Quietly ferrying students to "enlighten" their letters

Dreams fuel the passion for the profession

When the fog was still lingering on the high mountainsides and touching the roofs of the Dao people, we arrived at Mo Si San Primary and Secondary School. The weather was quite cold, but the footsteps of students from both levels to school were bustling on the roads. Teacher Hoang Van Hanh arrived at school at 6:30 am. Today, hearing that there was a group of reporters coming, he dressed more neatly than usual. His gentle face impressed us from the first time we met. Sixteen years attached to the high border area, teacher Hanh has devoted all his youth and passion to "sowing letters and cultivating people".

As a son of the port city of Hai Phong , when he was a student, the handsome young man dreamed of becoming a teacher. After 3 years of training in the military environment, he continued to pursue his dream. Teacher Hanh confided: "Standing on the podium for me is not just a career, but a path to contribute to changing the lives of children in the places I set foot."

Mr. Hanh teaches and corrects each stroke of the students' handwriting.

In 2009, Mr. Hanh was assigned to teach at Mo Si San school - one of the particularly difficult highland areas of Phong Tho district (old). The road to the village at that time was just a red dirt path, dusty in the dry season, slippery and muddy in the rainy season. The classroom was built from crude wooden planks, old corrugated iron roofs, and rickety desks and chairs. The students were mainly Dao people, many of whom could not speak the common language fluently, were afraid to communicate, and were so shy that they only dared to sit at the back of the class. Looking into the eyes of those children, the teacher was even more determined to stay in the school, the class, and the village to teach.

Sipping a cup of hot tea, the teacher told us about his first morning teaching. He was fluent in Mandarin, while the students only knew Dao. The whole class that day, the atmosphere was filled with an indefinite space. And that night, the "ferryman" lay there thinking of teaching methods so that both the students and himself could communicate easily and learn smoothly. In the following lessons, the teacher only taught 1 or 2 letters, both reading and writing. Then, at the end of each lesson, he proactively went to people's houses to learn Dao by himself. Just like that, each day passed, the first calculations, each stroke of the letter gradually took shape in the eyes filled with effort of the students.

Devote all your heart and soul to students

The work of "sowing letters" in the highlands has never been easy. The school where Mr. Hanh works is several dozen kilometers from the center. The road is dangerous, especially during the rainy season, he had to leave his car and wade across the stream. When he arrived, he was soaked. "At that time, Dao students suffered a lot, they had no books, not much clothes; for breakfast they ate corn, potatoes, cassava, sometimes they had to drink water to fill their stomachs. Many students had to drop out of school because of their large families and poverty... It's so sad to think about it" - Mr. Hanh confided in a choked voice.

To prevent students from giving up halfway, he traveled uphill, crossed streams, and went to each house to encourage them to go to school. He remembered a family living at the end of the village, the path was steep, and they had to cling to tree roots to climb. But when he saw his students smiling and running out to welcome them, all the hardships seemed to disappear. Facing countless difficulties, Mr. Hanh still maintained a simple belief: "If I give up, my students will suffer" - that saying is also the motto that has helped him persevere for the past 16 years.

For shy first graders, teacher Hanh always gives them special attention and care.

We heard from teachers in the school that: Mr. Hanh is a good teacher, but what makes everyone admire him the most is his rare heart and dedication. Many times the school assigned him to teach a larger class, suitable for his ability and experience, but he gently asked to stay with the first graders. Not because first grade is "easy to teach", but because Mr. Hanh always believes that: the first strokes of letters, the first syllables are the most important foundation for each child's long learning journey. He chose to teach first grade to train the children in perseverance, carefulness and love of learning from the simplest things.

Teacher Hoang Van Hanh's lessons are always listened to attentively by students.

Ms. Tan Chin Kieu (a parent whose child is studying in Mr. Hanh's class) shared emotionally: "I have never met a teacher who loves his students so much. My child entered first grade with so much unfamiliarity and shyness, but after only 2 months under the teacher's guidance, he was able to write many words, read fluently and even brought out books to read to the whole family. We truly admire and are grateful to Mr. Hanh."

Those simple stories seem to "brighten" the image of a teacher who quietly sows the seeds of knowledge, so that tomorrow, those green shoots will grow with the love, perseverance and dedication that the teacher has entrusted.

Constantly innovate teaching methods

Not only is he persistent in teaching, Mr. Hanh is also always looking for new methods to help students in the highlands learn better. Having been with the first grade for more than 10 years, he understands every difficulty and limitation of the students. He actively applies information technology, organizes group activities, and gives students practical experiences to make each lesson more familiar and interesting. The experience initiative "Some measures to practice correct spelling skills for students in grade 1A1 - Educational technology" recognized by the People's Committee of the old Phong Tho district in 2019 is the result of that persistent innovation process.

Not stopping there, every year he trains himself professionally, learns from colleagues, to improve the quality of teaching. For him, "to be a good teacher, you have to learn all your life". Since starting his career (December 1, 2009) until now, Mr. Hanh's journey has been one of perseverance and dedication.

Those efforts were recognized with many awards: title of excellent teacher at provincial level, certificate of merit from the People's Committee of Phong Tho district (old), certificate of merit from the People's Committee of Lai Chau province, title of emulation fighter at the grassroots level...

In particular, Mr. Hoang Van Hanh is one of four teachers in the province who were honored to go to Hanoi to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training, a Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union for his contributions to the education and training of the young generation, and to participate in the "Sharing with Teachers" Program in 2025. But more than all those awards, what makes him most proud is the maturity of his students.

Mr. Hanh received a Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training, a Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union for his many contributions to the education and training of the young generation, and for participating in the "Sharing with Teachers" Program in 2025.

Teacher Dong Xuan Loi - Principal of the school commented on Mr. Hoang Van Hanh with respect: "Mr. Hanh is one of the teachers who always makes me feel absolutely secure when assigning work. He is not only solid in his profession, but also has a deep responsibility and love for the profession. Teaching grade 1 is very hard, requiring patience and meticulousness, but Mr. Hanh always works with all his enthusiasm. The generations of students he has trained have made remarkable progress right from the first classes. The school is very proud to have dedicated teachers like Mr. Hanh."

At the border of the Fatherland, amidst the white flowers of the Bauhinia tree every spring, the image of teacher Hoang Van Hanh quietly walking on the familiar path has become familiar to the local people. He sowed the seeds of hope. Each generation of students growing up from Mo Si San school today is the most beautiful proof of that silent but persistent journey.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/xa-hoi/lang-tham-dua-do-de-hoc-tro-duoc-sang-chu-1224256