She shared that this year's Vietnamese Teachers' Day was a happy and emotional one because she was able to go to Hanoi to attend the Ministry of Education and Training 's commendation ceremony. She felt lucky to have chosen the profession of "growing people" and "nurturing green shoots".
Born and raised in a poor family in Cam Lo, after graduating, Ms. Chau taught on contract at A Xing Primary and Secondary School ( Quang Tri ). During the time when her contract was terminated, she lost her job at home, and felt sorry for the children in the poor areas who could not go to school, she volunteered to bring the children home to teach without pay for two consecutive years.
After overcoming challenges, in 2007, she was assigned to teach at A Xing Kindergarten, Lia Commune, Quang Tri Province, and has been there ever since.
After more than 20 years in the profession, her salary and all allowances are now just enough to cover her expenses if she manages to negotiate well. “If the Party and the State have a policy to increase salaries for teachers, it would be great, so that teachers can live with peace of mind with their profession. Especially for contract teachers, in difficult areas it is even more difficult. Their monthly income is only about 4 million VND, not enough to cover their expenses,” Ms. Chau said.
A Xing Kindergarten, Lia Commune, is located in the mountainous area of Quang Tri Province, where people's lives are difficult and lacking. The school has received attention and investment from all levels, but its facilities are still limited, many remote schools are located far from the center, roads are difficult to travel, and floods often cut off during the rainy season. She was worried when she saw many children coming to school without enough clothes to wear, not enough food to eat, and the hygiene of children when they first entered the school was still limited.
Besides, some parents do not realize the importance of sending their children to school.
Concerns about children's lunch
In 2008, during a study tour of the northern provinces, she saw that a school implemented a "boarding school" model in which parents brought lunch to the classroom for their children to stay for lunch, which was very meaningful, so she boldly proposed to the school to implement it. The model quickly received support from many parents and enthusiastic response from the teaching staff. Parents cooking lunch for their children to go to school existed for many years, and then the State supported the policy for children to have lunch at school.
But many times, Ms. Chau also spends time instructing parents how to cook simple, nutritious dishes right at home, thereby spreading scientific eating habits.
She said that most of the students in her class are ethnic minorities and their Vietnamese is limited, so she learns their language to communicate, helping the children feel secure, listened to and understood.
During her years of teaching children and showing compassion for poor students, Ms. Chau has always proactively connected with charitable organizations and donors to ask for books, clothes, blankets, and school supplies; asked parents to contribute labor and materials to build the environment inside and outside the classroom; built roofs, playgrounds, and improved vegetable gardens for the children's activities.
According to the female teacher, from the first days of implementing the "Boarding school" model, only 50% of children participated, but now 100% of children eat at the boarding school. The quality of the boarding school has been improved every year when the children's meals are more complete. Thanks to that, the rate of malnourished children has decreased sharply over each school year, the children's eating and hygiene habits have also been formed, they know how to take care of themselves, have the habit of washing their hands with soap, know how to maintain oral and body hygiene; I myself always actively promote hygiene to parents.
This school year, she teaches a mixed class of 18 children, including one disabled child, making her already difficult job even more difficult. However, looking at the innocent eyes of the children gives her more motivation to teach and care for them every day.
“I feel confident and proud of the career I have chosen. That is also the motivation for me to think about how to organize meals for children at school,” she said.
She confided that on Teachers' Day, November 20, she felt a complete joy when she realized the profound meaning of her job. Seeing children healthy, obedient, and confident every day was the motivation for her to go to school every day. The thoughtfully organized boarding meals, which are also the love and responsibility of a teacher, contributed to sowing the seeds for a brighter future generation.
In 2023, Ms. Chau was honored to receive the title of Excellent Teacher from the President; In 2025, the Ministry of Education and Training honored her as a typical and advanced example.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/luong-chi-4-trieu-co-giao-vung-kho-van-giu-lop-nuoi-tre-bang-mo-hinh-ban-tru-dan-nuoi-post1797855.tpo
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