The teacher in the wheelchair

In the impoverished countryside of Ba Thuoc mountainous district, Thanh Hoa province, lives a remarkable teacher – 43-year-old Mr. Tran Van Hoa. Without healthy legs, a proper blackboard, or a lectern, for over 10 years, he has tirelessly brought knowledge to hundreds of underprivileged students using only his old wheelchair and a heart overflowing with love.

In 2009, while working as a math teacher at a primary school in Ai Thuong commune, a serious traffic accident took away Mr. Hoa's legs. From a healthy man who loved his profession and was passionate about teaching, he became disabled and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

"At that moment, I felt like my life was over. I wouldn't be able to stand in front of the class anymore, I wouldn't be able to see the eager eyes of the students during each lesson... I was almost in despair," Mr. Hoa recalled, his eyes pensive.

But then, amidst the darkest days of his life, a miracle came from a child.

One afternoon, a girl of about nine years old, the neighbor's child, timidly approached the teacher and asked, "Teacher, can you teach me math? I have my midterm exams coming up... my mother is illiterate." That seemingly simple question was like a small, flickering lamp in the darkness, rekindling hope in Teacher Hoa.

The teacher in the wheelchair - Photo 1.

Teacher Hoa with his students - PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

A special classroom under the eaves of a house.

From that day on, every afternoon, under the small awning in front of his house, Mr. Hoa began running a free charity class for poor, orphaned, or disadvantaged children. Without proper desks and chairs, the students sat on mats, using their notebooks as pillows to write. Mr. Hoa, in his wheelchair, prepared his lesson plans and taught with all his heart.

Initially, there were only 3-4 students, but word spread throughout the neighborhood, and the number gradually increased. Some days, the classroom was packed with over 20 students. Some students walked 5-6 kilometers just to attend a single lesson with the teacher.

What's special about Mr. Hoa is that he not only teaches literacy but also teaches his students about how to be a good person, about gratitude, and about the aspiration to live. He often tells his students his own story, not to complain about his fate, but to help them understand that: "No matter how harsh life may be, if we still have a kind heart and faith, we can still give and be happy."

The journey of spreading knowledge through compassion.

Many students who once studied in Mr. Hoa's class are now university students, engineers, and future teachers. Some have returned to help him teach during peak school years. Nguyen Van Tu, a second-year student at Hue University of Education, shared: "If it weren't for Mr. Hoa's class, I would have dropped out of school in the 6th grade. He gave me faith and dreams. I will become a teacher, to continue his work of spreading knowledge in my hometown."

Every month, despite not having a stable income, Mr. Hoa still sets aside a portion of his disability allowance to buy notebooks, pens, and rulers for his students. One year, when floods came and many houses collapsed, leaving students without books, he went around asking for used books from charitable organizations to keep the class going.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a parent with two children in the teacher's class, said emotionally, "Without the teacher, the children here wouldn't know how to read. He even provides them with candy, snacks, and used clothes. And he's very poor, but everyone in the neighborhood cherishes him like family."

Teacher Hoa's story went viral on social media, attracting tens of thousands of shares. Many charitable organizations came to support the small classroom with books, blackboards, and shelter from the rain and sun. But he remained humble: "I'm just doing something very ordinary. The happiest thing is seeing the children's smiles and knowing that I'm still useful."

In 2022, he was honored by the Thanh Hoa Provincial Youth Union as a "Model of Living," and received a commendation from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his contributions to the community. But the greatest reward, according to him, "is the affection of his students and the trust and love of the local people."

The teacher in the wheelchair - Photo 2.