Teacher of 30 years opens free classes for poor children

(Baonghean.vn) - "My life has been unlucky, I don't want future students to also suffer from inferiority complex because of illiteracy..."

That is the confession of teacher Pham Khanh Hoang, who has opened free classes for more than 30 years to help poor students with difficult circumstances in Hoa Hieu ward, Thai Hoa town,... Nghe An

Unfinished dream of university…

Pham Khanh Hoang was once the most outstanding student at Huynh Thuc Khang National School, class of 1955 - 1958. This is probably the only case where, although he did not pass the "mandarin" exam, never entered university, and did not have "high position and power", he was still remembered by teachers and friends for such a long time.

He was also the "favorite" student that teacher Ninh Viet Giao favored the most in the book Huynh Thuc Khang School Memoirs: "Many teachers remember Pham Khanh Hoang the most. He was small, clear, gentle, and always spoke softly. His family situation was difficult, he went to school and also worked as a bookkeeper for businesses in Vinh at that time to make a living, but Hoang was extremely good at studying, good at all subjects.

As for Literature, after reading Hoang's essays, when grading them, they were all bright, the ideas were coherent, the expressions were clear, the layout was balanced, and there was not a single word that had to be crossed out. It was a pity that the scale was not higher, the teacher would definitely give him a 5. However, Hoang's 5 was quite far from the 5s or 4s of his other classmates.

Teacher Pham Khanh Hoang (left) next to the memoirs about Huynh Thuc Khang High School; in the 1955-1958 school year, Huynh School had two 10th grade classes and all were excellent students selected from many provinces in the North Central region. Photo: My Ha

Good at studying, having “intelligence, having a great memory, studying so well that as soon as the teacher finished lecturing in class, he could memorize the lesson, as soon as the teacher gave the homework, he could finish it”, but Pham Khanh Hoang had to abandon his studies in grade 10. Recalling this sadness, he never blamed himself but understood that it was due to a historical period… After graduating from high school, leaving behind the sadness of not being able to continue studying at university, he went to the West to Nghia Dan to participate in teaching mass education.

Since then, he considered Nghia Dan as his second hometown and chose teaching as his "career". In 1978, when Nghia Dan had a policy to open Nghia Dan Gifted School, he was trusted by the local government to be the principal of the gifted school. 5 years later, the school was dissolved, he returned to teach at Thai Hoa Secondary School until his retirement.

With more than thirty years of teaching experience, he calls himself a "special" teacher. Because, although he is a teacher, he has never attended any teaching training course. However, this teacher is quite "multi-talented" as he can teach literature, math, physics, and chemistry. Admirably, in any position, he always "fulfills his role" and has many excellent and outstanding students...

Live a useful life

Having a “good hand” in teaching, since the days he was working in the education sector, many parents have entrusted their children to Mr. Pham Khanh Hoang. He himself is attached to this job for a simple reason: “For me, as long as my heart still beats, my head still thinks and my hands still hold chalk, I will still teach. Moreover, only then will I feel that I am still alive and have lived, and must live in a useful way”…

Teacher Pham Khanh Hoang's classroom is located in the old residential area of ​​Nghia Dan District Political School. Later, the local government gave him a favor and let him go at a low price because of his contributions to the education of his district. Photo: My Ha

Going to his class and listening to his lectures, it is hard to believe that he is 81 years old, but the "quality" of his former student Pham Khanh Hoang has not changed. Talking to him, the conversation is still slow but very concise... That style is very different when he stands on the podium, both serious but also tolerant and meticulous.

In Thai Hoa town, teacher Pham Khanh Hoang is famous not because he is a dedicated teacher, a good teacher, and often teaches poor students for free. He is also special because he is confident in accepting "blunt nose" students, poor students, and very poor students to train. Talking about the reason, he shared: Students are not inherently unintelligent, but because we teach them with the wrong method, causing them to have gaps in knowledge...

Mr. Hoang's classes started in the early 80s of the last decade and many families, fathers and sons have studied with him. The students who come to him are of different backgrounds but mainly come from poor families. Perhaps that is why, over the years, although he has opened extra classes, the collection of tuition fees has been rare or if there is any, it is "only equal to the tuition fees of other schools".

He himself, when accepting students, also had many very personal ideas: When accepting students to study, I always assure the family that even if the students do not know anything, if they study with me for only 1.5 months, I will return the knowledge to them.

To get the “secret” to success, Mr. Hoang’s formula is also very special: It takes 1 year to finish a textbook. But if you know how to “distill” knowledge into “high” and have good methods, students will absorb it effectively.

One of Mr. Hoang's "secrets" to tutoring weak and less successful students is to be strict in the teaching process, teaching ethics before teaching knowledge. Photo: My Ha

Not only does he help students practice, improve their knowledge and pass on to them the love for Math that is always full within him, he is also an example of lifestyle and humanity...

Each generation of students from here onwards look to the teacher as if they were a respected father or grandfather with all their gratitude and admiration. Also from his class, many students have grown up. Many students, although starting from zero, under the guidance of the teacher, have gradually gained confidence, passed the entrance exam to high school and become students of many universities.

Blackboard, white chalk, layers of students and lectures are also a strong motivation to help the old teacher forget his thoughts and the hardships of everyday life. Even happier is that thanks to that, he feels happy and useful because "I have contributed something to life and helped the children"...

My Ha