Loving heart of teacher Huyen

With the dream of bringing knowledge to light up poor villages, teacher Ha Thi Huyen, a Tay ethnic, in Thuong Bang La commune, Lao Cai province, has overcome difficulties, excelled in studying and working, and supported poor students in ethnic minority areas on their journey of knowledge. Moreover, with a heart of sharing, teacher Huyen also adopted Trieu Thi Trang, a Dao ethnic, born in 2006, with especially difficult circumstances, as her daughter and raised her to adulthood.

Burning love for teaching

“The days in class keep me busy, but it is a time that brings a lot of joy and happiness. Every summer vacation, I feel like it is very long because I miss school, miss my class, miss my good students,” teacher Ha Thi Huyen began the story.

Teacher Huyen was born in 1981. At that time, Thuong Bang La was a poor commune in an ethnic minority area. Like many of her peers, Huyen went to school with some days full and some days hungry. Smiling slightly, teacher Huyen shared: "The mentality of some students is that studying is "hard labor".

At that time, it was normal for ethnic minority students in Thuong Bang La to drop out of school. Many times, parents were happy because having someone at home meant more labor. There was a time when I thought of dropping out of school with my friends, but the advice of my teachers that "you must try to study well. Because learning will help you eat well, have new clothes to wear, and help your family members have food and clothes", urged me to go to school and class.

Teachers Ha Thi Huyen (far right) and Trieu Thi Trang (wearing ao dai).

Therefore, while most of her friends dropped out of school after finishing secondary school in Thuong Bang La, Huyen continued to attend high school nearly 20km away from home. Because the school was far away, Huyen had to study at a boarding school. Every Monday morning, when it was still dark, Huyen cycled along a rocky path full of big and small rocks, carrying rice, vegetables, and salt from home to school. And on Saturday afternoon, she cycled back. "Many times, my bike got a flat tire or broke down suddenly, so I had to walk to school, then walk it home from school," teacher Huyen confided with a smile.

- What brought you to the teaching profession? - I asked.

- I think if I pursue another career, it will only help myself or my family have a better life. But if I become a teacher, I will help many children learn to read and write, which means many people will have a better life - teacher Huyen replied.

The dream of becoming a teacher has supported Huyen on her journey of knowledge. “After finishing high school, I took the exam and passed the entrance exam to the Intermediate School of Culture and Arts (now the College of Culture, Arts and Tourism, Yen Bai Ward, Lao Cai Province). At that time, partly because of the difficult economic situation of my family, partly because of the Tay people's way of thinking that girls only need to finish high school and stay home to get married and have children, so at first my parents did not want me to study. I had to ask my parents for a long time and promised to eat less to avoid affecting the family. Because they loved their child, my parents agreed to let me continue studying at the intermediate school,” teacher Huyen shared.

During the days of pursuing her dream, Huyen had to study and work part-time to help her family with tuition fees. With determination and will, Huyen realized her dream of becoming a teacher and started working at schools in remote villages of Lao Cai province to help students on their journey of knowledge.

Mother Huyen's heart

"Hello mom, hello uncles", our conversation was interrupted by Trieu Thi Trang's greeting.

Through the introduction, we learned that Trang was adopted by teacher Huyen and has been raised by her since she was a child. When she learned that we were journalists and wanted to learn about Huyen's mother's teaching career, Trang confided: "Mother Huyen is a very good teacher! I remember when I was little, mother Huyen went to Mo Vang commune to teach. Every day, mother saved some food to share with the students. Sometimes due to storms, some students could not go home and had to stay at school on the weekend, mother shared rice and vegetables with them."

After the story, Trang asked everyone's permission to go into the kitchen to help her mother prepare lunch. Looking at Trang with affectionate eyes, teacher Huyen said:

- 16 years ago (2009), I graduated and was assigned to work at Mo Vang Primary Boarding School. At that time, there was no electricity in the school. Every day, many children had to drag bamboo poles across Ngoi Thia stream, over mountains, and through forests to get to class. Here, children of Tay, Dao, and Mong ethnic groups from remote villages were educated by the school as boarding students. Parents often picked up their children on Friday afternoons and brought them to school early Monday mornings or Sunday afternoons.

On weekends, because the mountain roads are difficult to travel, especially when it rains or floods, I often stay at school to teach songs and dances to the students. Hearing the music and singing, the children living near the school often come to watch. In 2013, among the children who regularly come to practice dancing and singing, there was a little girl with very bright eyes, a small, skinny body, and not yet fluent in Mandarin. She always arrived early and left last, with no one to pick her up or drop her off.

The girl who caught my attention was Trieu Thi Trang, from Tang Chan village, whose family was in extremely difficult circumstances. She had not known her father since birth, and only had her mother by her side in a makeshift house built on the streamside. Her mother was sick and her memory was declining, but she still tried to work for hire to make ends meet. Sharing the difficulties in the lives of the mother and daughter, I spent time cooking meals and buying warm clothes and pants for Trang.

Day by day, teacher Huyen's love for Trang grew stronger. Although her life in the highlands was difficult, her family's circumstances were difficult, her husband worked far away, and she had a small child to take care of, Ms. Huyen still cared for Trang as if she were her own child. Teacher Huyen confided in her husband about Trang's situation, her wish to adopt Trang, and he supported her.

After receiving the consent of Trang's biological mother as well as the local authorities, in 2014, teacher Huyen's family had Trieu Thi Trang as a new member. In 2018, when Trang finished primary school, because Mo Vang commune did not have a secondary school, teacher Huyen asked for permission and received approval from Trang's biological mother to bring her to Cat Thinh commune to live with her family so that she could study at Cat Thinh Secondary School. In 2020, teacher Huyen was transferred to teach at Cat Thinh Secondary School, making it more convenient to take care of and educate her 3 children.

For Trang, the day she was adopted was also the day she had a new family. Her house was more than a kilometer from school, and her parents bought her a bicycle to make it easier to get to school, and on rainy days, her parents took her to and from school like any other child. Her parents were also her teachers, helping her to fill in the gaps in her knowledge and skills, especially the confidence she needed to excel in her studies.

Teacher Huyen smiled: "In the family, I always treat my children fairly. If I buy them anything, from clothes, food, toys to hair ties, I buy enough for all three of them, never thinking of differentiating between adopted children and biological children. I teach my children that "Trang, the oldest, has the responsibility to teach the younger siblings; the younger siblings must listen to her". My husband and I always remind Trang to remember her roots and take her children to visit relatives."

“Recently, Trang took her high school graduation exam. She said she did well on her exams. My husband and I’s final wish is for all of our children to have a good life. Trang dreams of becoming a teacher and returning to her hometown to teach students. Although our family life is still difficult, my husband and I will try our best to raise our children to be adults,” teacher Ha Thi Huyen confided.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/trai-tim-yeu-thuong-cua-co-giao-huyen-835307