On November 20, students gave a bunch of vegetables and potatoes, making the teacher cry.

(Dan Tri) - With chapped faces from the cold and dirty hands, highland students took turns bringing vegetables and potatoes to give to their teachers on November 20, touching many people.

Priceless gifts

“On November 20, I have a bunch of vegetables for you. I wish you happiness and good health,” the girl said, lifting the bunch of vegetables in a plastic bag with both hands and handing it to the teacher. Her face was chapped from the cold, her hands were covered in dirt, but her smile was still radiant, she just hoped the teacher would like her simple gift.

Receiving gifts from the children, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son choked with emotion. Mr. Son is currently the homeroom teacher of grade 3, with 12 years of working at Lang Nhi Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Phinh Ho commune, Lao Cai province).

Highland students give gifts on November 20, touching netizens (Photo cut from clip: Provided by character).

Recently, a clip recording the moment teacher Son received a gift from his students on November 20 was posted on social networks, attracting hundreds of thousands of views and bringing tears to many netizens.

“Every November 20th, the children give me gifts, sometimes taro, sometimes a bunch of green vegetables, sometimes a few chili bamboo shoots or some ginseng roots that their parents have just dug up. Every year, every time I receive a gift, I am moved as if it were the first time. In the highlands, those simple gifts not only have material meaning, but also show the rustic appreciation, the sincere feelings given with all the heart of the children. Those gifts are what make me happy to do this job,” Mr. Son expressed.

Recalling the first days of arriving at the school, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son still remembers the bewilderment he felt when he encountered the harshness of the highlands. The road up to the village was steep and slippery when it rained, and there were days when he had to get off and push his bike up the hill. The school at that time was just a few small classrooms with old corrugated iron roofs, with rickety desks and chairs, lacking in every way.

Teachers’ lives are made even more difficult by the dusty dry season, and the muddy rainy season, when motorbikes cannot climb the slopes, forcing teachers to walk for miles. On cold days, many teachers have to sleep in their classrooms and use firewood to keep warm because the dormitory is not yet complete.

“At night, the cold wind blew through the cracks in the wooden walls. All I could hear was the sound of falling rain and insects chirping in the mountains and forests. At that time, I wondered if I could stay here for a long time,” said Mr. Son.

Try for the children's literacy

However, all his worries quickly disappeared when he met his students. They were barefooted children, their clothes were disheveled but their eyes were always clear. Just hearing them read their lessons in unison, all his fatigue seemed to be dispelled.

“Some students go to school barefoot, some bring cold rice from early morning, and eat sesame salt or wild vegetables for lunch. On rainy days, their clothes are soaked, but they still trudge to class alone in the rain,” the male teacher from the highlands confided.

Teacher Son remembers best the time when it rained heavily and the stream near the school rose so high that it seemed impossible for any child to cross. But when he arrived, the children were huddled under the porch, their eyes fixed on the classroom.

"Teacher, do we have a new lesson today?", the student's small question made Mr. Son's eyes sting.

Teacher Son shared that he always tries to bring knowledge to students in the highlands (Photo: Character provided).

“It is the innocence and desire to learn of the children that keeps me here,” he said.

Not wanting his students to suffer any more, Mr. Son and his colleagues try to do everything they can. Sometimes he buys warm clothes and books for his students, and sometimes he contacts friends and donors to ask for support to repair the dilapidated classrooms.

Many times, the teacher cooks with the students, teaches them how to wash their hands, maintain hygiene, and share food.

“I just hope that you can feel the love. Wherever you go in the future, you will know how to give kindness like the way your teachers have shown you,” he confided.

Looking back over the past 12 years, Mr. Son said that what he is most proud of is that he did not give up. Despite the rain, wind, or biting cold, or the power outage at night when he had to prepare lessons by candlelight, he still stood in class the next morning, with the happiness of hearing his students calling him “teacher” clearly echoing through the mountains and forests.

“If I had to choose again, I would still choose this path. Because here, I found the true meaning of the teaching profession, which is to teach words, teach people and learn to love with all my heart,” Mr. Son confided.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/ngay-2011-hoc-tro-tang-bo-rau-cu-khoai-khien-thay-giao-roi-nuoc-mat-20251119212124108.htm