Quietly 'sowing the seeds' of knowledge

In the heart of every teacher, there burns a silent but noble aspiration: to sow the seeds of knowledge, nurture passion, and cultivate love for the younger generation. For Ms. Phung Thi Thu Hien, an English teacher at Tan Thinh Secondary School (Thai Nguyen), this aspiration is not only a professional ideal but also a driving force in her life.

Teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien and her students after class.

Driven by a strong belief in the value of education , teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien has overcome many difficulties, constantly striving to learn, innovate, and create in her teaching, so that each day in the classroom is a journey of sowing hope, and each lesson is a bridge bringing students closer to knowledge and the future.

Upon meeting Ms. Hien for the first time, many people immediately feel a fondness for her gentle and kind nature. With her calm and experienced personality, those who interact with her are also impressed by her resilience, knowing that she has overcome many difficulties and challenges in life to raise her two daughters and ensure they receive a good education.

"In life, everyone has their ups and downs, their own sorrows, but I overcame them by finding joy in my work and peace of mind in seeing the innocent, naive eyes of my students," shared teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien.

Despite being 50 years old, teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien continues to learn and passionately explore and innovate to find the most engaging and effective teaching methods. At the same time, she always upholds the spirit of self-study and self-improvement through researching materials, reference books, and applying information technology to teaching, helping students develop their active, proactive, and creative abilities in the learning process.

Not only focusing on theoretical lectures, teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien actively participates in training courses, seminars, and workshops organized by various levels and effectively applies the knowledge to her teaching practice. In 2022, she graduated with a Master's degree in English Language with distinction; at the Provincial Excellent Teacher Competition in the 2023-2024 school year, she was one of the participating teachers who achieved the highest scores. Teacher Hien shared: "I am passionate about participating in professional training courses, pursuing a Master's degree, and participating in excellent teacher competitions not for the sake of recognition, but to use that knowledge to 'sow the seeds' of knowledge for future generations of students."

Teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien (second from the left) and her colleagues received the title of Excellent Teacher at the provincial level for the 2023-2024 school year.

In her teaching, Ms. Hien boldly applied educational tools like Flipgrid to teach spoken English to 6th-grade students. This not only helped them improve their language skills but also developed their confidence and communication abilities, which are often major barriers for middle school students when learning a foreign language. In 7th grade, Ms. Hien further enhanced the quality of her teaching by effectively applying AI tools such as Grammarly, ChatGPT, QuillBot, and Suno – software widely used in global education – to support students in improving their English writing skills in a proactive, creative, and highly personalized way.

The quality of her students has continuously improved: the percentage of students achieving a "Good" grade in English increased from 37% (grade 6) to nearly 48% (grade 7), exceeding the set target. In both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, Ms. Hien received the title of "Outstanding Emulation Soldier" at the grassroots level and was recognized as a Party member who excellently fulfilled her duties. Recently, Ms. Hien was honored with a Certificate of Commendation from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Thai Nguyen province for her outstanding achievements in her work.

Teacher Phung Thi Thu Hien 's greatest happiness is seeing her students grow and mature, inspired by the knowledge she has helped impart. This gives her the strength to "sow a seed of knowledge every day," believing that those seeds will blossom into a bright future. Ms. Hien believes that teaching is not just about transmitting knowledge, but about nurturing aspirations, honing character, and cultivating love so that later, her students will become virtuous and talented citizens who make significant contributions to society.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/giao-duc/202508/lang-le-gieo-mam-tri-thuc-20a0623/