VietNamNet Bridge – They are the teachers who work in the remote areas of Dak Lak province. They have never received flowers on the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day, simply because students of ethnic minorities are not used to sending congratulations and using flowery language.

H’Nen BTo on the way to class

H’Nen BTo travels nearly ten kilometers of a forest road everyday, crossing a long stream, and then a muddy road, while pregnant, to come to class in Cu K’Nao village, in the Dong Son hamlet, in the Hoa Hiep Commune in Dak Lak province.

The challenges on the road to school never discourage the teacher because she loves her 24 students, the children of Dao, Thai and Tay ethnic minorities. H’Nen has to teach her class everyday, as well as go to students’ homes to persuade their parents to allow their children to go to class.

The teacher has not had any days off during her pregnancy. She went to class in the morning, and then gave birth in the afternoon of the same day.

Many teachers’ days have gone in the life of teacher H’Nen, but she has never received flowers from students or congratulations on the day. Students of ethnic minorities have not gotten used to flowery language and congratulations.

H’Nen is not sure that her students, who are poor and always give up lessons to go to work in the fields, know about Vietnamese Teachers’ Day on November 20. H’Nen understands her students well and she still loves her students, though she does not receive flowers from them. November 20 is not a special day for her at all. She just stays in her poorly furnished home and takes care of her children.

For the past five years, teacher Nguyen Thi Hang has devoted her life to village classes, from Dak Troi to De Ar communes in the remote areas of Mang Yang district in Dak Lak province.

She keeps going to class every day, though the classes are often small. Despite the difficulties, when she writes letters to her parents in Ha Tinh province, she still writes about her love for her students and the love of the local residents for her.

The teachers in De Ar commune have not only been the teachers of their students, but their parents as well.

De Ar commune has 10 hamlets, many of which are far from the school. Therefore, 59 students of ethnic minorities from the commune have to be boarders.

The teachers have to become parents of the boarders, talking with them to help ease the homesickness, and encouraging them to fulfill the dream of learning, so that they can bring literacy to their villages.

Although they have no flowers or congratulations, the teachers in De Ar commune are still happy because they are beloved by the students. Chup, the 7^th class student of De Ar Secondary School in De Ar Commune said: “I have been here for two years. We love our teachers very much.”

(Source: Tien phong)