They volunteered to be the "hinge," closing the door on the darkness to open up a bright future for the students.
Building a technological bridge for disadvantaged areas.
Having spent nearly 30 years teaching, Ms. Tran Thi My, an English teacher at Bac Lieu High School (Ca Mau), has always been dedicated, dynamic, and innovative in improving the quality of education . In particular, she has utilized technology and artificial intelligence (AI) as a bridge to help students in remote areas access knowledge.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Tran Thi My founded the "Mekong Creative Teachers" group to support teachers in remote areas in familiarizing themselves with online teaching. Thanks to her dedicated guidance, many teachers overcame their anxieties about "teaching through a screen" and confidently applied technology to maintain students' learning pace.
Ms. My also participated in the VietTESOL 2021 Conference, sharing her experience in innovating teaching methods and spreading the spirit of utilizing technology to improve the quality of teaching and learning, helping students feel that online learning is as familiar and engaging as in a real classroom.
"With my existing English skills, I have access to foreign news sources, software, etc. My goal is to spread awareness and help colleagues and students utilize technology to make teaching and learning more convenient and improve the quality of education," Ms. My shared.
Following the pandemic, Ms. Tran Thi My continued to demonstrate her innovative capabilities by being invited to present papers at several major universities on the application of technology and AI in English language teaching. Her research was highly regarded for its practicality and its support for students in disadvantaged areas.
She has five international scientific publications and has been recognized by Microsoft globally for many years as an Innovative Education Expert and ambassador for ClassDojo - a teaching and learning management application; and a Super Trainer for Quizizz - an effective teaching application…
Not only is she a pioneer in applying technology, Ms. Tran Thi My is also loved by her students for her positive spirit, creative teaching style, and humane way of inspiring English learning. In particular, she participates in many meaningful social activities, actively supporting poor and disadvantaged students to excel in their studies.
"For me, students only truly learn well when they feel happy and confident that they can. I pay even more attention to students who are struggling, have special needs, or are not doing well academically. I don't want any student to be left behind on their journey to conquer knowledge in the digital age," Ms. My shared.
Many students at Bac Lieu High School, who were previously weak in English, have improved their knowledge after receiving tutoring and instruction from Ms. My, with many of them successfully passing the university entrance exam for the English Language major.
A typical example is Ngo Hoang Gia Bao, a student in class 12C4 at Bac Lieu High School. Previously, he was very afraid of English class, but with the encouragement and enthusiastic guidance from Ms. My, he gradually came to love and excel in English.
“Ms. My’s teaching methods are innovative and engaging. For students who are struggling academically, she has a personalized approach, incorporating games, guiding them on self-study techniques, and building confidence in English communication… all of which helps me improve quickly,” Gia Bao said.
As one of the three outstanding teachers from Quang Tri province honored in the "Sharing with Teachers" program organized by the Ministry of Education and Training in coordination with the Vietnam Youth Union, Mr. Hoang Duong Hoa (A Ngo Primary and Secondary School) received a Certificate of Commendation from the Minister of Education and Training on the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers' Day. This honor comes from the arduous yet passionate journey of this dedicated teacher who tirelessly "sows" knowledge in the border region.
In 2020, Mr. Hoa received a transfer order to A Ngo Primary and Secondary School – a mountainous school near the Vietnam-Laos border, nearly 150km from his home. From there, Mr. Hoa embarked on a completely different journey: long distances, harsh climate, and students lacking in many things. On his very first day teaching, he couldn't help but feel disheartened when he saw that the computer room only had three old computers brought out from the school's storage.
It was even more heartbreaking to witness students seeing a computer for the first time. Many were shy, afraid to touch the keyboard or mouse, and some had never even seen a computer in real life.
In the small room, the curious yet hesitant gazes of the students spurred the teacher to persevere, starting with the simplest things: teaching them how to turn the computer on and off, type each letter, and practice using a mouse. The teacher's joy came from these seemingly small things: when students typed their names, practiced drawing in Paint, or created their first PowerPoint slides to present their ideas. Each hesitant keystroke was a step in opening the door to technology for the students in this remote area.
Recognizing that students in mountainous areas learn more effectively with hands-on practice, Mr. Hoa reduced theory and increased experiential learning time; encouraged group work; and opened additional free tutoring sessions to give students more time to interact with computers.
