Diligently sow words

In a land of year-round sunshine and wind, he sowed green seeds to give the school more shade and sowed dreams for disadvantaged coastal children.

During my business trip to the island last year, I had the opportunity to meet my beloved teacher again. That was Mr. Pham Huu Hien (born in 1979), a literature teacher at Long Hai Secondary School, Phu Quy District, Binh Thuan Province.

Silent dedication

The schools on the island are located next to the sea, facing the wind, the sun and the sound of the waves calling the seasons all year round. However, rain or shine, the teacher still diligently spreads knowledge to each generation of students. The school's physical facilities are still difficult, with shabby desks and chairs, and a lack of classrooms... But that does not prevent the teacher from regularly going to class every day, bringing knowledge to each of his students.

Mr. Pham Huu Hien at the year-end ceremony

Every afternoon after school, the teacher does not go home but stays at school to arrange each table, make each chair... to serve the children to have a safe place to study tomorrow. The house is far from school, the roads are all rocks and slopes, difficult to travel, but every day when it is dark, the teacher is home. Most of the time, the teacher spends more time at school than at home.

To make the school greener, cleaner, and more beautiful, and for students to enjoy going to class every day, the teacher had the initiative to plant some drought-resistant trees in the schoolyard. He learned about the trees and bought seedlings from the mainland to transport to the island at an exorbitant shipping cost. The land on the island is very scarce, so the teacher planted the trees in small pots in front of the porch, and every day he watered and fertilized the trees. The trees were nearly two knuckles tall, so he brought them to the school to plant and take care of. After several trials, only the banyan tree survived on this land surrounded by the sea. Just like that, after a long time, the schoolyard was filled with the green color of the banyan tree. Since then, every recess, we have been able to see the straight row of banyan trees from the school gate running to the middle of the yard. We still call the banyan tree the island tree. This model was later replicated in other schools in Phu Quy island district.

The school on Phu Quy island is covered with green trees planted and cared for by Mr. Hien.

Phu Quy Island is about 56 nautical miles southeast of Phan Thiet City. The days when the north wind blows strongly are also the days when the island is isolated. In November 2006, strong winds, fallen trees, and a big storm hit the small island. Despite the big waves and strong winds, the teacher still chose to stay at school to weather the storm. At that time, his family had old parents and young children... but to him, the school was also his home, and the students were also his children and siblings...

"If you choose easy work, who will take on the difficult work?" - those words of the teacher are forever engraved in my mind. He reassured the students, brought those who lived near the school back safely. After that, he returned to the school to reinforce the window system of the classrooms, put sandbags on each corrugated iron roof, while the rain was pouring heavily. Despite the crazy thunder and lightning, he patiently picked up each fallen book, notebook, school supplies... and placed them on high wooden tables to keep them dry. The passing storm damaged many classrooms, the school yard was filled with trash and water..., once again he and his colleagues at the school cleaned up and repaired the facilities to welcome students back to school soon.

Don't be discouraged

The islanders are mainly fishermen, and their economic life is difficult. Most of them think that learning to read and write is enough, there is no need to study much or extensively. Therefore, after finishing primary or secondary school, students often drop out of school. Among them, the most common are students in grades 7 and 8. Although they really like to go to school, due to family circumstances, they are forced to drop out. Boys often follow their parents to go fishing on boats. Girls stay home to look after their younger siblings or go to the market to trade. Witnessing this situation, many nights the teacher struggled to find a way to help the students. He learned more about the students' family circumstances, went door-to-door to persuade each family. Many families do business on boats, in the hot noon or late afternoon, the teacher also rowed a boat to find them. The teacher went to each family where the students skipped school to give them homework to do, and explained again any lessons they did not understand. The teacher tried many ways to communicate with the parents, even asking acquaintances in the neighborhood to come and talk. At first, many parents did not agree, sometimes chasing the teacher away or saying harsh words. However, with a pure heart, the teacher was not discouraged. Every night, he still visited the homes and taught the children who had dropped out of school. "Slow and steady wins the race", the parents understood and let the children return to school.

His work has earned him the love and respect of parents and the trust of the school. For many years, the number of students dropping out of school has decreased significantly. Most of them finish high school and then leave the island to further their education.

As a literature teacher, with a cheerful and sociable personality, he was loved and admired by generations of students. He always inspired his students with love and care between people. He called on benefactors and friends inside and outside the island to support gifts for students in difficult circumstances to continue to have the motivation to go to school. The gifts were mainly notebooks, books and pens... but contained so much emotion in them. Until now, this quiet work has been continued and increasingly spread to other schools on Phu Quy island.

Not only that, he often gave us small poems written by himself with great meaning about life, love for family, friends, homeland suitable for students' age. Those poems will always be our luggage to the vast horizon...

Where there is difficulty, there is the shadow of the teacher

Nguyen Van Quang, an 8th grade student in the 2022-2023 school year, recalled: "Thanks to the teacher, I was able to return to school with my friends. I will seize this opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher on the island. I will always remember his great contributions." Teacher Nguyen Van Phuoc, a colleague at the same school, commented: "Teacher Hien is a teacher dedicated to his profession, attached to the school, attached to the class, and loves his students like he loves his own family members. Wherever there is difficulty, there is Teacher Hien."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/miet-mai-gieo-chu-196250628222437201.htm