The heart-touching story of a teacher who has taught in a border area for 23 years

(Dan Tri) - On rainy days, Ms. Bien Thi Deo saw her students wearing banana leaves, hugging their notebooks tightly to their chests, giggling, and boasting: "Teacher, I memorized the lesson today!" Her eyes were stinging but her heart was warm...

Ms. Bien Thi Deo, a teacher at Hung Dien Primary School (Tay Ninh) is one of 221 faces on the list of nominated teachers to be honored in the program "Sharing with teachers 2025" organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training .

Sowing the seeds of knowledge from the family foundation

Born into a family of 9 siblings, Ms. Deo's childhood was associated with going to the fields with her parents and studying in the evenings under a flickering oil lamp and an old wooden desk.

Teacher Bien Thi Deo has been with students at Hung Dien Primary School, Tay Ninh province for 23 years (Photo: Organizing Committee).

However, her parents always encouraged their children to pursue the value of knowledge. They always told them: “The only way to escape poverty, rise up in life, and change their lives is through education.”

That spirit of her parents entered Ms. Deo's mind, becoming the motivation for her to pursue the teaching profession, sowing small seeds of knowledge to her students.

Since graduating in 2002, Ms. Bien Thi Deo has been attached to this primary school in the border area for 23 years. Here, seeing the innocence and progress of her students has helped her understand herself and the career she is pursuing.

Her students were mostly children of poor farmers, some of whom had to walk several kilometers over red dirt roads and through fields to get to school. Many students entered the classroom barefoot, wearing worn-out clothes and lacking books. Behind them, she saw the children's hopes and aspirations.

There were days when it rained heavily and the road to school was slippery. She saw students wearing banana leaves, hugging their notebooks tightly to their chests, giggling and boasting: “Teacher, I memorized the lesson today!” Her eyes stung but her heart felt warm.

There was a shy student who cried when she heard her name called to read. Ms. Deo encouraged her to read each word, each sentence until she raised her hand to read. “The students gave me such small but sacred moments, engraved in my memory of my teaching career,” Ms. Deo shared.

Ms. Bien Thi Deo and her students (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Innovate to make every lesson a journey of discovery

Working in a difficult area, Ms. Deo believes: "Students in border areas need lively and easy-to-understand lessons so that they see learning as fun."

In each lesson, she skillfully combines storytelling, learning games, group activities and makes use of available materials such as corn kernels, pebbles, sticks, dry leaves or discarded plastic bottles to help students understand the lesson faster.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Kieu, Principal of Hung Dien Primary School, said that with her dedication to her profession, in the 2023-2024 school year, Ms. Bien Thi Deo was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister.

She also boldly applies information technology to teaching by designing vivid lessons with images, videos and online games. She creates an open learning environment, encourages students to discuss and present their opinions so that they can both acquire knowledge and practice communication skills, critical thinking and confidence in front of a crowd.

Teaching in the border area, Ms. Deo deeply felt the painful days of loneliness and homesickness, especially the first days away from home. There were times when her parents were sick, and she could only confide in them through short phone calls. There were days when she was in class, she was restless, her heart heavy with worries.

At those times, the joys of her job, the clear eyes, the innocent smiles of her students and the sharing of her colleagues gave her strength.

Students, colleagues, and people in the Hung Dien border area are the second home to teacher Bien Thi Deo (Photo: D.B).

“In this border area, my students, colleagues and local people are my second family. They and I also find happiness in the school, the place where we are attached,” Ms. Deo confided.

Every day at school with Ms. Deo is a day for me to learn how to be a friend, a sister, and a mother to my students. Each teaching hour not only gives students knowledge but also instills in them confidence in themselves and hope for the future.

Give love to keep students

Students with difficult circumstances are one of the groups that Ms. Deo pays special attention to when she understands that there are gaps behind them. Most recently, in the last school year, her class had a case of a student who was orphaned, whose mother worked far away, living with her elderly grandmother. The situation made the student feel inferior, withdrawn, and decline in his studies, and he was at risk of dropping out of school.

From her experiences in the profession, Ms. Deo has faith in education with love (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Thinking of doing something for her students, she launched a “share the love” movement in the class to support each other. She organized study groups for her students to participate in and connect with their friends. After school, she visited her grandmother and gave her practical gifts.

From that program, she saw the progress of her students through improved learning results, more joy, and active participation in class activities. What she received was not only the results from her students but also for herself, she saw the effectiveness of combining education with love, accompanying and supporting students.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/cau-chuyen-lay-dong-trai-tim-cua-co-giao-23-nam-day-hoc-o-vung-bien-20251106121508282.htm