The teacher also accompanies and encourages students to participate in creative activities such as the Young Innovators Competition, the Young Informatics Competition, technology application competitions, and online research. From simple classrooms, many products created by A Ngo students have won awards at the Quang Tri Province Tourism Ambassador Competition, the District (formerly) and Provincial-level Young Informatics Competitions - vivid proof that children in mountainous areas can completely master technology if given the opportunity.
The dream sower
Ms. Bui Thi Canh, a teacher at Tan Phu Primary School (Binh Phuoc Ward, Dong Nai Province), shared that about 30 years ago, in an area where parents mainly worked in the fields from morning till night, students often lacked attention. Many children came from difficult circumstances, with their parents separated, leaving them to care for each other. Therefore, these children came to class not only lacking material resources but also with feelings of inferiority, shyness, a lack of knowledge, and even truancy. This was a reality that every teacher had to find solutions to every day.
“For me, the first solution to educating struggling, underperforming, or misbehaving students isn't lesson plans, but understanding and compassion,” she said. In the 2016-2017 school year, Ms. Canh's third-grade class included Nguyen Khanh Hung, a student with a cognitive disability. Hung was a very slow learner, came from a disadvantaged family, and his mother worked all day. After school, he would wander around the school gate.
She volunteered for lunchtime shifts to tutor him meticulously; when he skipped school, she went looking for him. She vividly remembers that afternoon in the pouring rain, spending almost the entire afternoon just going to his house to convince his parents to let him continue attending school. She "taught and coaxed" him, bought him clothes and shoes, and even paid for his insurance. Finally, using mind mapping and visual memorization techniques, Hung qualified to move up a grade.
In the 2024-2025 school year, Ms. Canh took on a class with many students who "feared" math due to knowledge gaps from the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. She created a method of "teaching math through music," composing songs about math formulas so students could sing along while learning. The most surprising result was that Bao An, a hyperactive student from a disadvantaged background in class 5/2, who had previously disliked math, achieved a score of 9 at the end of the year.
Instead of going to school far away
Since the beginning of November, every morning, Ms. Dinh Thi Hoc, a teacher at Ngoc Linh Ethnic Boarding Primary School (Tra Linh commune, Da Nang city), spends nearly two hours trekking through the forest to get to school, instead of just a few steps away from Tak Ngo school as before.
Due to the impact of prolonged heavy rains and storms, the Tak Ngo school site suffered serious landslides and subsidence, making it unsafe. Therefore, the Board of Directors of Ngoc Linh Ethnic Boarding Primary School decided to transfer all 34 students from grades 1 and 2 to the main school site and have them stay at the boarding school. Ms. Dinh Thi Hoc became the teacher who "went to school far away" in place of her students.
From her small house in Tak Ngo village, every morning, she embarks on a journey of over two hours, traversing misty slopes and landslide-prone roads, just to arrive in time to stand at the podium. For her, that distance isn't a challenge, but a responsibility – because "the children are familiar with me; they feel safe and secure learning when they see me." In the afternoon, after school, she hurries back to Tak Ngo village with two students. These are two cases where parents did not agree to let their children stay at the main school for the daycare program.
Mr. Nguyen Tran Vy, Principal of Ngoc Linh Ethnic Boarding Primary School, shared: “Understanding the dangers that young students face when traveling long distances to school, the school decided to provide free boarding for 34 students, even though they only receive government support for lunch. Funding can be raised from many sources, but the most persistent approach is persuading parents to allow their children to stay in the boarding facility, because the children are still very young.”
The school administration repeatedly visited each family to persuade parents, then invited them to see their children's new living and learning environment. Most parents agreed after seeing the new living and learning conditions for their children. However, two families did not allow their children to stay in the boarding program. The school assigned teachers to pick up and drop off the children daily to ensure their safety.
Amidst the Ngoc Linh mountain range, the perseverance of Ms. Hoc – who daily "carries the classroom on her own two feet" – has instilled confidence in the highlanders, ensuring they do not abandon their journey to school.
For Ms. Canh, a teacher's success lies in discovering each student's strengths and inspiring them, creating opportunities for them to develop. For example, Nong Thuc Khue, a small, self-conscious Tay ethnic student who was illiterate while her peers could read and write fluently, received encouragement from her parents. Ms. Canh urged her to "let me train her," and the two of them diligently practiced for the ViOlympic competition. As a result, Khue won two second-place prizes at the provincial level in Vietnamese and English-language mathematics.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nhung-nguoi-thap-sang-tuong-lai-post757461.html
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