Ms. Hien and Ms. Hoa of special students: Teaching children to button their shirts is also a great effort.

For teachers at that special school, there is no greater joy than seeing students become more obedient, more well-behaved, able to hold a pen and write their first strokes.

Ms. Ngoc Hien and Kim Hoa (standing row, second and third from right) practice with their students to perform at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City "Outstanding Young Teachers" award ceremony - Photo: K.ANH

457 young teachers were honored by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union and awarded the "Outstanding Young Teachers" award at the city level in 2024, selected from thousands of nominations. Quietly, the teachers are still sowing knowledge and nurturing green buds in the educational flower garden of the city named after Uncle Ho.

The program to honor "Outstanding Young Teachers" 2024 on the evening of November 18 featured a special performance by two teachers Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hien and Le Thi Kim Hoa - teachers from Binh Minh Special School (Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City) performing with their very special students.

Three years apart, the two teachers both chose to study special education at the Central Pedagogical College in Ho Chi Minh City. They shared the same dream of helping children overcome their disabilities and integrate into society.

Specialized school students have suffered a lot, trying to make up for it has always been our greatest wish in more than ten years of working in this profession.

Ms. LE THI KIM HOA

Each game has its own lesson plan.

Fate brought both of them to work at Binh Minh Special School. Unlike teachers at other schools, the two teachers' daily luggage to class is not only lesson plans, blackboards, and white chalk, but also patience. Because to teach children with slow development each letter, each song, if they do not have enough patience and love for children, it will not be easy to find effective teaching methods to help them cooperate in groups and learn well in class.

Therefore, to be able to be friends, understanding the psychology, needs and circumstances of each child is very important. Not to mention, we must also coordinate closely with the family to create the best learning environment for them.

The two teachers boasted that for them or any teacher at that special school, there is no greater joy than seeing students become more obedient, more well-behaved, able to hold a pen and write their first strokes.

Ms. Hoa is in charge of the KN2 class for children from 5 to 9 years old, mainly teaching the children basic skills because the majority of the students are physically disabled children, some have intellectual disabilities, autism, motor disabilities... Some are 9 years old but have the intelligence of a 1-2 year old child, cannot be taught to read and write but mainly teach the children how to take care of themselves.

"Teaching students how to use the toilet in the right place, not to wet the bed, and how to button their shirts is a journey that requires patience and effort from the students," Ms. Hoa shared.

While Ms. Hien is in charge of a class of students from 8 to 12 years old, each student has a different physical condition and level of disability. There cannot be a common lesson plan, her lesson plan is flexible when teaching each student. This forces her to observe and monitor even when each student expresses an attitude or behavior in order to promptly correct them.

"Sometimes applying that method to one student may be suitable but to another student it may be counterproductive. That's how the lesson plan is for each student in a special school," Ms. Hien laughed.

Happy when the game fits in

Learning through games helps students understand their body parts. In a flash, Kim jumped to grab Ms. Hien's hand, bit it, and then let it go as if nothing happened. She was surprised, but Ms. Hien did not react because she was used to this. Sometimes, when joking with her 10 classmates, Kim also tested their hands to see if they smelled good.

Ms. Hien said that each child has certain disabilities, some are autistic or have mild neurological problems, teachers monitor and coordinate with families to take the children to the hospital for treatment. Students biting, pulling hair, and even spontaneously running to slap her are all too familiar to teachers who teach children with developmental delays and autism. Because teachers understand that these are spontaneous actions because the children cannot control their emotions.

Ms. Hien confided: "As teachers, everyone wants to see their children grow up. For me, all I need is for my children to progress little by little every day and be able to take care of themselves.

There were friends who worked as restaurant assistants, sold lottery tickets... who happened to meet me on the street and recognized me and called out hello to Ms. Hien. That joy cannot be compared to anything else."

Love and sacrifice are things that are never lacking for the teacher of those special students.

In addition to teaching literacy, the teachers' lessons are always creative to support students with life skills, so that when they return home, they can more or less integrate into the community and help their parents with some housework. Continuing, Ms. Hoa said that teachers of children with intellectual disabilities must not only impart knowledge but also be role models for their students.

Each class at this school has only about a dozen children, but to be able to manage and teach according to the general lesson plan and individually for each student with each teacher is really a sweat. So in addition to going to class, the two young teachers also arrange to participate in many volunteer activities on their days off.

Over the years, both of them have been party members who have completed their tasks excellently, achieving the title of excellent teachers at the district and city levels.

Love and sacrifice

Ms. Vo Thi Cam Thuy - principal of Binh Minh Special School - believes that to choose to be a teacher of disabled children, each teacher must be very patient, willing to sacrifice and love children very much to be able to stick with the profession for more than ten years.

According to Ms. Thuy, each child has different disabilities, temperaments and behaviors, and Ms. Hien and Ms. Hoa must understand each child to help them overcome themselves, rather than compare them with other normal children.

"Having been injured many times by students, only love is enough to keep the teachers committed to their profession at this special school with these special children," Ms. Thuy expressed.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-hien-co-hoa-cua-hoc-sinh-chuyen-biet-day-cac-con-cai-nut-ao-cung-la-no-luc-lon-20241118222130124.htm