The teacher in the wheelchair

In the middle of a poor countryside in the mountainous district of Ba Thuoc, Thanh Hoa province, there is a special teacher - teacher Tran Van Hoa, 43 years old. Without healthy legs, no blackboard or proper podium, but for more than 10 years, this teacher has been tirelessly bringing knowledge to hundreds of poor students with his old wheelchair and a heart full of love.

In 2009, while working as a math teacher at an elementary school in Ai Thuong commune, a serious traffic accident took away Mr. Hoa's legs. From a healthy man who loved his job and was passionate about teaching, he became disabled and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

"At that time, I thought my life was over. I could no longer stand in class, no longer see the eager eyes of the students every class... I was almost desperate," Mr. Hoa recalls, his eyes are pensive.

But then, in the midst of the darkest days of life, a miracle came from a child.

One afternoon, a girl about 9 years old, the neighbor's child, approached the teacher and timidly asked: "Teacher, can you teach me math? I'm about to take my semester exams... my mother is illiterate." That question, seemingly simple, was like a small light flickering in the dark, rekindling Mr. Hoa's faith.

Teacher in wheelchair - Photo 1.

Teacher Hoa with his students - PHOTO: PROVIDED BY AUTHOR

Special classroom under the porch

From that day on, every afternoon, under the small porch in front of his house, Mr. Hoa began to open free charity classes for poor children, orphans, or those in difficult circumstances. Without proper desks and chairs, students sit on mats, using their notebooks to write on their knees. He sat in a wheelchair, preparing lesson plans, and teaching with all his heart.

At first, there were only 3-4 students, then word of mouth spread throughout the neighborhood and the number of students gradually increased. There were days when the classroom was packed with more than 20 students. Some students walked 5-6 kilometers to listen to the teacher teach a lesson.

What is special is that Mr. Hoa not only teaches letters but also teaches students how to be a good person, about gratitude, about the desire to live. He often tells his students his own story, not to complain about his fate, but to help them understand that: "No matter how cruel life is, if we still have a good heart and faith, we can still give and be happy."

Journey of sowing letters with compassion

Many students who studied in Mr. Hoa's class are now university students, engineers, and future teachers. Some students have returned to help him teach during busy classes. Nguyen Van Tu, a second-year student at Hue University of Education, shared: "If it wasn't for Mr. Hoa's class, I would have dropped out of school in 6th grade. It was he who gave me faith and dreams. I would become a teacher to continue my teacher's work in my hometown."

Every month, despite not having a stable income, Mr. Hoa still spends part of his disability allowance to buy notebooks, pens and rulers for his students. One year, when floods came and many houses collapsed, students had no books, so he asked for old books from charitable organizations to maintain the classroom.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - a parent with two children in the teacher's class - was translated: "Without him, the children here would not know how to read and write. He also takes care of candy and old clothes for the children. He is very poor, but everyone in the neighborhood loves him like their own flesh and blood."

Mr. Hoa's story was spread on social media, attracting tens of thousands of shares. Many charity groups came to support books, boards, and shelters for the small class. But he remains humble: "I only do very ordinary things. The happiest thing is to see the children's smiles and know that I am still useful."

In 2022, he was honored by Thanh Hoa Provincial Youth Union as a "Beautiful Life Model" and was awarded a certificate of merit by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his contribution to the community. But the greatest reward, according to him, "is the love of his students and the trust of the people".

Teacher in wheelchair - Photo 2.