Engrave her image

Early mornings of the first days of winter in the Northwest, the weather is really cold. This morning, I went to school to participate in the art performance to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day November 20. In the 2025-2026 school year, I am no longer a primary school girl at the beloved school located next to the Nam Pan stream that babbles day and night as if it is chatting and listening to us study. I am now just a former student of her - teacher Dinh Thi Hoa, the beloved teacher of nearly 3 years I was her homeroom teacher.

I still haven't gotten used to the new classroom and teachers. Every day, cycling to school, passing through the school gate that left its mark, I miss her so much, because she is my second mother...

This new school year, I am one of 140 students who passed the entrance exam to the commune's specialized school. And to have that honor and outstanding achievement, I will never forget the merit, dedication and enthusiastic heart that she gave to me - the quiet, shy, unconfident student of the days when I was in 3rd grade, Ms. Hoa was the homeroom teacher. And that student today is bold, strong and likes to participate in school and class activities...

Because of her shy and quiet nature, from the very first days when Ms. Hoa took over as our homeroom teacher, replacing our old teacher who had an accident, I still had no impression of her. Every day, Ms. Hoa still went to class and taught enthusiastically. When there were difficult exercises, she often said: "If you don't understand any lesson, just ask me." But because of fear and shyness, I never dared to go up to her to ask her questions.

Then, until the end of the winter school day when I was in 3rd grade, that would be the most memorable school day and also marked the increasingly strong teacher-student relationship. The school bell rang to signal the end of the day, when all the students had left, only me and the teacher were left in the classroom. I helped her close the windows, it was getting dark very quickly and I was a bit worried and scared. Seeing that I was still in class, Ms. Hoa immediately asked: "Haven't you come home yet? Is your mother late to pick you up today?". As if I was just waiting for her to ask, all my grievances seemed to be about to flow out in two streams of tears, I sobbed: "My mother couldn't come to pick me up, she had to go to a school in a mountainous border commune for 3 months. She said her school was very far away so she couldn't go home in one day. I waited for my grandmother to pick me up. She said she would be late to pick me up today because she had to go to the city to see a doctor...".

She hugged me, comforted me until my sobs passed and said: “Then Miss Hoa will wait for you with Tue. I am here, don’t be afraid anymore.” At that moment, her smile and affectionate gaze made me feel that she was very close, friendly, and open. Then she stroked my head and braided my hair. On the way home that day, I told my grandmother the story that she and I had just talked about.

Since that afternoon, I was no longer afraid of her Math class. I listened more attentively to her lecture. Her voice was clear and would slow down if she saw that we were still confused. During Vietnamese class, she lectured with emotion, especially when she read poetry, her voice was like a song, blending with the murmuring sound of the poetic Nam Pan stream. For the first time, I boldly asked her about the parts I did not understand the lesson. I volunteered to go to the board to do the exercise even though there were still some mistakes, but she still gave me compliments: "Tue has made progress". Her words of encouragement made my heart dance, wishing to go home quickly to show off to my grandmother and call my mother to tell her that my efforts had been recognized by her...

Even though I can no longer listen to her passionate and dedicated lectures, I know that Ms. Hoa will still be the teacher that I always respect and remember in my heart. A teacher with a mother's heart full of tolerance always teaches us lessons about solidarity, love and is always there to encourage, motivate, and give wings to my dreams on the path of learning. I feel so happy to be her student.

Nguyen Pham Gia Tue

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/van-hoa/202511/khac-ghi-hinh-bong-co-c9b044d/