Maintaining the passion for the profession amidst many hardships
After nearly 10 years of working in a border commune, Ms. Sung Thi Tang - a teacher at Pa My Kindergarten (Nam Ke commune, Dien Bien) - still maintains a love for the profession and the love for children in the highlands like her own children.
"Life at the border is still lacking, but I always tell myself to maintain confidence and responsibility in the profession, to bring them meaningful hours of studying, bright smiles" - Ms. Tang shared.
Born into a farming family, attached to the fields all year round, she understands the difficulties of the people in the mountains better than anyone. It is the encouragement and sharing of parents and relatives that has become a solid spiritual support, helping her feel secure in staying in the border area, continuing the journey of teaching children in the highlands.
She recalled that in the early days of her career, sometimes it was raining heavily and the road was slippery, she had to walk from 6am the previous morning to 3-4am the next morning to get to the school. Or once, the school was located near the river, the raft was swept away by the water, she had to wade across the river, cross the stream to get to the other side to continue teaching.
"Many times I walk to a school far away, having to stop at another village to eat," she said.
Working in border areas, difficulties are a constant thing. She shared that the classrooms were cramped, with little facilities, and few learning materials - most of them had to be done by themselves. Children are mainly ethnic minorities, and their Vietnamese language is limited, making teaching more difficult.
"In particular, people live in scattered places, so it is not easy to encourage parents to send their children to class. Some students have to drop out of school to help their families. At times like that, I feel pain in my heart" - she confided.
In addition, income is still a big difficulty for teachers. She said that when she was a contract teacher, her starting salary was only about 1.9 million VND/month. Although he was later recruited and his income improved, it was still not enough to cover his current living expenses.
"There was a time when I thought about quitting my job and trying to do online business to earn more income. However, above all, I am still steadfast in my profession. For me, the teaching profession is not only a job but also a mission" - Ms. Tang shared.
After nearly a decade in the profession, Ms. Tang has witnessed many generations of students growing up. There are students who are still shy when they first come to class and do not know how to speak the common language, but thanks to her dedication and enthusiasm, they are gradually becoming more bold and confident every day.
"With the motto "Taking children as the center", I always consider the joy and development of students as a measure of my success" - Ms. Tang expressed.
Go to your child's house, learn a language to understand them
Also stemming from the love of children and the dream of bringing children, bringing love to them, Ms. Vu Thi Hai Binh - a teacher at Trung Chai Kindergarten (pa Tan commune, Lai Chau) - decided to stick with the teaching profession, even though she knew that this path was still difficult.
She shared that after more than 14 years of working in the profession, especially at schools in mountainous areas, she has experienced many difficulties and challenges, both in life and teaching.
"On the first day of my assignment, I had to cross a bridge and follow a slippery and rugged trail on the hillside, it took me many hours to get to the school. That arduous journey was the first challenge on the journey to sow words in the highlands" - she recalled.
Not only are they steep, the roads are difficult to travel, she also has to face the language barrier. Many students do not understand common language, so teaching in class is difficult.
"In the past, my colleagues and I regularly went long distances after school, went to each family's house to chat, listen and learn to understand the children better" - Ms. Binh said.
Thanks to patience and love, she learned their language to better understand students. Since then, she has gradually taught children to get used to common speech and letters, while building trust and interest in learning in students in border communes.
"Although the job is hard, for me, every smile, every single look in the eyes of my children is a precious reward, an additional motivation for me to continue to sow words and love in the highlands" - Ms. Binh shared.
