Gratitude to the "ferrymen"

(Baonghean.vn)- These days, the familiar song "Song of the People's Teacher" is being sung everywhere with very special emotions.

Teacher's Song

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh (born in 1989) has been an Art teacher at Luong Minh Primary School (Tuong Duong) for 5 years. Previously, the school had 2 Art teachers, but recently one of them changed jobs, so Ms. Thanh has to take charge of Art for 38 classes at 9 schools. Therefore, this subject must be taught in a rolling manner, after finishing teaching at one school, she will move to another school.

Combined class in Khe Linh village, Keng Du commune, Ky Son district (Photo: Nguyen Khoa)

Her house is outside Cua Rao, the farthest distance from the school is 50km. If the weather is favorable, she goes in the morning and returns in the evening, which is 100km of forest road each day. Many days, when she gets home, it is already dark. Looking at that small, skinny teacher, it is hard to imagine "riding alone on a horse" over mountain passes and through forests at dusk.

On rainy days, the road would collapse, many sections would be buried under the earth. On one side was a ravine, on the other side was a landslide, only the local boys who were “hard-working” drivers dared to go, but the teachers had to stay at school. There were times when they had to stay for a whole week. The food and drink were miserable, needless to say, the most frightening thing was that there was no electricity, no clean water to use. When it rained, the stream water flowed, the turbine (mini hydroelectric power plant) could not operate. The teachers had to use flashlights to prepare lessons. When the batteries ran out, they used oil lamps. Each room in the office building had only 2 individual beds, the bed slats were almost all broken, and an old wooden cabinet. In the light of the flashlights, the teachers used chests as tables to prepare lesson plans.

Ms. Cut Thi Xao (born in 1994) is the newest teacher at the Xop Chao village school (Luong Minh Primary School) and is also the only female teacher at this school. To get to school to teach students, Ms. Xao has to travel 3 stages: by motorbike, by boat and on foot for more than 1 hour. Most of Xao's students are Khmu. They do not speak Kinh fluently, which greatly affects their ability to absorb knowledge.

Lesson plans often go beyond the regulations on the number of periods because there are parts that teachers have to persistently teach over and over again until students can understand them. “Most of the students here are children of Khmu and Thai descent, and their circumstances are extremely difficult, so it is a great effort on the part of their parents to let them go to school. Many students go to school but do not have enough books and learning materials,” Xao shared. Like other colleagues, Xao advances his salary to the town to buy books, pens and paper for his students. When asked what he would use to make up for it, Xao just smiled because letting the students continue to go to school is not his own wish. If students had to stop going to school because of a lack of books and notebooks, Xao would be very sad.

Special gifts

November 20th in highland schools is very touching and meaningful. The gifts teachers receive are just wild banana flowers, cans of sticky rice, bunches of mustard greens or simply wild flowers picked along the road... But how precious and precious they are, because they are all the feelings, respect and gratitude that parents and students of ethnic minorities give to their teachers, those who are considered as their own children. A teacher in Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son) told us a funny but touching story on the November 20th holiday.

That year, he had just arrived in this border area to teach and was assigned to be the homeroom teacher of grade 7. The day the school had just finished holding a rally, he had to go to Muong Xen Town. He returned to school after noon and saw a group of 7 students waiting in front of the door. He opened the door to welcome them into the room to chat. At this time, each student took out a little sticky rice from their bag to give to the class monitor to give to the teacher. It was estimated to be more than 1 kg of sticky rice.

Flowers for teachers. Photo: Dao Tho

Surprised, the teacher asked: "Where did you get the sticky rice to bring to me?" The class monitor quickly answered: "Before that, you guys agreed that whenever you go to the fields to help your parents harvest rice, you would ask your parents for some to bring back and give as a gift to me." That special gift moved the teacher to tears. A warm holiday, receiving a special gift, that was something he would never forget.

Mr. Dang Dinh Chinh, Head of the Youth Union of Nam Can Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities (Ky Son) said: 100% of the school's students are Mong ethnic people. Every year, on November 20, students here always have "special" and surprising gifts to give to their teachers. On November 20 last year, students from Lien Son and Tham Hin villages each carried a bundle of Shan Tuyet tea on their shoulders to give to their teachers. It turned out that when they had free time, teachers invited each other to visit the village and conveniently asked for some fresh tea to drink. Seeing this, students brought tea to give on November 20. So on November 20 that year, the dormitory of teachers and teachers of Nam Can school was full of green tea.

Teacher Dang Dinh Chinh said, his voice filled with emotion: “A parent from Nam Khien village came to congratulate the head teacher. After sitting for a while, he hesitantly took out a few eggs from his pocket and gave them to the teacher. After a moment of surprise, the teacher's eyes filled with tears upon receiving the gift.”

So, on November 20, teachers in the highlands receive great joy. Most precious is the heart of students and villagers for those who sow letters in the highlands.

In lowland schools, students organize competitions and performances to welcome: "Good singing voice for teachers and students", flower arrangement competitions, aerobic dance competitions; making wall newspapers and magazines. Especially the "Gratitude Pen" competition with sincere and touching articles sent to teachers: "No matter how many Teachers' Days there are, we still cannot express our gratitude to teachers. No matter how many words we write, we still cannot express our gratitude to teachers.

Therefore, nothing can repay the students more than their present efforts, their future success; as well as their noble character and extensive knowledge as the best gift to give to our ferrymen. As Golobolin said: "If the engineer is happy to see the bridge he has just built, the farmer smiles at the rice field he has just planted, then the teacher is happy to see the students growing up. Let us, teachers, take your place in beautifying this life!"

Mong students give gifts to teachers on November 20

Not only receiving affection from parents and students, teachers also receive attention from local authorities and organizations. To celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day this year, provincial leaders organized working delegations to visit and present gifts to schools in the province. Each locality organized activities to express gratitude to teachers. Leaders of Hoang Mai Town visited, congratulated and presented gifts to teachers at schools in the mountainous commune of Quynh Trang, the coastal commune of Quynh Lap and Hoang Mai High School.

These are special units, coastal areas, difficult mountainous areas, in recent times have made many efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning, contributing significantly to the implementation of the tasks of the education sector of Hoang Mai Town. Acknowledging the results achieved at all levels, listening to the thoughts and proposals of local leaders and those working in management at schools, in order to best serve the teaching and learning needs of each locality.

More than 200 officials and teachers of the education sector in Nghia Dan district were truly moved during the discussion to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day organized by the district. Former teachers, now having the opportunity to meet each other, were both happy and sad, and were kindly visited and encouraged by the district leaders; were gratefully acknowledged and encouraged, the dedicated retired ferrymen now have more motivation to contribute and foster the cause of educating people through practical work in the locality such as: Teaching free of charge to poor students; participating in the work of promoting learning and talent;...

Bouquets of flowers, bright 10s, poems, songs from students to their teachers; gratitude from parents; and attention from leaders at all levels are the happiness and motivation for dedicated ferrymen to be steadfast in their profession, enthusiastic about their students, and to light up many dreams for the future "green buds" of the country...

PV - CTV