The person who 'ignited' innovation in early childhood education.

With dedication, responsibility, and experience accumulated over more than 20 years of work, Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan, Principal of Kindergarten 8-3, Nam Dinh Ward, Ninh Binh Province, has proactively researched and developed many innovative solutions that have been widely applied in many schools, contributing to improving the quality of care and education for preschool children.

Teacher Pham Thi Long Quan receives a certificate of merit as an outstanding example in the Education and Training sector of the province. Photo: Provided by the subject.

Persistent innovation in early childhood education

After graduating from the University of Education with a major in Early Childhood Education in 2001, Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan began her teaching career at Hoa Sen Kindergarten (formerly Nam Dinh city). With a sense of responsibility and a love for her profession, she continuously innovated her teaching methods, contributing to improving the quality of childcare and education, earning the trust and affection of staff, teachers, and parents. Since the 2010 school year, she has been appointed as the Deputy Principal of the school.

In the 2013-2014 school year, Ms. Quan was transferred and appointed as the Principal of Thong Nhat Kindergarten. During her tenure, she, along with the school's leadership team, implemented comprehensive solutions to improve educational quality, invest in facilities, and build a healthy pedagogical environment. As a result, in the 2014-2015 school year, the school was recognized as meeting national standards at level 2. In the 2015-2016 school year, the school continued to be recognized as meeting the "green, clean, beautiful, and safe" standards.

Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan stated that, to meet the requirements of early childhood education reform in the new era, she proactively proposed to the school's leadership team the implementation and application of advanced educational methods such as Montessori, STEM, and Glenn Doman in organizing care activities, combined with practical experiential activities, contributing to improving the quality of childcare and education.

With her dedicated efforts and commitment to her profession, Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan and the staff and teachers of Thong Nhat Kindergarten have achieved many outstanding accomplishments. The school has twice received Certificates of Merit from the Ministry of Education and Training for its excellent achievements in the patriotic emulation movement of the education sector during the 2015-2020 period. Ms. Quan herself has received numerous Certificates of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training, and notably, in the 2021-2022 school year, she was awarded the title of "National Emulation Soldier".

Since June 2023, Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan has been appointed as the Principal of Kindergarten 8-3. Recognizing that the school, being a long-standing structure, was gradually deteriorating and unsafe for the students, Ms. Quan advised and proposed, and the People's Committee of Nam Dinh City (formerly) approved, the reconstruction of the school. In her professional work, she actively innovated teaching and learning management methods, ensuring that all activities were orderly, systematic, and effective.

Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan stated that, to improve the quality of teaching, she regularly visits classrooms and observes teachers' lessons; she conducts planned inspections combined with unannounced inspections to promptly help teachers overcome limitations, improve their professional skills and professional ethics. As a result, in professional inspections and evaluations by the Department and the Provincial Department of Education and Training, the school's teaching staff has consistently received a "good" rating.

The overall quality of education at 8-3 Kindergarten has been maintained, with significant progress in both scale and quality. From the 2022-2023 school year to the present, the school has consistently been recognized as an Outstanding Labor Collective and awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Provincial Labor Union. Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan herself has also received Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Dinh Province (formerly) and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. With these outstanding achievements, she is honored to be part of the Ninh Binh Provincial Delegation to the 11th National Emulation Congress, which will take place at the end of December 2025.

Many effective initiatives

Throughout her teaching and management career at educational institutions, Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan has always proactively researched and innovated methods of caring for and educating children; she has also developed many initiatives in teaching, educational management, and staff development. These initiatives have been effectively implemented and widely applied in many schools both within and outside the province.

Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan stated that, to date, approximately 16 initiatives have been recognized by relevant authorities for their impact and effectiveness in school practice. A prime example is the initiative "Solution for designing a set of teaching aids for organizing child-centered educational activities in preschools," with the submitted product being a "Multipurpose Box" model, which won first prize in the Education and Training category at the 6th Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Competition (2016-2017).

The "Multipurpose Box" model is used in activities such as: introducing literary works; exploring science and social studies; and introducing children to mathematics. With its easy assembly and disassembly, the multipurpose box allows teachers to simultaneously organize various games such as hopscotch, alphabet board games, fishing, etc., in different activity corners without causing boredom or difficulty in operation.

Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan shared that the materials for making the "Multipurpose Box" are very simple, readily available in the classroom or on the market, and easy to assemble. Compared to buying teaching materials from outside, it is 10 times cheaper. Over the past time, the school has welcomed many delegations from preschools in and outside the province, such as Nghe An, Hanoi, Hung Yen, etc., to visit and learn from the model. Afterwards, these schools have effectively applied and used this product in their childcare and education.

Not only is she dedicated to her work in education, Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan also clearly demonstrates a sense of responsibility to the community through many social activities. Besides participating in the "Godmother" program for three students with particularly difficult circumstances, she actively responds to fundraising and support movements for families receiving government assistance and students in difficult situations, contributing to spreading love and helping students gain more strength to excel in their studies and lives.

Mr. Nguyen The Lam, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Nam Dinh Ward, assessed that Ms. Pham Thi Long Quan is a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher. In her capacity as Principal, she, along with the school's leadership team, has built a healthy learning environment, and the school has been recognized as an Outstanding Labor Collective for many consecutive years. In particular, she has also conducted numerous effective research and inventions to improve the quality of preschool education, which have been widely applied in schools.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/nguoi-thap-lua-doi-moi-giao-duc-mam-non-20260102103956980.htm