The unconventional teacher asks to teach in the mountains.

Ms. Dau Thi Le Huyen and her students in the highlands - Photo: Nguyen Hoang

To date, Ms. Dau Thi Le Huyen (34 years old) has been teaching at Ea Bia Commune Kindergarten in Song Hinh mountainous district ( Phu Yen province) for 5 years.

The young teacher's unconventional decision.

Ms. Huyen recounted that in 2012, after graduating from Central College 2 in Nha Trang, she was assigned to teach at Hai Rieng Town Kindergarten (Song Hinh District).

Teaching in the city is the dream of many teachers, but Ms. Huyen chose an unconventional path: in 2019, she requested a transfer to Ea Bia Kindergarten - a mountainous commune facing many difficulties, with the majority of its population being ethnic minorities.

"When my relatives and colleagues learned that I intended to transfer to Ea Bia Kindergarten, they were all surprised, asking why I was transferring from a district school to a commune school, especially one with many ethnic minority students. That's because I'm young and want to bring my enthusiasm and affection to the disadvantaged ethnic minority students," Ms. Huyen shared.

Upon starting her new job at the school, Ms. Huyen immediately faced a challenge. 100% of the students were from the Ede ethnic minority, and despite having an Ede language certificate, she encountered considerable difficulties in communication and teaching.

"The children weren't fluent in Vietnamese, and the teacher wasn't fluent in Ede, so when they couldn't express themselves in Vietnamese, the children would 'spit' out Ede words, making me sweat and forcing me to think hard to understand what they meant," Ms. Huyen recalled.

So, Ms. Huyen tried to teach the children according to her expertise, imparting more Vietnamese language skills to them, while also diligently learning the Ede language. Before long, both teacher and students could communicate "sweetly" in both Kinh and Ede. From then on, the teaching and learning process between the teacher and students has been smooth for the past five years.

Love helps overcome all hardships.

Ea Bia is a commune where nearly 90% of the population are Ede ethnic people. The economy of the people relies solely on slash-and-burn agriculture, and they still face many difficulties. Many parents are not yet aware of the importance of sending their children to school.

According to Ms. Huyen, every August, the school conducts a household-wide survey on universal education in the area. While it's called a survey on universal education, in reality, Ms. Huyen and the other teachers have to go around encouraging and persuading parents to send their children to school to learn to read and write.

Because the villagers go to the fields before dawn and don't return home until late at night, Ms. Huyen and the teachers of Ea Bia Kindergarten usually begin their "education survey" at 6 PM and sometimes don't finish until midnight.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unforgettable time for Ms. Huyen. She said that while students in urban areas and districts had computers or mobile phones to study online, ethnic minority people in the mountainous commune of Ea Bia faced many difficulties and hardships, and in many cases, they lacked the necessary equipment for online learning.

Continuing to overcome these challenges, Ms. Huyen and the other teachers came up with flexible teaching methods to help children avoid falling behind in their studies.

"I printed the worksheets and went to each house to deliver them. At that time, it was extremely difficult because people were afraid of carrying the disease and didn't dare to make contact. However, we wore masks, implemented all disinfection measures, and ensured safety to impart knowledge to the children. If you have a passion for the profession and for the children, you can overcome anything," said Ms. Huyen.

Ms. Ha Thi Nhung, the principal of Ea Bia Kindergarten, said that Ms. Huyen is an energetic teacher with high professional qualifications and always completes her assigned tasks well.

"With her passion for teaching, Ms. Huyen is always creative in organizing activities, boldly finding new methods to teach flexibly, achieving optimal results and winning many awards at industry competitions," commented Ms. Nhung.

Outstanding Teacher Nationwide

Ms. Dau Thi Le Huyen is one of 200 outstanding teachers and administrators who were recently awarded certificates of merit and commendation by the Ministry of Education and Training on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day in 2023. In addition, she has achieved the title of excellent teacher at the provincial level and has been a model worker at the grassroots level for many years.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, head of the Education and Training Department of Song Hinh district, commented that Ms. Huyen is a shining example in the district's education sector. "Ms. Huyen is very active, dynamic, and enthusiastic about her profession; she is a dedicated role model in mobilizing and encouraging parents to send their children to school," Mr. Lam said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-giao-nguoc-doi-xin-len-nui-day-hoc-20240330001310688.htm