"Carrying" letters, "sowing" dreams for children

"If I had to choose again, I would still pursue teaching and would still be willing to go to difficult schools like Lung Cung village." The story of young teacher Hoang Thi Duyen, a teacher at Hoa Hong Kindergarten, Nam Co commune, deeply moved us. Despite the hardships, Duyen and the teachers in the remote village would still be there, in this small, remote village, "carrying" each letter, "nurturing" the dreams of building a bright future for the children in the highlands.

It takes 3 hours to travel nearly 25 kilometers from the center of Nam Co commune to Lung Cung village, which is truly a challenging journey. Hidden in the thick fog is a jagged, sharp dirt road, with mud puddles that are slippery as grease, with steep uphill and downhill slopes.

Despite being warned in advance that the road was very difficult, Mr. Ho A Nha - Vice Chairman of Nam Co Commune People's Committee, who accompanied us, still could not hide his concern: "Hopefully next time the journalist comes, the road will be better."

Struggling with the slopes, rocks and mud, when the weak rays of sunlight began to penetrate the mist, we arrived at Lung Cung. The feeling of conquest did not only come from overcoming the difficult road, but also from the emotion when seeing the simple school appear and above all, the bright smiles of the children waiting.

The kindergarten in Lung Cung village is under construction, so 3 teachers and more than 60 children are having to study in local houses. The wooden house, though empty, is still the most spacious in the village. The best things, the people and teachers here give to the children.

“To maintain the school, the school regularly arranges 2 to 3 teachers so that they can help each other. Understanding the difficulties and disadvantages of the teachers, in the village meetings, the commune officials also take the opportunity to propagate and mobilize people to help and share with the teachers who come here to “sow letters” for their children. The main thing is to encourage them mentally, hoping that the teachers will be more confident when staying in the village.”

Comrade Ho A Nha - Vice Chairman of Nam Co Commune People's Committee

At the age of 24, teacher Hoang Thi Duyen left the Thai village to "sow letters" in the Mong Lung Cung village. As the youngest teacher, not knowing the Mong language, not understanding the local culture, but the young teacher's worries when being "lost" alone in the village quickly disappeared after 1 year of staying in the village. Colleagues, students, people, all became "family" to teacher Duyen.

Duyen confided: “I volunteered to teach at Lung Cung school. Although there were many difficulties, seeing my students, even though they were dirty, never missed a class, I did not allow myself to be discouraged.”

But life in this remote, deserted village, surrounded by clouds, will still have moments that make people feel weak. “For me, the hardest thing is not the road. It is the lack of everything here: no electricity, no phone signal. We are all young teachers here, far from family, far from friends, but we cannot contact, cannot connect every day” - teacher Duyen confided. Looking at the image of the teachers having to climb up the treetops to get a phone signal to contact the main school, everyone laughed but tears were about to fall.

Three young teachers "camped" at Lung Cung school, not only "sowing letters", but also learning the culture of the people, learning the ethnic language to be able to communicate and bond with the people. Having an advantage over her colleagues, teacher Thao Thi Denh, a Mong ethnic, said: "At first, when we first arrived here, many people did not understand the importance of learning to read and write. Students often dropped out of school. The teachers had to go to their homes to talk, find out the reasons and then persuade parents to let their children go to class." Time also made the teachers realize that teaching does not only mean teaching children to sing, dance, and read... but the children also receive the care and love of the teachers.

There are no computers or phones here, children's dreams are mostly nurtured from lessons, stories, and pictures in each class. It's that simple, but it's enough for the children to know the outside world . It's also a preparation for future ambitions.

Lung Cung school is nestled in a valley, surrounded by white clouds all year round. During recess, teachers and students in the remote village dance rhythmically to the gentle sound of the flute, blending together in a harmony between the mountains and forests.

“The mid-class dance, though simple, is the heart and soul of the teachers in the remote areas, a simple joy in this misty valley. The music, the singing, the laughter resound, there are no more boundaries or distances here, only the spirit of solidarity, love and sharing so that everyone can overcome difficulties and move forward.”

Teacher Nguyen Thi Phuong - Vice Principal of Hoa Hong Kindergarten

The next day we went down the mountain, after just a turn of the small road, this small school disappeared in the fog, the difficulties today will only be an experience. But the young teachers will still be attached to this place, still diligently teaching. Because of their love for their students, they devoted their youth, enthusiasm, ready to stick with and contribute to make Lung Cung more beautiful, more prosperous. One day, when the road is completed, the national grid electricity reaches the village, life here will improve day by day.

At the beginning of the village, the peach garden was showing off its early buds. In the mist, somewhere there was the sound of the great forest "stirring".

Presented by: Huu Huynh

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/ganh-con-chu-geo-uoc-mo-cho-tre-post886663.html