We visited the small, cozy house of teacher Nguyen Thi Phuc after she had just officially ended her nearly 38-year journey of steering the education boat. However, looking into her eyes, one could still see a flame of enthusiasm for the profession.
Báo Nghệ An•20/11/2025
Rising from loss
Nguyen Thi Phuc's childhood was disadvantaged from a very early age. When she was 18 days old, her father was ordered to go on a military mission, and more than half a year later, the family received news of his death. Having never met her father, the love of her mother who worked hard in the fields to raise her children became her motivation and will. Growing up, with the desire to make her mother proud, she chose to become a teacher, just as her mother had wished.
Teacher Nguyen Thi Phuc. Photo: NVCC
When she reached the age of marriage, Ms. Phuc married a soldier, like her father. She thought life had given them a peaceful chapter, but a cruel fate struck, tearing their happiness apart. In 2004, her husband died while on duty. At that time, her eldest daughter was only in 7th grade, her youngest son was only in 3rd grade. Having experienced the same pain as her mother, the whole world seemed to collapse under her feet.
“The word collapse is probably not enough to describe my mood at that time. I wanted to collapse, to give up, but I couldn’t, because I still have 2 children, I still have my mother” - Ms. Phuc choked up as she recounted the saddest time of her life. Overcoming pain is not only about resilience, it is the only choice: Continue living, not only for yourself, but also for the invisible promise to the deceased, for the future of the children and the love of the one who gave birth to you.
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Motherhood has never been easy, but I want my children to see the effort I put in. And my biggest goal is to teach them to be kind people.
Teacher Nguyen Thi Phuc
Having been a fatherless child, now raising a fatherless child, she admitted that she raised her child with the fear of not being able to fulfill both roles. Ms. Phuc confided: “People still say, a father's words are worth three mothers' words. Having a son at home, I was under a lot of pressure, I was afraid that I was not strong enough to raise my child to adulthood. However, after all, the journey of motherhood is the journey that makes me happiest and proudest.”
“Setting an example” is the key word for the “two-role” journey that she carries in her small family. Not wanting her children to feel a lack of affection, she accompanies them in every moment, studying and working with them every day. At 4am, when her eldest daughter wakes up to study, she also gets up and sits with her. At night, when her youngest son does his homework late at night, she also sits next to him until 1-2am. If she wants her children to be neat, she is neat first. If she wants her children to be polite, she always says hello and greets. If she wants her children to be confident, she is not afraid of challenges… Just like that, the petite mother with a kind face and a gentle voice guides her children through each stage and watches them conquer bigger journeys with tears in her eyes. Both of her children are now grown up and have their own achievements.
With her contributions, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuc has left her mark on the schools where she taught and worked. Photo: NVCC
“The journey of motherhood has never been easy, but I want my children to see my efforts. And my biggest goal is to teach them to be kind people,” she confided.
The "ferryman" legacy
Ms. Phuc's management career is marked by many achievements. From an enthusiastic teacher who soon achieved the title of excellent teacher at all levels, she was gradually trusted and appointed as Vice Principal of Nghi Huong Primary School at a young age.
For Ms. Phuc, the teaching profession must be creative and constantly innovate. Photo: NVCC
In 2013, she took on the position of Principal of Nghi Thu Primary School. Here, she began to challenge herself with a scientific and flexible management philosophy. She not only maintained the title of Advanced and Excellent, but also directly created a "brand" for the school in excellent student competitions, continuously having students achieve valedictorian status, affirming the quality and dedication of the team.
However, the most profound impression, the place where she devoted all her heart to "rebirth" was Nghi Hoa Primary School - the school she was attached to until her retirement. "When I first came to the school, I was sad to see the children sitting down to eat without a decent table, the table was so wobbly that the rice bowl would fall over if they accidentally turned around. This was also the school with the fewest students, the hardest-working teachers, the poorest facilities... From then on, I was determined to change the school and bring the best to the children," Ms. Phuc recounted.
The spacious dining room of Nghi Hoa Primary School after mobilizing social resources to build it. Photo: CSCC
With the guiding principle of "doing the best for students and teachers", Ms. Phuc constantly seeks support resources, flexibly connects with businesses and philanthropists to renovate and upgrade schools. With dedication, responsibility, transparency and science, in just a short time, thanks to proactive consultation and flexible connections, Nghi Hoa Primary School has completely "transformed". The school is invested with modern classrooms, interactive screens, air conditioners, and especially a dining table system and fully equipped boarding rooms. At the same time, the quality of education here has been significantly improved, becoming a testament to the vision of the leader.
Ms. Phuc's success is not only in material works. What she left behind is her leadership style through example - a philosophy that has shaped a united collective. She is considered an inspiration by her colleagues. Her philosophy is simple: If you want teachers to be like that, leaders must set an example. If you want teachers to leave early, leaders must be the first to arrive. If you want teachers to be neat and creative, leaders must be neat, open, and ready to innovate... Without stress, it is her exemplary behavior that makes teachers in the school respect and follow, from which the quality of education and school achievements are clearly improved.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuc and colleagues in the Program responding to the Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day 2024. Photo: CSCC
Sharing about her sister, leader, and colleague, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung - teacher at Nghi Hoa Primary School expressed: “Ms. Phuc’s success is not only about the school’s projects or achievements. With Ms. Phuc’s love and dedication, we have considered Nghi Hoa Primary School as our second home that everyone is proud to contribute to. Although she has retired, the spiritual and material “heritage” that Ms. Phuc left us will last forever.”
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