U80 students
I am arranging to focus on studying IT to prepare for the bachelor's degree in French distance learning program. Although I have experienced many emotions every time I meet, I still cannot hide my surprise when I learned that teacher Huynh Thi Thu (Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap) sprints to study a bachelor's degree in French when she had passed the "recent" age.
Surprised because before that, Ms. Thu had 3 bachelor's degrees, behind each of them was her iron will for the spirit of studiousness.
In 1970, because she liked to be an elementary school teacher, Ms. Thu registered to study at Vinh Long Pedagogical School. However, when they learned that she had graduated from the Second Tu tai, the teachers encouraged her to transfer her to the pedagogical university of Can Tho University (now Can Tho University).
Although entering school late than her friends in the Vietnam - China Department, Ms. Thu gradually reduced the gap and graduated, becoming a Literature teacher since Bread of7.
Exactly 20 years later (1993), when many colleagues were busy with the matter of husband and children, single teacher Huynh Thi Thu registered to study for a bachelor's degree in English organized by Hanoi University of Foreign Languages in Dong Thap.
After 4 years of being both a university student and a teacher at a high school, Ms. Thu completed her bachelor's training program and returned to school to continue teaching Literature until her retirement date (2007).
While her colleagues are enjoying their old age, Ms. Thu continued to register to study and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Chinese Language, course 18 (2017-2021) from Dong Thap University when she turned U80 (born in 1952).
At a conversation on the sidelines of the event of receiving a third bachelor's degree, Ms. Thu expressed her will: "After a few years, when Dong Thap University opens a major in French, I will register to study for a fourth bachelor's degree".
After 3 years of waiting but still not seeing it, Ms. Thu traveled through Can Tho City to register to study under the distance learning system. However, after a period of warm-up, she decided to stop. "Stop, not give up" - Ms. Thu decided - "Because this method of learning requires high IT skills, I plan to return after focusing on the IT course."
However, that is not the end, because this U80-year-old woman has made a determination to study her whole life: "If my health allows, after getting a bachelor's degree in French, I will learn more German".
Learning to fight back
I study only with the goal of fighting my backwardness in life - Ms. Thu made me more impressed with her learning motivation. reality has proven that after receiving her new university degree, she has no desire to change jobs or job positions.
In 1997, when she graduated with a bachelor's degree in English, although she still had 10 years left to retire and had enough basis to ask the school to schedule for additional English subjects because she lacked teachers, she did not do so because she wanted to help her colleagues have more overtime income and because before that, she had determined: study to know more foreign languages that are popular in society and not to spell them incorrectly when writing the exam, checking English subjects on the board.
For Ms. Thu, studying is to open up knowledge for herself and to help others. Even when she had to "pay a price" very high, she was still steadfast in this mindset.
That was my first time studying for a Bachelor's degree in Chinese Language. After discovering that she was the "last" in class because she enrolled in a paper dictionary, while the whole class used an electronic dictionary, she had to undergo a "transformation". Not criticizing 3 million VND to buy a smartphone, she also had to start learning to learn about technology with her hands in a hotel bottle because of the constant speed of life and her blurred eyes due to time.
"In the first days of getting to know each other, I almost never had a lunch break, because I went to every friend in the class to ask them to teach me" - Ms. Thu recounted. And to shorten this gap, she put herself in a situation where if she did not make an effort, she would be pushed behind her children and grandchildren. Not only does she stay up early every morning to study like when she was a student, she is always present all day of school, rain or shine.
According to Dr. Tran Thanh Tam - lecturer in the Chinese Language Department (Faculty of Foreign Languages - Dong Thap University) - Ms. Thu is often the last student to leave the class because she always helps her friends and teachers answer questions in her studies. "It is Ms. Thu's passion for learning that spreads new inspiration in my study" - Dr. Tam sincerely.
