Disabled swimmer diligently spreads free letters

Polio can push a person's fate to a dead end, but Nguyen Thi Sari swam on the waves of life, becoming a special teacher.

I arrived at Phuoc Dong commune, Can Duoc district, Long An province when it was getting dark, just as Ms. Nguyen Thi Sari was returning from work. Before she could get out of the car, the children were cheering, "She's back, she's back!". A child pushed the wheelchair out for Sari to sit on, then the teacher and student went into the classroom. That image left an indelible, deep impression on my heart.

Zero-cost classes nurture many dreams

Although it is called a classroom, the learning space for both teachers and students is only about 10 square meters, located right in the living room of Sari's small house. Yet this place is the nursery of many dreams.

In 2016, Sari started teaching English to her daughter and grandchildren. Her neighbors knew she could teach English so they offered to send their children to study. With deep sympathy for children who have difficulty with English, she happily accepted the offer. Because she understood the feelings of students who could not afford extra classes, like herself in the past.

Người thầy kính yêu: Kình ngư khuyết tật miệt mài gieo chữ miễn phí- Ảnh 1. — Teacher Sari

Due to some obstacles, the opportunity to teach at school was not achieved, but deep in her mind, Ms. Sari still wanted to be a teacher. For that reason, her free English class was born with the purpose of continuing her unfinished "career of educating people" and above all, to repay the favor to her homeland.

According to Sari, at Phuoc Dong 1 Primary School - where she used to study, teachers donated money to buy her a wheelchair to use as a means of transportation to school. As a person who values kindness, she wants to pass on knowledge as a way to help local children become more confident when learning English at school.

At that time, Ms. Sari worked alone to raise her children, so she did not have much free time, so the free English class was only held on Sunday afternoons. The class was very simple - no desks, no chairs, no chalk, no blackboard - but it was always bright, effective and full of joy.

At first, Sari’s class had only a few students. “A good fragrance needs no bush”, sometimes the class grew to nearly 20 students, so they had to divide the classes into sessions. The students in the class were mainly children of vegetable and fish sellers at the market, construction workers, lottery ticket sellers, and scrap collectors in the neighborhood.

The classroom, which had no desks or chairs, was joined by parents who contributed a blackboard and a table. And so, for nearly 8 years now, from 5:45 pm to 7:30 pm every Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the free English class of this special teacher has been open, welcoming new joys.

Little Thế Ngọc said: "I have been studying with Ms. Sari for 5 years. She teaches English for free. When we make progress, she also rewards us."

In addition to teaching English, Ms. Sari also teaches math and Vietnamese to elementary school children, regardless of their wealth or poverty. For her, teaching children is a great joy, helping students review their knowledge while also fulfilling her dream of "ferrying boats".

Although she could not fulfill her dream of standing on the school podium, with her noble ideal for the cause of education , Ms. Sari became a "special" teacher for disadvantaged children, leaving a deep impression in the hearts of parents and students.

Inspirational, energetic

By directly attending, I felt the classroom atmosphere was very close and cheerful, teachers and students interacted actively with each other. Ms. Sari's lectures did not follow a pre-existing curriculum but were self-compiled lesson plans, suitable for the children's proximal development zone.

Surprisingly, although this is a zero-cost class, Ms. Sari invested in quite enough teaching materials and tools to make the lessons more lively and attractive. With the active education method, students experience many activities, making it easier to remember and deepen knowledge.

Người thầy kính yêu: Kình ngư khuyết tật miệt mài gieo chữ miễn phí- Ảnh 2. — Teacher Sari works hard to help poor children have the opportunity to study, especially English.

In a small, narrow room, a few plastic tables and chairs, a whiteboard and student notebooks have created a classroom full of love. The teacher sits in a wheelchair, holding teaching aids, enthusiastically teaching vocabulary. The students listen attentively and pronounce in unison.

In each class, this "soul engineer" not only helps students consolidate their knowledge but also inspires them with stories of perseverance in life. Bao Ngoc said: "In addition to teaching English, Ms. Sari is also an example for us to follow. A few years ago, I was very afraid of English. Since studying with Ms. Sari, I have gradually improved and enjoy learning English more. I wish to become a teacher like her in the future."

Up to now, Ms. Sari has taught more than 100 local children, helping them regain their basic knowledge and learn a lot of useful knowledge. For her, the happiest thing is to witness students who started from a low base and lacked basic English have now improved, some have become university students. That is not only a source of pride but also a motivation for teacher Sari to continue "ferrying the boat", maintaining the affectionate class.

Since I met Ms. Sari, my life - a disabled person in the same situation - has been filled with new rays of hope and inspiration. She once shared with me a meaningful sentence: "All barriers do not come from our disabilities but from our own thoughts."

That saying was like a reminder and opened a new horizon, helping me overcome my own limits, bravely approaching swimming - a challenge I had never dared to think about before.

Before, every time I wanted to move, I had to rely on a wheelchair or rely on the shoulders and arms of others. But now, I can stand on my own two feet and use my hands to glide through the water. It is true as what Sari said, positive thinking has helped me do what seemed impossible, opening up a new possibility for disabled people like me and proving that "nothing is impossible".

To me, Ms. Sari is not only a simple "teacher" but also a symbol of "a great inspirational teacher", silently spreading sunshine to make the world around her greener. She not only sows knowledge and gives wings to dreams for disadvantaged students but also lights up my faith and hope.

Thanks to Sari, I not only learned how to swim but also found the true value of strength and perseverance in life, which opened up a new horizon full of light.

Talented athletes

"The locality highly appreciates Ms. Nguyen Thi Sari's contribution to local educational activities. Not only does she teach English for free, she is also an athlete of the Vietnam disabled swimming team" - Mr. Nguyen Minh Son, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuoc Dong commune, said.

To date, Ms. Sari has contributed 30 gold medals, 13 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal to the national team. With her contributions to swimming and the "career of cultivating people" in the locality, she was honored to be awarded the 3rd class Labor Medal by the State (2010). She is one of 17 typical examples of studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style in the Southern region (2024); and has been awarded many certificates of merit.