The concerns of a teacher in a remote area

TPO - Every school year, the sound of the opening drum resounds throughout my hometown. For me, a young teacher who has just started working in a disadvantaged area, the school year brings special emotions, mixed with pride, anxiety and lingering concerns.

In the middle of the misty mountains and forests, I and 32 small first and second graders of school No. 1, village 6, Tra Van commune, could not help but feel emotional as we went through the opening ceremony of the new school year.

The school has a simple corrugated iron roof and difficult transportation conditions, but the children's eyes sparkle with joy because they will begin a new journey of knowledge together.

The school has a simple corrugated iron roof, located halfway up the mountain, where only first and second graders attend.

Looking at the children with worn-out sandals, discolored white shirts but still radiant smiles on the first day of school, I felt both pity and more determined. The sound of the drum at the remote school, for us, is the echo of hope, of faith. I hope that from this mountainous place, the young shoots will grow up, will have the knowledge to confidently step out into the big world out there and return to build their homeland.

The road to school is very difficult. On rainy days, the teachers have to walk for 3-4 hours to get there.

I feel small but also extremely honored. Because, amidst the difficulties of lacking books, clothes and daily meals, teachers and students are still diligently working on their writing, with the hope of contributing a small part to continue writing the story of education in disadvantaged areas.

Difficulties add motivation

I remember, the first day I set foot in the school, I was surprised by the difficulties there.

The school is perched on the side of a mountain, the road is bumpy, the cliff is steep, below is a rushing stream. Far from the schools in the city, the school here has only 3 old grade 4 classrooms, the wooden walls are faded yellow paint, the corrugated iron roof is rusty. Surrounding the school are vast mountains and forests, deep green and quiet.

Sunny days are fine, but rainy days make the classroom wet with water droplets.

The teacher's way to school is as long as 3 to 4 hours of trekking through forests and streams, but her love for her students is always the motivation to keep going. In a place without electricity or phone signal, teaching and learning seems to be more difficult than ever. On the small road leading to the school, each student's face appears with excitement mixed with shyness, making my heart tremble with love and responsibility.

As a young teacher, I understand that the road ahead is full of hardships. But it is the innocence and affection of my students that give me motivation. I hope that I will not only be a person who imparts knowledge, but also a sister, a mother, a companion, so that every day at school with them is full of joy.

Despite many difficulties, the smiles of the students are the motivation for young teachers to strive day and night to teach.

I feel sorry for you, the children who grew up in the mountains and forests, lacking everything, never even knowing the light of electricity or the alarm of a phone.

In a place without electricity or phone signal, teaching and learning was extremely difficult for us. During the day, we took advantage of natural light to study, and at night, teachers and students gathered around a fire to use the flickering light to review lessons.

There were days when it was windy and rainy, the tin roof leaked, the classroom was damp, but the students still sat listening attentively, writing with perseverance. At those times, I realized more and more the preciousness of knowledge, and I loved those little souls who were thirsty for learning.

I carry with me many dreams, how can I bring them more opportunities, broaden their horizons, so that letters can become the key to help them step out of their poor villages.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Lien at the remote school in Tra Van commune.

With the desire to not only bring letters, but also bring faith and hope to the children, despite the many shortages, I will try my best to make sure that the highland classrooms always have laughter, so that small dreams can be multiplied and nurtured every day.

To me, this is the most sacred meaning of the teaching profession, sowing the seeds of knowledge amidst hardships and accompanying children on the path to finding the light of the future. The school year in this difficult area, despite the many hardships, has a warm teacher-student relationship, persistent willpower and pure aspirations.

From that hardship, my belief and love for the profession is a profound reminder: sowing knowledge anywhere is noble, and the more difficult it is, the more precious the seeds of knowledge sown.

Although the road ahead is still full of hardships, I am always confident that with love for the profession and love for students, teachers and students in this mountainous area will overcome all obstacles together. It is the students who have given teachers the motivation to dedicate themselves and continue their journey of spreading knowledge in this difficult but sacred land.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, a Ca Dong ethnic, graduated from the University of Education in 2021. The 2025-2026 school year is the first year she is assigned to be the homeroom teacher of grade 1 at Tra Van Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities ( Da Nang ). The remote school is far away, the roads are inconvenient, every time she visits home, Ms. Lien has to walk 3-4 hours to get to school to teach.

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Nguyen Thi Lien - Tra Van Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Da Nang)

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tran-tro-cua-co-giao-dung-lop-o-vung-kho-post1776903.tpo