Sowing letters at a special school

Teaching sessions with teachers at An Giang School for Children with Disabilities are all about perseverance, effort, love and sharing with their special students. Photo: PHUONG LAN

Sympathy and sharing

Nearly 20 years working at this special school has been a series of days from bewilderment to challenge, then attachment and love of Mr. Nguyen Van Dao (born in 1977). Mr. Dao is an Information Technology and Technology teacher, who had to leave his hometown to work at the school since 2006. Then, the bewilderment was quickly replaced by deep sympathy and sharing. Mr. Dao himself is disabled in the legs due to the after-effects of polio since he was 1 year old. This has created an invisible bond between him and his students.

Recess at the An Giang School for Disabled Children has a quiet atmosphere, completely different from the hustle and bustle often seen in other schools. There are no cheers or running sounds, only occasional silhouettes of students walking slowly in the yard. What makes this place special are the eyes and patience of parents who always watch their children from afar.

When the bell rang, they rushed to their children's side, lovingly feeding them breakfast with boundless love. However, most of the students' families were poor, with their parents working for hire. Some orphans had to live with their grandparents, so paying for meals was difficult.

Seeing me surprised by the special scene of recess, Mr. Dao said that the parents here are not only the ones who pick up and drop off children, but also the ones who accompany them steadfastly. They care for and look after their children from the smallest things. Because, for these fathers and mothers, that tireless companionship is a priceless way to compensate for the disadvantages of their children.

Mr. Dao shared: “The biggest challenge in the first days was not only getting used to the environment but also learning how to communicate and teach. I had to both learn and teach completely new languages such as Braille for blind students and sign language for deaf students. For sign language, it was a difficult and humorous process. Sometimes when I expressed (sign language), the students understood, but sometimes when they expressed it, I did not understand, and then they criticized me for being bad!”

Currently, the difficult conditions here are increasingly multiplied when classes have to combine blind and deaf students to ensure compliance with regulations. This requires teachers to research ways to convey knowledge to both groups at the same time, speaking for the blind to hear and using signs for the deaf to understand. With responsibility and love, teachers have turned this dual task into a "mission" to complete, creating special lessons with all their heart.

The "invisible" connecting thread

Having worked at the An Giang School for Disabled Children for 28 years, Ms. Vo Thi Kim Lien (born in 1977) could not hide her emotions when recalling the first days of working here. She said that at that time, she covered herself with a blanket and cried because she felt the task was too much and thought: "On the first day of school, I will see how the students are doing. If it is too difficult, I will have to quit!"

For Ms. Lien, the journey to this school was as natural as fate. She emotionally recounted: “The first time I took the class, the blind students only came close to hold my hand once. After that, when they heard my voice, they remembered my name and called me correctly.”

It was that innocence, sincerity and belief that touched the young teacher’s heart. “At that moment, I felt a strange affection. The initial regret turned into love, helping me stay with this school until today,” Ms. Lien said emotionally.

In addition to the visually and hearing impaired, the school now has students with intellectual disabilities such as hyperactivity and autism, which create unimaginable pedagogical situations. Teacher Dao said that these students can be impulsive, run outside, or sometimes, while studying, collect other students' notebooks to hide or use as toys. To teach these special students, the lesson objectives must be reduced and teachers must learn to control and manage their emotions.

Ms. Lien shared about how she builds relationships with her special students: “The way to communicate and help them open up is the initiative from the teacher. The teacher proactively talks and confides like a brother, sister or mother. Gradually, with that sincerity, the students will feel love, automatically share and confide their happy and sad stories, difficulties in studying as well as in the family.”

With love and silent sacrifice, teachers at An Giang School for Children with Disabilities are a solid support, sowing seeds of hope to help less fortunate students grow up and integrate into life.

In the 2024-2025 school year, An Giang School for Children with Disabilities continues to affirm the quality of special education with 100% of primary and secondary school students completing the curriculum, and 100% of early intervention children (before entering primary school) completing their individual education plans. This quality is reinforced by a team of dedicated teachers.

PHUONG LAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/geo-chu-o-ngoi-truong-dac-biet-a467473.html