Enhancing the heart and responsibility of a teacher.

(Baonghean) - Nghe An has always been honored as a land of learning, one of the cradles of traditional education in the country. This tradition plays a crucial role in inspiring teachers to strive to be exemplary role models of "morality, self-learning, and creativity," truly being both morally upright and professionally competent, earning the trust and confidence of students, parents, and society as a whole.

Brighten the heart

Teacher Hoang Ky is 83 years old this year. He retired more than 20 years ago, but throughout that time, his small house in Quang Tien Hamlet, Hung Binh Ward (Vinh City) has never been without students. Almost all of the students who come to him have special circumstances, including many orphans and those from impoverished families… Caring for this free class is truly a joy and a source of happiness for Teacher Hoang Ky.

Free class taught by teacher Hoang Ky.

In 1988, after retiring from Huynh Thuc Khang High School (Vinh City), teacher Hoang Ky and his colleagues opened Nguyen Truong To High School. This was the first private high school in the province at that time. During his 18 years as Vice Principal of the school, his biggest concern was the quality of the students. Many students, due to poor academic performance and inability to keep up with their peers, became discouraged and dropped out, leading to delinquency. Based on this reality, after retiring, he decided to open tutoring classes at his home, primarily to provide remedial instruction, helping weak students consolidate their knowledge and instill confidence and enthusiasm for learning in them.

The first class opened in the early 2000s. Since then, dozens of generations of students have been directly guided and taught by teacher Hoang Ky, and many have graduated and passed entrance exams to many prestigious universities. He shared: "Every teacher wants their students to be good and excellent students. In reality, for various reasons, many students still fall behind the curriculum. A dedicated teacher should not create a sense of distance from students like that. On the contrary, they need to be close, wholeheartedly encourage and help them. I take on tutoring for weak students to help them improve, which is difficult and challenging, but when they achieve results, the joy is many times greater."

Students from the Nghe An Vocational Training Center for People with Disabilities express their gratitude to their teachers.

In reality, fulfilling the responsibilities of a teacher in the current context of schools and the national education system in general is not easy; unless teachers confront the practical difficulties and continuously improve their professional qualities and overcome their limitations.

Ms. Vo Thi Thuy Linh, an English teacher at Nguyen Truong To High School (Hung Nguyen), shared: “In the recent high school graduation exam, 252 students from Nguyen Truong To High School (Hung Nguyen) took the foreign language exam, but only 7 students scored 5 points. I was very sad and reflected on my responsibilities. Perhaps the students' abilities were limited, but if we had been more attentive and dedicated, and provided more suitable lesson plans and teaching programs, the results would certainly have been much better. This is also a lesson for us to seriously learn from and develop more practical solutions for this school year.”

Teacher Hoang Viet Thang, Head of the Physics Department at Nguyen Truong To High School (Vinh City), shared: “The pressure always weighs heavily on schools with low enrollment numbers. At our school, most students have average academic abilities, and many are even weak. This also affects their personalities; many are unruly and difficult to manage... In such circumstances, teachers who only know how to teach academics will fail. We have to understand and grasp the psychology of each student and gradually guide them. We must teach character, teach how to interact with others, before we can think about teaching academics and knowledge…”

Traditional casting

At Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School, the province's top-performing school, teachers are constantly grappling with their responsibilities as educators. Sharing her thoughts on this, Ms. Tran Thi Minh Nguyet, a Russian language teacher, recalled the difficulties she faced 12 years ago when she was transferred from teaching English to teaching Russian at a specialized school: “At that time, I was very worried because I hadn’t used Russian for 15 years.”

Teachers and students of Phan Boi Chau High School celebrate their victory.

There were times when I almost gave up. Later, many people asked what helped me overcome those difficulties. I have to say that I had to constantly reflect on the heart of a teacher, the responsibility of imparting knowledge so that students would be attached to the subject, to the school, and to the class. From there, I determined that I had to strive to improve my professional skills and fulfill my teaching duties…”

At Nghi Tan Primary School (Cua Lo Town), there is a special class for students with disabilities. This is also the only school in the entire province implementing this model. This creates opportunities for disadvantaged students to attend school and learn in harmony with all normal students. Mr. Nguyen Tien Minh, the school principal, said: “Previously, when we decided to seek approval from the department to open this class, we were very concerned because for a long time, students with disabilities have usually studied separately in specialized schools...”

Overcoming difficulties, thanks to the determination and efforts of the school's teachers and staff, the class for students with disabilities gradually stabilized and gained the trust of parents in the area. Many parents from neighboring communes in Nghi Loc district, such as Nghi Thiet, Nghi Hop, and Nghi Quang, have also come to enroll their children. Even now, some students are 15 or 16 years old, and their parents still wish for the school to allow them to continue their studies.”

Speaking about her work, Ms. Luu Thi Hue, the teacher in charge of that special class, shared: “When I first received the assignment to teach in this class, I couldn't sleep all night because I couldn't imagine what it would be like to teach students with special needs. But the more I became involved with the class, the more I loved this job. Because even though the children have many limitations in their understanding, they are very affectionate; they always yearn to go to school and learn to read and write. When the teachers are dedicated and loving towards them, the children reciprocate that love and respect, are well-behaved, and strive to improve”...

There are many more heartfelt concerns and shared experiences from teachers. Currently, the national education system is receiving immense attention from society, especially as the education sector is accelerating fundamental and comprehensive reforms in education and training. There are many different viewpoints and perspectives on the difficulties and limitations in education that urgently need to be addressed… This context, first and foremost, demands even greater dedication and responsibility from teachers standing on the podium.

Dan Ha