Teacher 'lights fire' in border areas for 18 years, helping students avoid eating cold rice

Overcoming difficulties to light a fire in the border area

In 2008, carrying with her youthful enthusiasm and desire to sow the seeds of knowledge, teacher Nguyen Thi Mai (born 1987) left her hometown Ha Tinh for the border land of Dak Wil, starting a meaningful journey.

In 2012, Ms. Mai was assigned to the school in village 4, Dak Wil commune, located deep in the middle of a Mong village.

â6.jpg Ms. Mai is always devoted to her students.

"At that time, the population was sparse, and we had to walk for a long time before we saw a small house nestled in the middle of the hills. During the rainy season, the road was muddy, so we had to park our motorbikes at a local's house and walk to school," Ms. Mai said.

Ms. Mai said that the school is located in a Hmong village, where parents mainly work in the fields, many of whom do not speak the common language, so they rarely get to meet and talk. Many times when students are absent from school, Ms. Mai and her colleagues have to go to their homes to bring them back to school.

Ms. Mai (far right) often visits students at home to encourage and visit them. Photo: NVCC

"If we didn't love children, consider students as our own children, and have a passion for the profession, then in the face of those difficulties, we wouldn't have been able to stick around until today," Ms. Mai shared.

During 18 years of continuous dedication, teacher Nguyen Thi Mai has reaped many "sweet fruits". In 2020, she was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training for her outstanding achievements during her work. For 5 consecutive years (2020-2025), she achieved the title of Emulation Fighter at the grassroots level and the title of Excellent Task Completion. Ms. Mai is also a provincial-level excellent teacher, a typical young teacher of Dak Nong province (old).

In addition, she also won other awards such as First Prize in the Border Guard Young Propaganda Contest and Second Prize in the Dak Nong Provincial Military Command Young Propaganda Contest. She was also an excellent Party member for many consecutive years.

Help children in border areas no longer have to eat cold rice

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai receives tubers and fruits from parents to serve the boarding kitchen.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Ms. Mai was assigned to school in village 18. This school has 17 ethnic minority students.

Seeing parents having to cook rice from early morning, put it in lunch boxes for their children to eat all day, the food getting cold, Ms. Mai felt heartbroken. She mobilized the community to build a kitchen for the people, bringing hotter, more delicious lunches and afternoon meals to the students.

The kitchen operates on a voluntary basis. Parents contribute vegetables, fruits, and rice, while Ms. Mai and her colleagues directly cook and take care of the students' meals.

Parents contribute rice to the school.

She brought cooking utensils from home and mobilized donors to help improve the quality of meals.

Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa (born in 1982) whose child attends the school in village 18 said that in the past, she had to prepare meals early for her child to eat all day. Since Ms. Mai came to cook for the people, she and the parents all feel "very relieved".

"Since the kitchen was built, the children have been able to eat hotter and more nutritious food. Parents who have vegetables, fruits, and rice can bring them. We are very grateful to Ms. Mai and the school for taking care of and teaching the children so that parents can feel secure in farming and developing the economy," Ms. Hoa said.

Village 18 school is located on a remote mountainous area.

Ms. Vu Thi Luyen, Principal of Dak Wil Kindergarten, acknowledged that Ms. Mai is an enthusiastic teacher, has solid expertise and always shows dedication.

After taking on the task of working at the La 7 class in the remote and difficult village 18 school, Ms. Mai successfully built a model of a boarding kitchen for the local people. She also proactively connected and asked for sponsorship from benefactors, ensuring a continuous source of essential supplies and food for the students.

"Ms. Mai always patiently takes care of and encourages each child, turning the boarding kitchen into a place to spread love. Students always see Ms. Mai as a second mother," Ms. Luyen shared.

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