Writing Contest Dear Teacher: Diligently sowing words, cultivating people

23 years have passed, but teacher Phan Tri is still attached to the Vietnam - Laos border area, where there is the Se Bang Hieng River, to quietly sow knowledge and cultivate people.

One early morning in May, when the dew was still glistening on the corrugated iron roof of Huong Lap school (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province), the students' laughter echoed through the border mountains and forests, waking up the entire village. In the classroom, teacher Phan Tri was still steadily using white chalk to meticulously write the first lines of the lesson on the board.

Bring the text to the remote version

Mr. Phan Tri was born in 1978; hometown is Trieu Hoa commune, Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri province; currently a teacher at Huong Lap Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities.

In 2002, with a university degree in hand, many of his peers chose to stay in the city, but Mr. Phan Tri decided to return to his hometown of Quang Tri - a land that had suffered much pain from war - to start a career ineducation . "When I chose to be a teacher, I thought that the more difficult the place, the more necessary the teacher is. I want to contribute my small part so that children in the highlands do not have to suffer just because of living conditions," he said.

Teacher Phan Tri diligently spreads knowledge in the border area.

When he had just finished university, Mr. Tri was assigned to teach at Tria school, Huong Son commune, Huong Hoa district. On the first day of his journey to spread knowledge and cultivate people, Mr. Tri said he had to take a motorbike taxi 12 km through the mountains and forests, and spend another 2 hours walking to get to school.

"When I arrived, I had not yet put down my backpack, I had to quickly carry it on when I knew that the place where I was teaching was very far from the main school" - Mr. Tri recalled. After 4 more hours of walking through the forest, wading through streams more than 10 times, he finally arrived at the school where he would be teaching.

Many schools in Huong Hoa district are located close to the Vietnam - Laos border; 85% of the students are children of ethnic minorities such as Van Kieu and Pa Co. In Mr. Tri's class, many students are 13-14 years old, but there are also students who are only 6-7 years old. The roads to the schools are winding and dangerous, some are located deep in the forest; during the rainy season, they are sometimes completely cut off and isolated from the outside world.

In the early days of Mr. Tri's career, teaching conditions at the border schools were very poor. The schools had no electricity, and water had to be carried from the stream. The desks and chairs in the classroom were rickety, and books were shared by students. Teachers and students often had to teach and study under the flickering light of oil lamps. During the rainy season, the roads were eroded, and there were days when he had to walk to the school, nearly 10 km away from his home.

However, Mr. Tri never thought of quitting his job. Every day, he woke up very early and walked through the forest and waded through streams to get to class. For students who did not know Kinh, he patiently taught each word and each sentence.

Outside of teaching hours, Mr. Tri also visits students' homes to encourage parents to send their children to school more often. He explains to them the value of education and knowledge because most of the Van Kieu and Pa Co people simply think "if you get 10 points, you can still work in the fields, if you get 1 point, you can still work in the fields!"

Mr. Tri and many other teachers have to regularly go to remote areas to propagate and mobilize people, determined to change their backward concepts. Thanks to that, the number of students in the class is increasingly stable, and students no longer drop out of school halfway like before.

Teacher Tri recalls the 2016-2017 school year, when he came to teach at Ta Pang village school, Huong Lap commune, there was a student who refused to go to school. This student's situation was very pitiful, his mother died of cancer; his father was drunk all day, and paid little attention to his children. The student avoided strangers and did not talk when asked. After many times of encouragement, when the family agreed, Teacher Tri went to the student's house to take the student to class. At first, the student cried and scratched, but after coming to class and being taught how to draw, color, participate in games... he gradually became more self-conscious and attended school very diligently.

Many of Mr. Tri's students are now adults, some are commune officials, teachers, nurses... According to him, that is the most valuable "reward" during his 23 years of teaching.

Accept "single life"

Not only does he "inspire" his students, Mr. Phan Tri is also an example of lifelong learning and versatility in education. In addition to teaching math and Vietnamese, he also takes on the role of Team Leader, concurrently in charge of universal education and extracurricular activities.

Team activities led by Mr. Tri are always lively and creative. He teaches students life skills, preserves national cultural identity; organizes cultural and sports activities to help students love school and class more.

Many times, the teacher carried students through forests and streams to get to class. (Photo provided by the character)

Mr. Nguyen Ho Phong, Vice Principal of Huong Lap Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, commented: "Mr. Phan Tri is very active and enthusiastic in school activities, always completing assigned tasks excellently. He is an exemplary teacher, dedicated to his profession; trusted and loved by students, colleagues and local people."

In a conversation, Mr. Tri worriedly said: "The process of teaching in the highland border areas is a series of days of "living alone" for us." That statement made us sad, because many teachers in remote areas have to accept sacrificing family happiness. Those who sow knowledge and educate people in the city and plains are already hard-working, but in the high mountains and deep forests, it is even more difficult.

23 years of working in the education field at the border are also 23 years that Mr. Tri has accepted to be away from his family and friends, giving up the comfortable life in the city. Many times during Tet, because he is busy with his students, he cannot return home to reunite with his family. There were times when his health declined due to the harsh conditions. However, he has never complained or regretted his choice. "Seeing my students progress every day, seeing them radiant when they learn to read and write, all my fatigue disappears" - he expressed.

Mr. Tri's love for his job is not expressed in words but through his daily actions. He personally fixes every broken desk, asks for clothes for poor students, and builds a "Green House" model with other teachers to raise scholarship funds... All are directed towards the students, towards Mr. Tri's quiet but meaningful journey: Bringing letters to the little students in the middle of the forest.

Outstanding teacher

With his dedication and efforts, Mr. Phan Tri has repeatedly achieved the title of excellent homeroom teacher, excellent teacher at the district level; the title of Emulation Fighter at the grassroots level; and received certificates of merit from the District People's Committee and the Provincial People's Committee. In 2023, he was awarded a certificate of merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union; a certificate of merit from the Minister of Education and Training; a commemorative medal "For the cause of ethnic development"...

In 2023, Mr. Phan Tri was one of 58 outstanding teachers honored at the program "Sharing with teachers" organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ethnic Committee and Thien Long Group.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/cuoc-thi-viet-nguoi-thay-kinh-yeu-miet-mai-gioi-chu-trong-nguoi-196250525202917773.htm