From children who were clueless about their future, Mr. Nguyen Quang Phu's students at the Vocational Education - Continuing Education Center of District 7 (HCMC) gradually found their way, thanks to the care and support of a dedicated young teacher.
It was pouring rain, four children in a room in An Hoa 3 apartment building (District 7, HCMC) chattered and called each other to get their clothes in.
Seeing that his work was done, teacher Nguyen Quang Phu (32 years old, teacher at the Vocational Education - Continuing Education Center of District 7) continued to review lessons for the students living with him.
In a rented room of 48 square meters, five teachers and students gather to study and bond together. The students under this roof, some are from Ho Chi Minh City, others come from Tay Ninh, Dak Nong or Nghe An, all gather together.
According to the young teacher, the children who are currently living with him are not related by blood but treat each other like siblings. They are students of the center, have difficult circumstances and were brought to live with him.
Pointing at the students, the teacher said proudly: "You have just been commended by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. This student has just won first prize in the handheld calculator competition, this student has been awarded the title of Excellent Math Student in Grade 12. This student alone has won an Olympic prize in Math. And this student is an excellent student, continuously receiving many scholarships."
After graduating with a degree in education with strong opposition from his family, the young teacher was invited to teach at the Center for Vocational Education - Continuing Education in District 7 in 2013. After that, he became an official teacher until now.
Since joining the regular education environment, Mr. Phu started tutoring weak students every day. His house became a place to review lessons. Gradually, the number of students coming increased, filling the small room. Before he knew it, more and more students asked to stay with Mr. Phu.
Recalling when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the young teacher fell into an economic crisis because his salary was not enough to take care of the students.
"I was appointed to the staff in 2019. At that time, my salary was very low, so I could only afford to eat every day. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the area where I lived was locked down, so I had no other source of income besides my salary. The teachers and students huddled in a windowless room, contributing rice to feed each other," Mr. Phu recalled.
After all the difficulties passed, the teacher continued to let the students stay with him. In 2021, he moved to a new 2-bedroom apartment, so that the students could live more comfortably.
The living room is used by the teacher as a place to review and support knowledge for students. The remaining rooms are full of bookshelves, so that students can read and relax after hours of studying and working.
Every day, after a busy day of teaching at school, the young teacher returned to his rented room to tutor his students until late at night. When his family learned of his actions , they not only stopped protesting but also supported him.
After teaching English to his 9th grade roommate, Bui Minh Man (20 years old) returned to his desk. Man was just accepted into Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education with great excitement. Man said that this was something he had never dared to think about before.
Man was a child who grew up without love, because his father died early, his mother worked alone, doing all kinds of jobs to take care of him.
During his studies, Man worked to earn money to support his life. However, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 has left the male student in a deadlock.
After three months without work, Man was kicked out of her room by her landlord because she owed two months of rent. Wandering the streets, Man tried to hold back her tears as she looked at her uncertain future, her thoughts kept getting stuck in her head.
Hearing that Man had no place to stay, a classmate of his immediately contacted teacher Nguyen Quang Phu.
"You gave me money to pay off my rent, invited me to stay at your house and eat with you. You were like my savior. If it weren't for you, my life would have ended," Man confided.
Living together, Mr. Phu taught Man a lot of professional knowledge and good things in life. Seeing that Man had a talent for drawing, he guided him to study fashion design. In no time, the young man now passed the entrance exam to his dream school.
"Up to now, my study and living expenses depend on scholarships and loans from Mr. Phu. He lent me money, but I don't know when I will be able to pay it back. I just want to study hard so I can get a job soon, support myself, and repay the opportunity he gave me," Man confided.
Having been with the young teacher for 7 years, Doan Van Hung (25 years old, student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education) also thought his life would come to a dead end when he decided to drop out of school in 8th grade. At that time, Hung worked as a construction worker in Dong Nai province in the morning and returned to Ho Chi Minh City in the evening to work as a waiter.
Day by day, the young man's temper became more impulsive. However, he could not avoid sleepless nights and tears welling up in his eyes when his fate could not escape poverty.
"I thought a lot. If I didn't continue studying, I would probably spend my life working as a construction worker with a meager salary. I decided to change. Only by studying can I change my fate," Hung said.
