Blind student spreads passion for reading

TPO - Despite being visually impaired, Tran Bao Long, a 7th grader in Ha Tinh, always has a burning passion for reading. The student received the national encouragement award for Reading Culture Ambassador and the national excellent topic award for Reading Culture Ambassador for the visually impaired.

Tran Bao Long, a 7B student at Le Van Thiem Secondary School in Duc Tho District ( Ha Tinh ), was born into a poor family in Bui La Nhan Commune. Unfortunately, he has an eye disease, reduced vision, and can only recognize objects at close range.

With his hands wandering over the pages, Long pinched his eyebrows, holding the book close to his face to read each word. As he read, Long used his hand to fold and mark each unfinished page. Because of his visual impairment, Long read slowly, using his memory to record the content of the book.

Long said that since the day he started going to school, the boy went to school on the feet of his mother Vo Thi Nhiem (born in 1987). Because of his poor eyesight, he did not actively drive to class. “My parents are always by my side, guiding me step by step, helping me overcome difficulties in life. In my family, my father and grandfather are also visually impaired, maybe I was affected, inherited from my father and grandfather. Every time I study, I press my eyes close to the book to look, my face down close to the notebook to write down each word,” Bao Long shared.

Tran Bao Long is blind but has a passion for reading.

The path to school to find knowledge for Bao Long was not easy, because of difficult family circumstances, but the student still made an effort to improve. That determination came from the stories his mother told through the pages of books. Long gradually loved, enjoyed and was passionate about reading. Long shared that each book he read opened up a new world , a bridge to the vast world, where everything that seemed inaccessible became closer.

“In particular, I found empathy when reading a book called “Close Your Eyes and Look at the Stars”, which was given to me by an uncle. This is the autobiography of blind musician Ha Chuong. After reading the book, it helped me to be confident, live with determination and never stop hoping for the future”, Long shared.

Every time he reads a book, Long has to hold it close to his face to see the words clearly, and when he writes, he has to bend down very close to the page.

Also after reading this book, with the encouragement of his teacher, Bao Long made a clip introducing his feelings about the book "Nham mat gat sao" and sent it to the Reading Culture Ambassador contest in 2022. His diligence in reading books and conveying the story of that determination helped Bao Long win 2 awards for reading culture organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. These are the national encouragement award for Reading Culture Ambassador in 2022 and the only national excellent topic award for Reading Culture Ambassador in 2022 for the visually impaired.

Bao Long shared that reading books not only helps him gain more knowledge, but also opens up a new hope and future for himself from those pages. Long knows his passion, his strengths and focuses on pursuing his own dreams.

Inspirational reading

Mr. Tran Van An (born in 1981, Bao Long's father) is also visually impaired, but his father still works as a construction worker to earn money to support the family. Long's mother works in the fields and takes Long to school four times a day to learn.

In Bao Long's small study corner, there are neatly arranged books, filling the shelves. That place is not only a place to store books but also a place where the student finds joy, a desire to learn, a source of motivation for Long to overcome difficulties. Every day, after each break, Long takes the opportunity to run to the library to find and borrow books to read at home. He likes poetry collections by author To Huu, literary works... Long also shares his passion for studying Math and Physics, his dream of becoming a Math teacher, imparting knowledge to students.

Long is an example of perseverance in overcoming difficulties.

Being visually impaired means that his ability to look at the board is limited. To ensure his studies in class, Long receives help from his teachers and classmates in taking notes. After each class, Long borrows his friend's notebook to carefully write down the lesson.

Knowing that he is inferior to his friends in terms of observation skills, Long always tries to focus on using his ears and memory to record information about the subject. “Although I am visually impaired, I always try to be confident and integrate into the class with my friends,” Long shared.

In 2022, Long won the national award for outstanding writing as the only Reading Culture Ambassador for the visually impaired.

Ms. Cao Thi Thanh Thuy - Head teacher of class 7B, Le Van Thiem Secondary School said that every time he reads a book, Long has to hold the book 7cm away from his face to read clearly, and when writing, he has to bend very close to the page. Although studying is quite difficult, Long always tries his best and achieves good academic results.

"Despite his limited vision, Long is a determined student with good learning awareness, always studying hard and reading diligently. Long is also the one who spreads the awareness of reading to many classmates. In addition to the help of the school's Board of Directors and teachers, Long also receives a lot of support from his classmates, because he cannot see the board, so he mainly listens to class and asks his classmates to read and write. Long's situation is that of a poor household in the locality," Ms. Thuy shared.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Trung - Principal of Le Van Thiem Secondary School (Duc Tho District) said that every year the school organizes activities to encourage students to read books, creating opportunities for them to explore the rich world of knowledge. As for Tran Bao Long, a student of class 7B, despite his difficult family circumstances and unfortunately being visually impaired, he always strives to study hard, becoming a shining example of perseverance.

Hoai Nam

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cau-hoc-tro-khiem-thi-lan-toa-niem-dam-me-doc-sach-post1730227.tpo