Sowing patriotism from the flag-raising ceremony in the highlands

On Monday morning at Chau Tien Primary School, a particularly difficult mountainous commune in Nghe An province, the red flag with a yellow star was raised to the sound of the Team drum and the resounding singing of the National Anthem.

Under the flag, 214 students, mostly Thai ethnic people, stood solemnly, their clear eyes looking towards the national flag. Few people know that to have those sacred and disciplined moments was the persistent journey of teacher Le Van Dao, who taught the students to "stand at attention under the flag" with all his heart.

FROM THE BOLD EYES TO THE STRAIGHT RANKS

In 2017, Mr. Le Van Dao (born in 1989), a Thai ethnic person, officially started working at Chau Tien Primary School (now in Chau Hong Commune, Nghe An ). The school is located in the middle of hills, the road to school is 15km of dusty dirt road in the dry season and muddy when it rains. Most of the families here are poor or near-poor, parents often work far away, children stay at home with grandparents. With 92% of students being Thai ethnic, teaching and learning initially encountered many obstacles, from the lack of school supplies to the shyness and confusion of the students.

Mr. Le Van Dao used to be an art teacher, but the school assigned him to concurrently be the Team Leader from the 2020-21 school year. “This was my first time doing this job, and I had no experience, so I was really confused and worried,” Mr. Dao shared. The first task and also the biggest challenge was organizing the flag-raising ceremony at the beginning of the week.

Mr. Le Van Dao guides the ceremonial team to prepare for the flag salute.

The first flag-raising ceremonies were chaotic as the children did not understand the meaning of the flag-raising ceremony, many of them stood erratically and talked among themselves. They only followed the ceremony mechanically and did not feel the sacredness of the ceremony. Looking at their bewildered eyes and the disorganized ranks, Mr. Dao wondered: How can I make the children understand and appreciate this moment?

So the journey of “teaching children to stand at attention under the flag” began. After attending professional training courses of the District Youth Union, Mr. Dao returned to school and made a detailed plan. He selected students in grades 4 and 5 with potential to form a ceremonial team. Training was not easy, especially for the drum team. He patiently instructed, showed videos and directly demonstrated each movement, from how to raise the hand to salute, how to hold the flag, to how to beat the drum in the right rhythm and eloquently. He not only taught the movements, but also trained the demeanor, from the eyes to the words of a team member.

The memory that Mr. Dao remembers most is the story about the school's old drum set, "Two years ago, the school was still using a drum set that was punctured, broken, and no longer had a good sound. During practice, the children in the drum team kept fighting over the good drum. Seeing that, I set a condition: whoever played better would get to play that drum. After the encouragement, the children tried very hard and the drum team had many more good players. Those were moments I will never forget."

From the teacher's perseverance, the ranks gradually became straight, the movements became even and precise. More importantly, teacher Dao knew that, for the students to be truly serious, they had to understand the meaning of what they were doing.

WHEN THE NATIONAL ANTHEM RINGS FROM THE HEART

Along with practicing the rituals, Mr. Dao always tries to make the meaning of the National Flag and the National Anthem penetrate deeply into the young souls of his students. In each meeting, he often asks simple questions: "Who is it that we are able to live, go to school, eat well and dress well today? What is the meaning of the red flag with a yellow star?". He coordinates with the homeroom teacher to integrate patriotic education into the lessons. He tells the students stories about the sacrifices of heroes and martyrs, about the glorious history of the nation. Gradually, the students begin to understand. The change comes not only from external actions but also from awareness. The students are no longer superficial but perform the rituals with a respectful attitude.

Vi Anh Phach, a 5th grader and member of the drum team, shared: “This year, I was very happy to be selected to join the drum team, because I was the one who played the drum for the whole school to salute the flag and sing the national anthem.” When asked about his feelings while singing the national anthem, Phach emotionally said: “I thought of the image of the soldiers who heroically sacrificed to protect the country. Thanks to them, we have today. I will try to study well so as not to disappoint my parents and teachers.”

Vi Anh Phach, a 5th grade student and member of the drum team, performs the flag-saluting ceremony.

Not only stopping at the flag-raising ceremony, Mr. Dao also organized many Team activities to nurture the love of homeland and country for students. Thematic star meetings, the "Ring the Golden Bell" and "Picking Democratic Flowers" contests to learn about history, artistic activities, storytelling, and painting about the country's major holidays have become an indispensable part of the students' school life. Through that, the students understand more about their roots, about the history of the nation and love the land they live on more.

Teacher Le Van Dao guides team members in practicing ceremonial drumming.

In the joyful atmosphere of the whole country celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, the story of teacher Le Van Dao and his young students at Chau Tien Primary School is like a clear note in the symphony of peace. From simple actions such as teaching the children to stand solemnly and sing the National Anthem with all his heart, teacher Dao has planted in their souls the seeds of love, responsibility and national pride. In the future, wherever they are and whatever they do, they will always remember the national flag and the first lessons in love for the country...

"The students' self-awareness in activities is the teacher's success. Seeing them solemnly under the flag, singing the National Anthem in unison, I feel a sense of pride, an indescribable emotion. I love my job, my students and my homeland more", Mr. Le Van Dao, teacher at Chau Tien Primary School (Chau Hong Commune, Nghe An).

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/geo-long-yeu-nuoc-tu-le-chao-co-noi-reo-cao-20250902155100812.htm