Returning to school in grade 8 at the age of 17, Hung felt shy because he was studying with younger students. It took him a long time to absorb knowledge.
"Luckily, I met Mr. Phu. I proactively asked to go to his house to review my lessons and then asked to live with him. Now, the impulsive, aggressive boy from the past is a good student, in his final year with a brighter personality, thinking and future," Hung said proudly.
In the joyful eyes of the young teacher, few people understood that he had spent a lot of time to reform these children. Because their past and circumstances, if told, would be very heartbreaking.
Yet, the teacher who brought the children back from the brink that year, humbly said: "I am just a small catalyst on their journey full of determination."
Working in the vocational education and continuing education environment, the 9X teacher also has many special students.
Talking about the first class of students he taught at the Vocational Education - Continuing Education Center in District 7 (HCMC), Mr. Phu was once "shocked".
"Looking around the classroom, everyone is older than me. They started learning too late, making their knowledge acquisition very slow. Moreover, each person has their own special circumstances and strong personalities, so it takes a lot of time to train them," he shared.
Or like Ms. Ngo Thi Kim Chi (64 years old) - the oldest candidate of the 2023 high school graduation exam - is also a student of a 32-year-old teacher.
In 2019, when he took over the class, he thought the grandmother of a student in the class was there to observe. After asking, he was very surprised and confused because he did not think there would be such an old student.
"At the Center for Vocational Education - Continuing Education, there are many older students studying, but Ms. Chi is the oldest person here. I admire her for her love of learning, her determination and her strong will to learn," Mr. Phu shared.
According to the male teacher, having to teach older people initially made him feel pressured and embarrassed. Sometimes, the young teacher could not help but feel helpless when encountering students who were difficult to approach. But then both the teacher and the students tried their best to complete the teaching and learning tasks.
When he first started his career, he had to travel 2 hours every day to get to school. His finances were also unstable because he was not yet on the payroll. But those things did not seem to deter the teacher from loving his job.
According to teacher Phu, students at the center have a more difficult starting point than others, so their personalities are also different. To influence them, teachers always have to be patient and need a long time. Because knowledge is a problem, but how to stabilize the psychology and orient the students is very difficult.
"Many nights I tossed and turned thinking about my students. And then I realized the best way was to talk to them to understand them better," the teacher confided.
For teachers, when they overcome that challenge, they themselves will receive results beyond their expectations. That is when students become more understanding and change their personalities more.
When having lunch with students or staying up all night to review lessons with them, Mr. Phu feels like a companion rather than a subject teacher.
"I myself still have a lot to learn from you. Because you live with great determination. If you decide to change your life, you will make great efforts and determination in your work and studies. In moments when I feel like giving up, I am inspired by you," said Mr. Phu.
At the age of over 30, Mr. Phu has not thought about getting married because he still has many plans for his students.
"For me, each student turning a new page in life is a great happiness. It feels like I have done something most meaningful in life. Therefore, I have no other wish than to see them succeed and realize their dreams," the teacher confided.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Phu also shared that he and his students are implementing a plan to open a math club at school. Each person has a task, from design to expertise, he believes that there will be new opportunities for the next generation of students.
Talking about his cherished dreams, young teacher Nguyen Quang Phu said there are still many things. Although it is still raining outside, the rented room is warm. Because it is filled with the protection between teacher and student, as if they are blood relatives.
Ms. Ho Thi Phuoc Tho - Director of the Center for Vocational Education - Continuing Education, District 7 - commented: "Teacher Nguyen Quang Phu is a young teacher, not only solid in his expertise but also full of enthusiasm, meticulousness, perfectionism in his work, and dedication to his students".
Mr. Phu's deep impression on the Board of Directors was the times the male teacher applied to borrow the classroom in the evening to tutor students with weak academic performance who had not yet fully grasped the knowledge of the lesson.
"There are days when the teacher "runs shows" in four classes. He lectures in one class, assigns homework in another, then runs to another class... He proactively provides extra tutoring with the heart of a ferryman; sometimes I think that being a teacher is not only a job but also a career," Ms. Phuoc Tho shared.
Content: Huyen Nguyen - Nguyen Vy
Photo: Hai Long
Design: Patrick Nguyen
Dantri.com.vn
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