Obsessed by illiterate children
In 1997, when I first went to Hon Chuoi island for work, the most haunting image for Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc, Deputy Head of Mass Mobilization Team, Hon Chuoi Border Guard Station (Cai Mau Provincial Border Guard) was not hunger or material deprivation, but the sad eyes of children because they did not know how to read. "The children worked very hard, many children were barefoot, in poor clothes, not enough to eat. But the most heartbreaking thing was that they did not know how to read. That was what motivated me to do something," Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc recalled.
In 2010, when he was transferred to work for a long time at Hon Chuoi Border Guard Station, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc and his unit advised on building classrooms for children on the island. In the early days, classrooms were almost non-existent except for the soldier's determination. Tables and chairs were lacking, boards had to be borrowed, classrooms were temporarily built, and people's awareness was still limited. At one point, he spent nearly two years just to mobilize and persuade people to send their children to school.
In those days, many people did not believe that soldiers taught literacy. I had to prove it with the students' own academic results" - Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc shared.
Not formally trained in pedagogy, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc self-studied, self-researched lesson plans, and learned from mainland teachers over the phone, through rare leaves. His class is a multi-level combined class, sometimes combined with 5-6 classes in the same room. "To do it, the teacher must firmly grasp the knowledge and have classroom control skills. Otherwise, the lesson plan will be'broken' immediately," he shared.
After nearly 16 years of attachment to the special class on the remote island, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc has directly taught nearly 100 students. Time has passed, the letters sown in the remote island have gradually sprouted. Many of teacher Phuc's students have now grown up, some continue to study further, some learn a trade, stabilize their lives. What makes that special teacher happiest is not the achievement, but the fact that they know how to stay away from social evils, know how to live decently and be responsible to themselves and their families.
The happiest thing for me is not achievement, but when I see the sad eyes of the past being replaced by a smile" - Lieutenant Colonel Phuc said emotionally.
Currently, the classroom on Hon Chuoi island has become an official school point of Song Doc Town Primary School, with sufficient legal basis for students to take exams and grade up according to regulations. "Many years ago, I had to'catch students' because people did not value learning. But now, despite the storms, parents still prioritize their children going to class first" - Lieutenant Colonel Phuc said with a smile.
Attached to the island for a long time, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc has repeatedly asked his superiors to let him stay for longer than the regulated rotation period. "Not because I am better than anyone, but because I love the young children. Between me and the children, there is an invisible thread that is very difficult to break" - he said.
Children are literate, know how to dream
The young children on Hon Chuoi island still have shyness when contacting us reporters with hesitant eyes or holding hands tightly on the back of adults' shirts... However, just mentioning the name "Mr. Phuc", the atmosphere immediately changes. The children's eyes light up, their faces relax, mixed with pride and very natural respectful feelings.
Nguyen Hoang Hao (a 5th grade student on Hon Chuoi island), shyly stood leaning behind the classroom door, but when asked about his teacher, the boy said clearly, not hiding his excitement. "Mr. Phuc teaches me many subjects, from Math to Vietnamese. When I don't understand the lesson, he relectures many times. When he is free, he also teaches me extra lessons for younger students in lower grades" - Hao shared. For the little student, teacher Phuc is not only a person who conveys knowledge, but also a support for him to be more confident, know how to share and help others.
Not only with Hoang Hao, but all other students on the island are also familiar with calling Lieutenant Colonel Tran Binh Phuc by the affectionate name "teacher". For them, the image of a teacher in military rank has become as close as family members. The teacher is the one who calls them to wake up every morning to class, reminding each student to hold the pen correctly, correcting each already trembling handwriting, patiently lecturing amidst the sound of waves and the salty sun of the sea and islands.
For parents on Hon Chuoi island, teacher Phuc is not only a teacher, but also a person who sends faith in the future of their children. Ms. Truong Hong Mo (born in 1986) - a resident living on Hon Chuoi island shared: "In the past, people here only thought that their children going to sea on a boat was enough to live on. And studying was still a luxury. Since teacher Phuc came, the children have learned to read, calculate, and dream. No matter how difficult it is now, we try to send our children to school.
Ms. Truong Hong Mo shared that the persistence and dedication of border guards has changed their thinking. Many times, teacher Phuc had to go to each house to mobilize and persuade people to send their children to class. Some families initially were skeptical and did not believe that soldiers could teach literacy, but then the learning results of their children have become the clearest proof.
Amidst hundreds of conditions of scarcity, the classroom on the island is still maintained regularly. Old tables and chairs, writing boards worn down over the years, books are cherished as precious assets. Teacher Phuc is both a teacher, a class manager, and a father and older brother. When students are sick, he comes to visit them at home; when they lack books and pens, he finds ways to manage and connect support sources from the mainland.
