25 years of helping children integrate into life.

For over 25 years, teacher Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu (born in 1979) has accompanied, supported, and helped many generations of underprivileged students at Tuong Lai Special School in Da Nang city to confidently integrate into life.

Ms. Hoai Thu teaches alongside her students.

Understand your students with love.

After a short time working in preschools, by chance, in 2001 Ms. Thu transferred to work at Tuong Lai Special School in Da Nang city and has been there ever since.

Entering a completely new educational environment, Ms. Thu inevitably faced initial challenges and uncertainties. Getting acquainted with the psychology, personalities, and communication styles of the students required a great deal of patience. The pressures of teaching sometimes caused her to ponder and reflect on her work.

Initially, Ms. Hoai Thu primarily taught hearing-impaired students. For these students, the biggest challenge was the communication barrier. They couldn't express themselves verbally, so they often became emotionally agitated when others didn't understand them. To connect better with her students, she learned sign language and how to observe their every glance and gesture. From those initial awkward moments, she and her students gradually understood each other better, and the students' learning also improved. Many students became more open, confident, and integrated into society.

She realized that behind those rebellious behaviors were wounded and disadvantaged souls. Her initial worry gradually gave way to love for the children. With perseverance, Ms. Thu became accustomed to and gradually immersed herself in their world , and her love for her profession began to take root without her even realizing it.

Teacher Hoai Thu and her students at Tuong Lai Special School share their joy on graduation day.

The teacher recalled that when she first started teaching, a student slapped himself so hard that both cheeks turned bright red. At that time, she was inexperienced and didn't know how to intervene effectively. That feeling of helplessness stayed with her for many years and also became the motivation for her to continuously improve her professional skills, participate in training courses, and learn new educational methods to better understand her students.

Later, she was assigned to teach a class with autistic and developmentally delayed children. This was also a period of great pressure for her, as almost all the old methods were no longer suitable. The students had difficulty concentrating, often engaged in individualistic behavior in class, and did not want to interact with anyone; each student had different characteristics.

Determined to accompany and support the children, the teacher has always been patient, calm, and observant, employing individual approaches to each child to ensure effective teaching. These are skills and lessons taught repeatedly, dozens or even hundreds of times. Even small improvements in students, such as sitting still for a few extra minutes or actively playing with friends, bring joy to the teacher for days.

When love becomes the greatest method of education.

For the past two years, she has been caring for Vy Thi Thu Thuy, a hearing-impaired child from Kon Tum, sent to her care by her parents. For her, the biggest pressure isn't the care itself, but the responsibility. Children with special needs cannot express their emotions or needs like normal children. Through patience and daily closeness, the little girl gradually changed. From a shy child, she began to integrate with her friends, participate in arts and culture activities, and happily go to school every day.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu (far left) receives the Certificate of Merit as an Outstanding Teacher at the awards ceremony of the Da Nang City Department of Education and Training, academic year 2021-2022.

In recent years, teacher Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu has continuously learned and explored new teaching methods and appropriate initiatives to help her students progress. Typical examples include: "The Geometric Model Initiative to Help Hearing-Impaired Elementary School Students at Tuong Lai Special School Learn Mathematics Well" in the 2021-2022 school year; or the "Multifunctional Window for Hearing-Impaired Students at Tuong Lai Special School" initiative... These initiatives are not simply teaching support methods but also stem from her love for her students.

Over 20 years of dedication to the Tuong Lai Special School in Da Nang, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu has accompanied many generations of students with diverse backgrounds and personalities. Through her interactions with these students, she realized that the most important thing is not to force them to change immediately, but to truly listen and understand the reasons behind each behavior. It is the students themselves who have taught her to be more patient and to love with genuine empathy.

Throughout her tireless journey of teaching, she was honored with the title of Outstanding Teacher of Da Nang for the 2021-2022 school year. However, for her, the greatest reward is not those titles, but witnessing her students grow and become more confident in life day by day.

Ms. Hoai Thu shared: "Over the past 20 years, I have realized that my greatest 'achievement' as a teacher is being able to impart knowledge and love, helping children who were once shy and withdrawn to smile, to hope, and to confidently move towards the future."

MINH LY-NGOC GIANG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/25-nam-cung-cac-em-hoa-nhap-cuoc-song-post965553.html