story of a kindergarten teacher in Keng Du (Ky Son) who had to wake up at dawn, cross several mountains, go to the children's houses to wake them up, then take them to class; in the afternoon, she had to take them home. That is the story of teacher Cut Van Tien, Keng Du Secondary School, who is taking care of 3 students in his temporary house built right next to the school so that they can have the conditions to study. Teacher Tien confided: "The students are staying far from home to study, so it is very difficult. I am also facing difficulties, but I try to help them as much as possible. Teachers and students have each other when they are hungry or full."

Math class of teachers and students at Nghi Phu 2 Primary School (Vinh City)

Students in the highlands are mostly poor, lacking food, clothing, and attention from their parents. In addition to imparting knowledge, teachers also take care of the children's meals to alleviate hunger, clothes to protect them from the cold, and encourage them to go to class and school to learn to escape poverty. We truly appreciate the work of the teachers of Chau Hanh Primary School (Quy Chau), each teacher deducts from their salary to cook 2 meals a week for students from remote villages. Thanks to the warm meals of the teachers, the students go to school more regularly and are more obedient. How precious is the heart of teacher Lu Dinh Ngoc (Chau Hanh Primary School), who returns to his hometown to ask for old clothes from neighbors to give to poor students, so that they do not have to shiver in patched, patched clothes...

So we can see, teachers in the highlands do not simply go around “sowing knowledge”. Their work, their silent deeds are so precious and worthy of respect.

Special teachers

At the Provincial Vocational Training Center for the Disabled, teachers become special teachers of special students. There, the burden of caring for “special students” has turned the teachers here into fathers and mothers. Taking on and making up for the lives that carry many shortcomings of creation, the teachers of the vocational school for the disabled come to class not only as normal teachers.

During his time working at the Provincial Vocational Training Center for the Disabled, Mr. Tran Van Mao could not remember how many times he was sleeping soundly in the middle of the night when he heard the phone ringing, and he quickly woke up. The other end of the line informed him that his student was lost. He quickly grabbed his shirt and took a bus to the announced location to pick up his student. His students, who were disabled, had abnormal mental and physical health. The Center was close to National Highway 1A, so they often got on buses and got lost...

As for teacher Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong, the memory of her first day teaching at the Center is a special, unforgettable memory in her life. That day, during class, she was enthusiastically teaching when suddenly a ruler flew up to the podium and "landed" on her. In pain and too surprised, she burst into tears, while her students were dancing and laughing beside her. And she also didn't know how many times she almost had a heart attack when she witnessed the scene of a student climbing a royal poinciana tree, slipping and falling but still laughing out loud, or the scene of a little girl biting her teeth until a whole wall was peeling off...

More than 200 students study at the Center, each with their own circumstances, most of them are impaired in hearing, seeing, speaking, some are affected by cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities. Most of them live far from home, and their family circumstances are difficult. The teachers here, in addition to their responsibilities as teachers, must also have love for their students, treating them like their own children, like younger siblings, in order to be patient, wholeheartedly hold their hands to draw each stroke of the letter; teach each needle and thread, each carving and engraving on wood. They teach a lot, with the heart of a teacher, but when the students change their temperament, the teachers become "nanny" at any time...

The happiness of the teachers here is the growth and maturity of the students. Their only wish is that after they graduate, they will have a job so they can cope with life and reduce some of the burden on their families and society.

Diligent retired teacher

Mr. Phan Duc Ai, Vice President of the Provincial Association of Retired Teachers, said: “Currently, the province has nearly 23,000 retired teachers, the rate of membership in the Association of Retired Teachers is 85%. Retired teachers, despite their advanced age, are still actively participating in local mass movements, especially in the movement to encourage learning and talent. Many teachers with years of experience standing on the podium, now return home to open charity classes to tutor poor students without charging fees...”

That is teacher Ho Xuan Thanh (Hung Tien, Hung Nguyen) who has opened dozens of charity classes for poor students in the area for the past 3 years. In 2008, teacher Thanh, a teacher at Hung Khanh Primary School (Hung Nguyen) officially retired. No longer standing on the podium, but with the wish to take care of the education of children in the village and commune, he bought tables and chairs, cleaned a house and opened a free class for students in the area every Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to his class, poor students in this low-lying rural area have made remarkable progress in their studies; many of them have become excellent students at school and in the district. And more importantly, from his valuable work, many retired teachers in the commune have followed suit, opening free classes for students, such as: Ms. Tam, Mr. Nuoi, ​​Mr. Hanh...

That is NGUT La Van Bon (Chau Son village, Chau Khe commune, Con Cuong), after 40 years of contributing to the cause of educating people, now approaching the age of 80 but still has a strong passion for the education of the children of the Thai and Dan Lai ethnic groups. Every day, he still diligently explains the students' questions, tells them stories about Uncle Ho, and enriches the knowledge of students in this difficult area. He actively participates in all social activities of the village and commune, especially the work of encouraging learning. "I hope that the children of Dan Lai will love and know how to learn Uncle Ho's words, so that they can constantly progress, turn knowledge into food, help the Dan Lai people soon escape poverty, and progress with the Kinh and Thai people...", the old teacher confided.

Although retired, teachers with many years of experience working in the education sector still actively contribute to the cause of educating people in the locality: opening charity classes; advising localities on building educational development plans; organizing seminars on building standard schools... In particular, in districts and communes, former teachers play a pivotal role in the local education promotion movement. Typically, in Quynh Luu district, 38/42 communes have Presidents of the Education Promotion Association who are retired teachers; in Anh Son, 70% of the education promotion staff are former teachers; in Dien Chau, 87.5% of Vice Presidents of the grassroots Education Promotion Association are retired teachers...

Teaching - The most noble of all noble professions, a profession that is not only about imparting knowledge to students, but more importantly, educating human personality. Therefore, teachers, in addition to responsibility for their work, need to have love, a heart, and devotion to their students. On November 20, the day to honor teachers, we would like to send our best wishes, like a bouquet of fresh flowers, to the silent ferrymen.

Thanh Phuc