I'm participating in the excellent teacher competition.

Nervousness, anxiety, insomnia... these are feelings that have plagued me for the past month. This is because I participated in the provincial-level excellent teacher competition.

Challenge yourself, fulfill your teaching vow.

In early October 2025, I happened to watch a video of Mr. Huynh Van Son, Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, talking about the teaching profession. He said: "Nowadays, teachers cannot be called idle, because each lecture we give contains the heartfelt emotions of our teachers, the process of understanding our students, and especially our concern for nurturing a soul and a character. These are the noble and sacred tasks that today's generation of teachers needs to undertake..."

Traveling from Phu Quoc Island to the mainland to participate in the provincial-level excellent secondary school teacher competition, organized by the Kien Giang Department of Education and Training, I hoped to network with colleagues, share experiences, and, more importantly, test my abilities.

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTOR

Mr. Son's sharing startled me and made me reflect on myself. I wondered what I had accomplished in over 20 years of teaching, what I had done for the teaching profession, what I had done for my students, and whether I had given my all to them.

Later, upon hearing that the An Giang Department of Education and Training was organizing a provincial-level competition for excellent secondary school teachers (for the 2025-2026 school year), I immediately contacted the school's leadership to register for participation. I hoped to interact with colleagues, share experiences, and thereby better fulfill my "vow to the teaching profession," and more importantly, to challenge myself.

Sleepless nights for the excellent teacher competition.

After registering for the competition, I began researching the relevant documents and regulations. Accordingly, each participating teacher had to complete two mandatory parts: presenting measures to improve teaching quality and conducting a practical lesson in the classroom.

Unforgettable moments I shared with the students of class 7/7, Nguyen Du Secondary School (Rach Gia Ward, An Giang Province)

PHOTO: HOANG TRUNG

I spent several nights finalizing the operational plan. First the Word document, then the PowerPoint presentation. Still not satisfied, I asked to present it at school for feedback from my colleagues. Some meetings lasted over six hours, until late at night, as my team members provided input.

After that, I packed my bags and set off, anxiously awaiting the moment to enter the presentation room before the three esteemed judges. Finally, I passed the "methodology" hurdle and continued to prepare myself for the second "hurdle": practicing a lesson.

With the requirement to notify participants two days in advance of the practical teaching session, most of us (including myself) were understandably worried. We wondered if we could prepare everything in less than 48 hours, especially considering the half-day travel time from the island to the mainland.

Whether I pass or fail, I'm still proud.

On the morning of November 30th, I received notification that I would be taking a practical exam on Monday morning, December 2nd. Specifically, I would be teaching the lesson "Circular Pie Chart" in the third period in class 7/7 at Nguyen Du Secondary School (Rach Gia Ward, An Giang Province).

At over 6 a.m. on December 1st, I packed my bags and headed to the high-speed ferry terminal, departing from Phu Quoc Island to Rach Gia on the mainland, carrying with me my greatest wish: to pass the exam.

The excellent teacher competition for the 2025-2026 school year has concluded. I am satisfied with the results I achieved, which are exactly as I hoped, and this has given me more confidence in fulfilling my vow to be a teacher.

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTOR

That afternoon, as per regulations, I was allowed to meet the students. After 15 minutes of introductions, the whole class treated me like an "idol," rushing forward to shake my hand enthusiastically…

Finally, my lesson was over. The three esteemed judges had some comments, mostly praise and some criticism, but mainly to help me improve my teaching in the future.

Throughout the competition, my colleagues and I treated the 7:00 AM timeframe each day starting from November 30th as if we were waiting for the lottery results. At this time, the organizing committee would send information about the practical exam to the participating teachers' email addresses. If we didn't receive the email after that time, it meant that teacher didn't have a practical exam scheduled. People jokingly said it meant our number hadn't been drawn yet.

I was lucky enough to be drawn on the very first day, so I didn't pay much attention to it for the next few days, only occasionally asking my teammates if they had drawn their numbers yet.

Then, on December 10th, the practical exam ended. We continued waiting... for the lottery. This time, we were waiting to see the final results of the competition. On the morning of December 15th, after receiving the official announcement from the school leadership, many people didn't dare open the list to check, and had to ask relatives to look for them.

As for me, I was just as nervous as my colleagues, but I also "bravely" opened the list to check. I searched and searched but couldn't find my name. I tried a little harder and finally found my name at number 904. I was overjoyed. All three judges gave me an excellent grade.

And so the excellent teacher competition has come to an end. I am satisfied with the results I achieved, exactly as I had hoped when I set off, and this has given me more confidence in fulfilling my vow to become a teacher.

Somewhere out there, too, there are... stories of lives.

At noon, after finishing my exams, I took a drive around Rach Gia. Suddenly, I saw a 7th-grade student from Nguyen Du Secondary School carrying a thick stack of lottery tickets and going into a coffee shop to offer them to customers. I turned my car around and called her over to buy a few tickets to support her.

"Ah! Teacher Trung. Haven't you returned to the island yet?" It turned out she recognized me too. Looking at the badge on her uniform, I knew her name was BT, a student from the class I taught in the recent competition. I was very happy that even though we were only in class for a little over 60 minutes, she still remembered and recognized me.

After a few questions, I learned that she lives on Lam Quang Ky Street. Every day, outside of school hours, she has to sell 350 lottery tickets (I really don't understand how she manages to sell that many tickets during her break).

I bought ten lottery tickets from her and hurried away. Before we parted, I managed to hear her say, "Teacher, if you win the lottery this afternoon, please take the whole class to Phu Quoc for a trip!" I just waved my hand in agreement and continued wandering along 3.2 Street. Afterwards, I suddenly remembered and blamed myself for not inviting her to lunch.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/toi-di-thi-giao-vien-day-gioi-185251216102954381.htm