Teacher Lan Anh's unique "measuring stick"

The first "pillar of support"

Ms. Lan Anh has appeared in the media many times, but never about herself. In her most recent appearance, more than a week ago, Ms. Lan Anh shared about a student with particularly difficult circumstances. That student is...Nguyen Thi Hoai(Born in 2007, from Trung Long hamlet, Xuan Lam commune).

Hoài is an orphan, having lost both her parents. She achieved high scores on her university entrance exams but had to put her dream of attending university on hold due to a lack of tuition fees. At the same time, her aunt, who lived with her, fell ill with a serious disease, and Hoài herself suffered a serious accident, leaving her with a significant financial burden for treatment… Hoài's story was shared by Ms. Lan Anh with reporters from Nghe An Newspaper and Radio & Television, and received support and contributions from many individuals and organizations.

When the accident happened, the first person Hoai thought of and called for help was Ms. Lan Anh, her history teacher in high school. What's remarkable is that many students, like Hoai, thought of Ms. Lan Anh first when they needed help. They knew she was always ready to listen and find ways to support them.

“A few days ago, I connected with my journalist friends to write an article about a student, now a university student, who comes from a disadvantaged background and is at risk of dropping out of school. After connecting with my contacts, this afternoon a benefactor stepped forward to provide monthly financial support for tuition and living expenses for that student. Hearing the news, both the teacher and the student were overjoyed,” teacher Lan Anh confided, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Not only does she pay attention to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but among her students, Ms. Lan Anh also focuses on two other groups: diligent and academically gifted students, and students who are not yet well-behaved or academically strong. While she leverages her connections to provide professional, emotional, and material support to diligent students, helping them focus on their studies, guiding them towards career paths, and enabling them to contribute to society in the future, she patiently supports and spends time with the less well-behaved students.

“Currently, many students in rural areas are addicted to gambling and social media. In these cases, I always investigate thoroughly, then bring them home for meals, care, and conversation so they can open up. I share advice with parents, supervise and encourage their studies, provide free tutoring and career guidance. I show them more patience and understanding than I would for my own children, and they all feel it and try their best to listen to me. As a result, many students who initially scored only 3 or 4 points on mock exams and were at risk of failing to graduate have later been admitted to university. Those results make me happier than any of my own achievements,” Ms. Lan Anh recounted.

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"Everyone has their own mission and way of doing things. But for me, teaching is about focusing on the students, using their success as the measure of my profession. I hope that this society will have many good values, and I will strive to ensure that my students become those good things."

Teacher Tran Thi Lan Anh

Before her "special" students enroll in university, she personally writes letters of recommendation to professors at the university level, asking them to continue guiding and mentoring them, and to connect them with relatives and acquaintances to help them find jobs after graduation. Ms. Lan Anh makes the most of her relationships with teachers, friends, and former students to ensure that no matter where her students are or what they do, they will always receive care and support.

During her years as homeroom teacher, Ms. Lan Anh personally visited the homes of all her students to understand each of their circumstances. Despite helping her students so much, Ms. Lan Anh had one principle: she never revealed her birthday to them. Instead of receiving gifts, she always advised her students to show their gratitude to their teachers through their attitude, through thankfulness, and through diligent effort in their studies. She believed that only by living with gratitude could they succeed and become good citizens.

Ms. Lan Anh said: “Everyone has their own mission and way of doing things. But for me, teaching is about focusing on the students, using their success as a measure of my profession. I hope that this society will have many good values, and I will strive to ensure that my students become those good things.”

Continuously improve and learn.

This is also one of Ms. Lan Anh's guiding principles in her work and life. She believes that if teachers want their students to be diligent in their studies, they themselves must be diligent in their studies to set a good example for them.

“When I study seriously and am always eager to learn, my children, my students, will listen to my advice, reminders, and teachings. Most importantly, I go to school because I feel happy to learn, to make new friends, to have new teachers, and to gain a lot of valuable knowledge,” Ms. Lan Anh shared. Currently, this history teacher is pursuing four programs simultaneously: a second degree in English, a conversational English course, an intermediate-level political science program, and a Master's program in History at Vinh University.

To motivate her students, Ms. Lan Anh incorporates English communication into many of her History lessons. Although it's only at a basic level for students to understand, this contributes to fostering a love for foreign languages ​​and understanding their importance today, aligning with the Ministry's policy of using English in all subjects.Educationand training. Not only that, in her lessons, Ms. Lan Anh also incorporates many lessons on interpersonal skills, life skills, career guidance, etc., for her students.

The workload of teaching, time spent with students and studying, and family demands that Ms. Lan Anh organize her time and create a scientific daily plan. Every available moment is filled. Thanks to this, even when she has to call to advise or provide support to students, she never runs late, forgets tasks, or misses any plans. “I believe that my personality, choices, and lifestyle are nurtured and influenced by my family. In the past, my parents' family was very poor, but they were always willing to give. My parents were often the mediators, always thinking of others and accepting disadvantages themselves. My father was a soldier; he was strict and meticulous. Later, when I went to school, I was fortunate to meet good teachers, which shaped my dream of becoming a teacher, and I have finally lived this dream to the fullest,” Ms. Lan Anh shared.

Sharing about her teacher, Nguyen Thi Phuong Nhu, a student from the Faculty of History Education at Vinh University, confided: “During the first class of the Introduction to Pedagogy course, when the lecturer asked why each person chose to study this field, I couldn't help but want to stand up and share. Before, I was very afraid of History – afraid it was dry, afraid it was difficult. But since entering high school and studying with Ms. Tran Thi Lan Anh, I have had a completely different perspective. With her engaging teaching style and gentle yet profound guidance, she has made History lessons come alive, making me passionate and wanting to learn more about the glorious history of our ancestors. She is the one who ignited in me the flame of love for History, the one who inspired me to choose the path of becoming a teacher so that one day, I can also pass on that passion to the next generation of students, just as she did with me. She taught me not only the glorious history of our nation, but also It also taught me how to live, how to love, and how to keep the flame in my heart burning brightly.”