Tien Vang Temple lights up the tradition of respecting teachers

(CTO) - Every Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20, the Tien Vang Temple in the Le Van Tam Primary School (Tra Vinh City, now Vinh Long Province) welcomes many generations of teachers and students to offer flowers and burn incense in memory. The temple is not only a place to pay tribute to 139 deceased teachers, but also a living symbol of the tradition of "Respecting teachers and valuing education" that has been preserved through many generations.

Tien Vang Temple in the campus of Le Van Tam Primary School.

Tien Vang Temple, also known as Tien Su Temple, was built in 1943 on the campus of Ecole Primaire Complémentaire de Tra Vinh , from donations raised through the "Fair Session". The purpose is to commemorate and honor teachers who have made many contributions to the local education cause but have passed away.

The temple has an area of ​​only 16 square meters, simple architecture with columns and walls made of precious wood, curved tile roof, and tiled floor. In front of the temple hangs a horizontal plaque with Chinese characters "Unforgettable memories", inside is "Hundred arrows flying through the ocean". In the middle is an altar with an incense burner, behind is a marble stele engraved with the names of 139 teachers - those who contributed to laying the foundation for local education . In 2004, Tien Vang Temple was recognized as a provincial cultural relic.

Since then, the temple has become a spiritual meeting place for the local education sector. On holidays, especially on Vietnamese Teachers' Day November 20, teachers and students from many schools come to burn incense in memory. Tra Vinh University also organized a delegation of staff, lecturers and students to visit and review the tradition.

Mr. Phan Trung Hieu, Principal of Le Van Tam Primary School, shared: "This is a great honor for the school to preserve a relic with profound meaning about the teaching profession."

Every Monday morning, before the flag-raising ceremony, Mr. Phan Trung Hieu, Principal of Le Van Tam Primary School, goes to the temple to burn incense.

Tien Vang Temple is also taught as a local history lesson. In 2009, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, former Vice Principal, collected documents and images to design an electronic lesson plan about the temple. This lesson won second prize at the department level and excellent prize at the provincial level, becoming a visual tool to help students understand the tradition of studiousness and gratitude to teachers.

During flag salute ceremonies, teachers often remind students to take care of and preserve the temple. Before exams or major events, teachers and students go to the temple to burn incense. Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Tam, Vice Principal of the school, said: “Through educating students about the Tien Vang Temple, they are imbued with the moral of “remembering the person who planted the tree when eating the fruit” and appreciate the efforts of teachers.”

For students, Tien Vang Temple is a source of pride. Le Ngoc Khanh, a student in class 5-1, said: “I feel honored to study in a school with Tien Su Temple. This is where the names of teachers who have devoted themselves to the cause of education are recorded. We vow to study hard to be worthy of that merit.”

Students of class 5-1 at Tien Vang Temple during activity time.

Today, the temple has been renovated but still retains its original architecture. The campus is full of flowers and leaves, marble steles with 139 bronze plaques listing the names of teachers. The school's board of directors and teachers take turns taking care of it and burning incense every day. Many parents, former students, and teachers far from home often visit.

According to teacher Phan Trung Hieu, Tien Vang Temple is not only a memorial site but also a traditional activity site of the education sector. He suggested that there should be regulations to continue to record the names of teachers with many contributions after their death, in order to arouse the spirit of studiousness, respect for teachers and pride of local people.

Tien Vang Temple, with more than eight decades of existence, has become a cultural and educational symbol, a place where memories, gratitude and the continuation of tradition converge.

In the modern life, the small temple still silently reminds generations of students that knowledge is not only taught through books, but also through the morality of respecting teachers - an unchanging value of the Vietnamese people.

Article and photos: HUU TRAI

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/mieu-tien-vang-thap-sang-truyen-thong-ton-su-trong-dao-a194180.html