The unique 'teachers' village' in the West, many families have 3-4 generations in the profession

In the peaceful countryside of Dai Ui hamlet, My Huong commune (Can Tho city), there are more than 200 people working as teachers. Many families have 3-4 generations following the profession, creating a tradition of studiousness for many decades.

Teachers who initiated the rural learning movement

Every day, at the family temple of teacher Chau Thanh Diep (48 years old, residing in Dai Ui hamlet, My Huong commune, Can Tho city - formerly Phu My commune, My Tu district, Soc Trang ), people often come to burn incense to commemorate teacher Son Hien, the teacher who is considered to have pioneered the learning movement in the locality.

Dai Ui Hamlet has more than 200 teachers, and is often referred to as a "teachers' village".

PHOTO: DUY TAN

Leading us into the cozy church, Mr. Diep told us about his grandfather, Mr. Son Hien. In the 1960s, the roads were muddy, and children had to cross slippery muddy sections on their way to school. Seeing this, Mr. Hien carried baskets of dirt and built up each meter of road so that students could get to class more safely.

In addition to building roads, Mr. Hien also persuaded his family to sell thousands of bushels of rice (a huge asset at that time) and mobilized the villagers and the local government to build a school in the grounds of Bang Kyoong Pagoda - the predecessor of Phu My B Primary School today. It was from that school that the desire to study of rural children was awakened, and the tree of education began to take root.

Many students here dream of becoming teachers.

PHOTO: DUY TAN

"My grandfather said that if we want to escape poverty and become better off, we must study. Without knowledge, we will forever be friends with the fields and it will be difficult to become better off," said Mr. Diep.

Presently, Phu My B Primary School still has a brief biography of the school. In it, with the hope that the children in the hamlet would develop in all aspects, Mr. Son Hien and Mr. Mai Khuong made a plan to open a literacy class. At that time, the main subjects were Khmer and Quoc Ngu.

In early 1964, a first grade class was opened with 42 students. The classroom was in the pagoda's stilt house, fully equipped with wooden tables and chairs. Teacher Son Hien was in charge of the National Language subject, and teacher Mai Khuong was in charge of the Khmer language subject. Textbooks were supported by Khleng Pagoda.

The family church of Mr. Diep - the place to worship teacher Son Hien, considered the founder of the learning movement in the locality.

PHOTO: DUY TAN

In 1965, the number of classes increased to 4 (2 first grade classes with 56 students, 2 second grade classes with 50 students). Seeing the positive results, monks, Buddhists and local authorities discussed a plan to build a school on the land within the temple grounds.

In 1967, after 2 years of construction, the school was basically completed with 8 classrooms and 1 semi-permanent office. The spacious facilities attracted many students to come here to study and learn the national language. In 1972, the government built 2 more classrooms for the school...

Inside the church of Mr. Son Hien

PHOTO: DUY TAN

Many families have 3-4 generations of teachers.

Influenced by his grandfather, Mr. Chau Thanh Diep chose to be a teacher. Graduating in 1997, he has been associated with Phu My C Primary School for more than 25 years. Notably, both of Mr. Diep's children are pursuing the teaching profession as a natural continuation of the family tradition.

"The older one is in college, the two younger ones are in a boarding school for ethnic minorities and both said they will pursue education to follow in their father's and grandfather's footsteps," Mr. Diep shared with pride.

Portrait of Master Son Hien at the family ancestral temple

PHOTO: DUY TAN

The desire to study of the people here is nurtured not only by the people in Mr. Diep's family. Mr. Tran Khanh (69 years old), a long-time resident here, still remembers clearly the difficult early stages.

"Poor families contributed 5 bushels, well-off families contributed 20-30 bushels. They gathered together like that following the encouragement of Mr. Son Hien. Thanks to that consensus, there was a school here. Back then, without a school, all the children were illiterate. When we were able to persuade teachers to come and teach, the people were very happy," Mr. Khang said.

Teacher Diep followed the example of his grandfather, Teacher Son Hien, to become a teacher.

PHOTO: DUY TAN

In Dai Ui hamlet, it is not uncommon for entire families to pursue the teaching profession. For example, the family of Mr. Thach Tien (deceased) has had four generations of teachers. His descendants are still studying to continue the profession. Among them is Thach Son Anh Tuan, who graduated from Soc Trang Pedagogical College and continued his studies at Dong Thap University with the dream of returning to serve his homeland.

Similarly, Mr. Ly Ngoc Sach's family has three generations standing on the podium. His son, Ly Thanh Luy, an IT teacher at Phu My B Primary School, said that Dai Ui hamlet currently has more than 200 teachers. It is not by chance that many people choose the teaching profession. Partly because of tradition, partly because our people truly love teaching.

Phu My B Primary School Campus

PHOTO: DUY TAN

Mr. Duong Soc, Head of Dai Ui Hamlet, said that having a large number of teachers from one hamlet is very rare in the West. Many people after graduating from university have chosen to return to their hometown to teach to continue to preserve this precious tradition.

Today, each generation of teachers in Dai Ui hamlet not only teaches, but also holds the responsibility of preserving the legacy of learning that teacher Son Hien devoted his heart and soul to building more than half a century ago.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lang-giao-vien-doc-nhat-mien-tay-nhieu-gia-dinh-3-4-the-he-theo-nghe-185251116182843603.htm