Those who sow the seeds of knowledge on the misty mountaintops.
Dao Tho•November 10, 2024 18:13
They are teachers with decades of experience, climbing mountains and crossing streams to reach remote border villages in Ky Son district to teach. For them, the greatest happiness is seeing their students attend school regularly and live in the loving care of their teachers.
Huoi Poc VillageHuoi Poc (in Nam Can commune, Ky Son district) is considered one of the most difficult villages in the border commune of Nam Can. Located more than 10km from the national highway, the road to Huoi Poc is steep, with a sheer cliff on one side and a deep ravine on the other. The climate here is cold and foggy all year round. Photo: Dao ThoDue to difficult transportation, Huồi Pốc currently has Nậm Cắn 2 Primary School and a branch of Nậm Cắn Kindergarten located in the village, aiming to facilitate access to education for local students. Nậm Cắn 2 Primary School is situated at the highest point of the village, on top of a hill, with 7 classes and 156 students, of which 92% are poor or near-poor, mainly from the Mong and Khơ Mú ethnic groups. Photo: Đào ThọMs. Kha Thi Lien, a teacher at Nam Can 2 Primary School, shared: "I have been teaching in Huoi Poc for 6 years. Although my house is only about 30km from Huoi Poc, there have been many weeks when I had to stay overnight because the journey was very difficult. Especially when going to..."rainy seasonLandslides can occur at any time. During difficult times when transportation is impossible, teachers here receive help from local people and border guards, which gives them some peace of mind. Photo: Dao ThoTeacher Nguyen Van Duc (from Yen Thanh district) has 13 years of experience teaching in Huoi Poc. "In 2011, when I came to Huoi Poc, there were no roads. We had to crawl under the forest canopy along narrow paths to get to the school. I was born with a disability, and when I volunteered to go to Huoi Poc, I didn't think it would be this difficult. Those days of carrying my shirt over my shoulder and climbing uphill for three hours left everyone exhausted, but seeing the well-behaved students eager to go to school made us teachers love this land more than ever," Mr. Duc confided. (Photo: Dao Tho)According to Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Principal of Nam Can 2 Primary School, most of the students at the school (from Huoi Poc and Pa Ca villages) come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Due to the need to earn a living, many parents have left their villages to work in factories in the South, leaving their children in the care of grandparents and teachers. Besides teaching, the school must also care for the children's living conditions and meals. Therefore, even though only 19 students are in the boarding program, to ensure better learning conditions for all students, the school has to contact benefactors to secure additional meals for the other students. Photo: Dao ThoBelow Nậm Cắn 2 Primary School is the Nậm Cắn Kindergarten branch. It has 3 classes with 84 students, taught by 3 teachers. Every day, from early morning, the teachers have to go down to the foot of the mountain to welcome the students to class. Photo: Đào ThọTeacher Lo Thi Thanh Hien said she has been teaching here for 21 years. Before there was a school, she had to teach in people's homes. Due to the difficult conditions of the village, the teachers had to switch teaching locations with each other every 3-5 years. (Photo: Dao Tho)According to Ms. Hien, teachers like her, despite facing many difficulties, find great happiness simply in seeing their students attend class regularly and living and learning under the full care of their teachers. Photo: Dao ThoOn the summit of Huoi Poc, the November 20th Teachers' Day may not feature expensive gifts, but the bouquets of wildflowers that the students made for their teachers became priceless gifts beyond measure. Photo: Dao Tho
