Hanoi Having no hands, Nguyen Hong Phuc held pebbles and sticks between his toes and practiced writing on the ground many times. Gradually, his writing became better than many other children.
A week after the commendation ceremony by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, Phuc at the Thuy An Center for Care of Disabled Children in Ba Vi still remembers the excitement of standing on stage. On May 24, Phuc was one of six outstanding students to receive the Department's commendation for their efforts to overcome difficulties.
"I couldn't sleep. I woke up at 5am to choose my best clothes, put on a red scarf and waited for Ha's mother and the principal to pick me up," said Phuc, a student in class 5A7 at Thuy An Primary School.
Phuc boasted that he received a bonus of 450,000 VND, so he asked Ha's mother to buy fried dough sticks, ice cream and soft drinks to treat his roommates.
Phuc goes to the board and solves problems with his feet. Photo: Provided by the school
Ms. Le Thi Bich Ha, Phuc's adoptive mother at the center, was happy to see the boy, weighing 27-28 kg and 1m45 tall, being honored on stage.
"I am very happy. This recognition is a motivation to help Phuc be confident and continue his dream of going to school," Ms. Ha shared.
According to Ms. Ha, Phuc was abandoned outside the center’s gate when he was born. He was born prematurely and had no arms. Phuc’s right arm was amputated to the armpit, while his left arm was shriveled and short, with two small fingers sticking out. The baby was weak and was taken to the intensive care unit.
Since then, Phuc grew up in the love of foster mothers in the center.
Phuc writes with his feet during a class at Thuy An Primary School, Ba Vi, Hanoi. Video: Provided by the school
Ms. Ha welcomed Phuc into her group when he was 3 years old. The group has 5 people taking turns staying with the children 24/7. The foster mother said that when he was young, Phuc felt self-conscious about not having arms and often told his mother about being teased by his friends, but as he grew older, he shared less.
Phuc is independent in most daily activities. Without hands, Phuc hooks a spoon between his two protruding fingers or clamps it between his toes to eat rice. Phuc also taught himself to write before entering first grade.
"I practiced for a long time before I could write. I held a pebble between my toes and wrote on the ground over and over again. When I got used to it, I practiced with a stick, then with chalk," Phuc recalls the early days of teaching himself to read.
In class, Phuc likes to participate in activities with his friends, especially chess, and often wins. He was taught chess by his foster mothers at the center and found joy in this game. In his recent final extracurricular activity, Phuc used his feet to move the giant chess pieces, eliminating his opponents one by one and becoming the only one left on the board. In addition, he also likes to build legos and draw.
"I'm best at Fine Arts and Math, but a little weak at Vietnamese. Last semester I got 8.5 points in Math," Phuc boasted.
Phuc sits at a separate desk in the classroom. Photo: Provided by the school
The boy said that his friends no longer tease him but help him study. When he encounters difficult lessons, Phuc asks his friends to explain them to him. His friends also lend him notebooks to copy the lessons when he cannot keep up with the teacher's lecture.
To make it easier for him to study in class, the mothers at the center made Phuc a low wooden table. At the beginning of each school year, the table was moved to his new class. The table was placed near the board, at the top of the classroom. Phuc sat on it, holding a pen between his legs to write. Whenever he was too tired, Phuc would lie down on the table to rest for a while and then sit up again to continue studying.
"Although Phuc writes with his feet, his handwriting is more beautiful than some of his friends'. He just can't write as much as other children," said Ms. Phung Thi Giap, homeroom teacher of class 5A7.
Ms. Giap remembers that one time Phuc wanted to go to the board to write, but because she thought he couldn't hold the chalk, she asked again and again but received the same answer: "I can write, just let me go to the board." Phuc then stood on one leg, held the chalk with the other leg and reached up to the board to write.
According to Ms. Giap, Phuc's academic performance is average, not keeping up with normal students, but with limited health conditions, the fact that he can read, write, and calculate basic exercises like this is excellent.
Mr. Ta and Phuc attended the ceremony to commend and reward outstanding students of the capital in the 2022-2023 school year of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training on May 24. Photo: Provided by the school
When he came to work 2-3 years ago, principal Tran Dang Ta noticed Phuc during a class observation. Knowing Phuc's situation, Mr. Ta often observed him during recess and called him back to encourage him. He told everyone to be careful in the way they talked and cared to avoid Phuc feeling noticed and becoming self-conscious.
"I told Phuc the example of teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky or speaker Nick Vujicic - people who also had no arms but overcame adversity to rise up. Through that, I instilled in Phuc confidence and effort," teacher Ta shared.
The teacher also often praised Phuc in front of the flag and awarded him books at the end of the school year.
In 6th grade, Phuc will go to school 2 km away from the center. He cannot ride a bike by himself, is weak and often has headaches. Before that, many times the teacher had to call his foster mother to pick Phuc up in the middle of class because he was tired.
"Phuc said he didn't want to go to school anymore, so the teachers and I talked privately to encourage him," said Ms. Giap.
The mothers in the center also advised Phuc to go to school to have fun and meet friends. In the whole Ba Vi district, only Phuc was honored, so he should try to study hard to get a job and contribute to society.
According to Ms. Ha, after listening to the teachers and mothers' analysis, Phuc felt proud to be an example for other students to strive for. The recent trip to receive the Department's award had great significance, making Phuc decide to go to school. "My child agreed to go to school. The center also created conditions, sending someone to take my child and another student along," Ms. Ha said.
Phuc said he admires and loves Mr. Ta and Ms. Giap for always taking care of him. As for Ha's mother and the other foster teachers at the center, Phuc sees them as his second mothers. He doesn't know what job he wants to do or what major he wants to study in the future, he just wants to study well to make his teachers and mothers happy.
"When I go to grade 6, I will have to improve my Literature," Phuc plans.
Dawn
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