The pride of a remote school

Teacher Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen and students of Hoa Ninh II Primary School

• LOVE IS STILL AS FIRST DAY

In March, the teachers and students of Hoa Ninh II Primary School were overjoyed when teacher Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen was honored to be one of 16 primary school teachers to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Director of the Department of Education and Training for her outstanding achievements at the Provincial Excellent Teacher Competition for the 2024-2025 school year. With the school located more than 20 km from the center of Di Linh district, this achievement is a source of great pride. As for Ms. Ai Duyen herself, this is a worthy recognition for her spirit of dedication, devotion, passion and constant efforts on the journey of nurturing knowledge that she has devoted her youth to.

In 1995, young girl Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen left her hometown Phu Tho, bringing with her love for children and the dream of becoming a teacher to study at Da Lat Pedagogical College. Graduating in 1998, she started teaching at Hoa Ninh II Primary School and has been there ever since. After 27 years working in the education sector, teacher Duyen still remembers clearly the first days when she first set foot in Di Linh, a land that was still very new to her. That was when the commune had electricity for only a few months, the road to school was still muddy, and the classroom was made of makeshift wooden planks. The worst days were when it rained heavily and the wind was strong, the classroom was wet, and she and her students huddled in a corner waiting for the rain to stop before they could continue studying... The difficulties and shortages did not make the young teacher falter, but instead became the motivation for her to be determined to stick with it, eager to impart knowledge to the students in this land. “Youth! We were extremely enthusiastic, creative, and dynamic to overcome that period together, determined to do well in our teaching tasks with only one wish: that students could attend class and school regularly,” teacher Duyen shared.

Nearly 30 years of teaching are full of memories for teacher Ai Duyen, each student is a story, each school year is a memorable journey. Among them, there are stories that happened many years ago but always stay in the teacher's memory, reminding her of the responsibility of a teacher. She said: "Although far from home, I am always lucky that Di Linh, Lam Dong is a livable place. I always love the place I live, love the job I choose, love the students and the sincere feelings of the people here. That is probably my greatest luck and strength to overcome all difficulties".

• CONSTANTLY STRIVE TO MEET TEACHING REQUIREMENTS

Before achieving the title of Provincial Excellent Teacher for the 2024-2025 school year, teacher Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen also had many other outstanding achievements in her teaching process. These include: the Encouragement Prize in the Provincial Excellent Head Teacher Competition for the 2015-2016 school year, the title of Provincial Excellent Teacher for the 2020-2021 school year, etc. For Ms. Duyen, these are the motivations for her to continue to strive to improve herself to better meet the requirements of teaching and learning. "Every time I participate in the competition, I get to experience, learn, and find many new skills, software, methods, and forms to apply to my lectures. My passion and enthusiasm have grown from there," Ms. Duyen said.

According to teacher Ai Duyen, nowadays, students are influenced and impacted by many factors from the surrounding environment, especially the online environment. Therefore, teachers not only have to teach knowledge, but also need to teach skills and, importantly, educate students in ethics. To do this, each teacher must truly be a friend, understand their psychology and accompany them. Having worked as a homeroom teacher for grade 1 for many years, Ms. Duyen said: “Students from preschool to grade 1 enter a new stage, they are very active, quick to remember but also quick to forget. Teachers must be truly dedicated, consider them as their own children, hold their hands and show them how to do things, and remind them of what they forget. Especially, for the 2018 General Education Program, we must find a way for students to both learn and play, and apply knowledge to real life so that students can easily understand and remember for a long time.”

Teacher Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen herself is also one of the core teachers of the Department of Education and Training of Lam Dong province, regularly participating in training programs of the Ministry of Education and Training to train teachers in the whole province. Ms. Duyen shared that in order to meet the requirements of teaching in the current period, in addition to training, each teacher must also learn, train, and research on their own to avoid falling behind. In addition, they must proactively filter out what is suitable for their students, the conditions of the class, and the school they are working at to apply appropriately. As a mother of two sons, Ms. Duyen shared that participating in competitions despite her "old age" is also a way for her to set an example for her children in the spirit of always trying, striving, and dedicating herself.

Dynamic and meticulous in all activities, teacher Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen is also an exemplary party member, honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Provincial Party Committee for meeting the standard of "Excellent completion of tasks" for 5 consecutive years from 2017 to 2021.

Commenting on teacher Nguyen Thi Ai Duyen, Ms. Phan Thi Kieu - Vice Principal of Hoa Ninh II Primary School said: "Teacher Duyen is a typical example of the school's love for the profession, love for children and dedication to the cause of educating people, a shining example for young teachers to follow. In nearly 30 years of work, Ms. Duyen has always been enthusiastic, dedicated, overcoming all difficulties, completing well her professional work as well as assigned tasks."

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/xa-hoi/202504/niem-tu-hao-cua-ngoi-truong-vung-xa-adf31f1/