Teacher sows 'sweet' on salty soil

A teacher's feelings

Crossing the crisscrossing canals to the literacy class in Cai Doi Vam commune, I couldn't help but be moved when I heard the sound of reading from afar, the hoarse voices of students who were grandparents, and some were even great-grandmothers.

Cô giáo gieo 'ngọt' trên đất mặn- Ảnh 1. — Ms. An's class currently has 9 students.

Teacher An is over 60 years old this year but is also the youngest in the class. With eyes full of affection, Ms. An said that she used to be a teacher, after retiring, she worked at the Women's Union of Nguyen Viet Khai commune (before the merger).

"When I came to work at the Commune Women's Union, I looked at the loan applications from the social policy bank and saw that the older women rolled their fingers instead of signing. I found out the reason and found out that they were illiterate. I felt sorry for them. So I asked them, if I opened a literacy class, would they go to school? They all said that if I opened a class, they would go right away," Ms. An said.

However, the initial class only had 3 students, some elderly people did not come to class because of their old age and could not read, some elderly people had to work to earn a living, going to the fields to catch shrimp and prawns. However, the class still "opened" as originally planned. Ms. An organized the class in a small shack, fully equipped with tables, chairs, chalkboards and the class was maintained 3 sessions a week. In particular, Ms. An also prepared candy, drinks, toys... to coax the children to go with their grandparents. "Every day, the aunts and uncles have to look after their grandchildren while their parents go to work, so in order to go to class, they bring their grandchildren along. They have to coax the children to sit well so that their grandparents can concentrate on studying," Ms. An shared.

Cô giáo gieo 'ngọt' trên đất mặn- Ảnh 2. — Ms. An guides the elderly to do their homework.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao, 76 years old, the oldest student in the class, said: "In the past, because my family was so poor, I could not go to school. I felt very sad every time I saw letters because other people could read them but I could not. When I went to the toilet in public places, I did not know which side was for men and which was for women, so I often went to the wrong side, very embarrassing."

Special students

Ms. An's literacy class has special students, so it also has a very special teaching method. The elderly cannot learn like children, but need to learn according to folk methods, pictorially to remember easily. For example, when Ms. An writes "fish" on the board, she will draw a picture of a fish, and when she writes "stork", she will show a stork perched on the bank of a ditch so that the elderly can easily imagine.

Cô giáo gieo 'ngọt' trên đất mặn- Ảnh 3. — Currently, Ms. An is sponsoring 36 children in the locality.

Observing the elders’ classroom, I also saw that each elder carried a flashlight on his forehead. The river area does not have street lights like other places, so everyone carries a flashlight with them. At night when doing homework, the elders use that same light to shine on their books, illuminating their knowledge in their old age.

In addition, the classroom also has a very special wooden ruler, which is like a symbol of the classroom. Every time Ms. An calls a student to the board, she uses the ruler to point to each letter for the seniors to read along. In particular, if there are 9 seniors studying, all 9 people must come up to read the lesson, if any senior is not called up, she will be angry.

Ms. Lu Thi Nem, a student of the class, shared: "During the war, I was unable to go to school. I felt sorry for myself because everyone else knew how to read and write while I did not. I especially liked to sing karaoke but I did not know how to read so I did not dare to sing. At my old age, I thought that I would never know how to read and write, but Ms. An's class helped me learn how to read and be more confident in life. I still remember the first time I was able to read and write, I was so moved that I cried."

Ms. An said that in the class, there was Mr. Sang (64 years old), the youngest student in the class, who was very determined to learn to read and write. One time when he went to the market, someone showed him the way by saying the street name. He was so happy that he cried when he could read the street name himself and immediately called Ms. An to tell her the news. "When I went to the market in the countryside, people told me to go to this street or that street to buy things, but I didn't know where that street was, so I was determined to learn to read and write. One time, near Tet, Mr. Sang called me to say that he had just read the words "selling fish medicine" and could go buy medicine for the fish himself," Ms. An continued.

Spread love

In addition to teaching for the past 10 years, Ms. An is also the godmother of 36 children in the locality. In mid-August 2021, Ms. An began accepting Truc Lam, Tu Lam, and Dang Khoi (in Cai Doi Vam commune) as the first godchildren in the Godmother program launched by the Vietnam Women's Union. "Ms. Vo Kim Truc is a single mother raising 3 children alone because her husband passed away. She worked many jobs to make a living, which was very difficult. Now with the help of the community, Ms. Truc and her 4 children have a solid house, no longer worrying about storms and rains," Ms. An shared.

Cô giáo gieo 'ngọt' trên đất mặn- Ảnh 4. — Ms. An received a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister in 2022.

Now a grandmother, when hearing her godchildren call her "Mom", Ms. An is still as emotional as the first time. She especially feels her responsibility is heavier, having to try to help her children go to school and have a more fulfilling life. "With the support of my family and the help of my colleagues, I can make a small contribution to the community. Although I have 36 more children, my biological children are not jealous but are very happy and supportive, accompanying me in the project activities," Ms. An said.

In addition, to solve the problem of local employment for women, the Commune Women's Union is implementing the project of Growing vegetables on salty soil, helping women have a livelihood right in the locality without having to work far away. "Initially, only a few members participated, but seeing the effectiveness, many women joined hands to spread the model. Women do not have to work far away, and it is convenient to take care of their children, which is what many women want," Ms. An confided.

Ms. Truong Kim Len, Head of the Women's Association of Sao Luoi Hamlet (Cai Doi Vam Commune), said: Over the years, Ms. An has not only opened classes to help eliminate illiteracy for dozens of elderly people, but also sponsored 36 children, and supported many children with serious illnesses to receive treatment. In particular, in the work of the Women's Association, Ms. An has mobilized benefactors to build and repair nearly 130 houses, 9 bridges, nearly 50 clean water wells, and countless charity programs to give necessities to the poor, with an estimated total value of about 10 billion VND, of which Ms. An's family contributed about 200 million VND.