ANOTHER GLORIOUS MORNING
(For my lovely hometown, with millions of thanks!)
Then came the day that I had been waiting for so long, after many assumptions and anxiety of work were built up ... Working as a teacher is a major turning point in my life, so that I would have the belief "I can"; and would not think I am a useless person . It is also the way to show my deep love to my mother, my old teachers, and especially my hometown .
Since the year 2000, I have been teaching at Boarding High School for Minorities. (Here we also have some classes for Kinh children who live in difficult parts of Binh Thuan province). Most of my students were born in poor farming families. Their parents have to work hard to earn living . They rarely pay attention to their children's study. As a matter of fact, many children come to school are ill-prepared, and poorly motivated to learn. That's the reason why the quality of education of our school is always much lower in comparison with other highschools in Binh Thuan. Paying a visit to my school, a vice -principal from another school said :" I am very surprised because in your school teachers have to work so hard! The total amount of work a teacher has to do in one period of teaching here is three times as much as we do in our school." Only approximately 15% students in 12th grade (there are about 350 students in this grade) could get five mark (average mark) in the three major subjects (Mathematics, Literature, and English) through the quality test at the beginning of the new school year. The number of other two grades (10th and 11th) is the same .
How to make students eager to study is the continuing question in our minds. We always try to encourage students to express their own opinions in class and help them to solve their own problems. Not only in daylight time we teach, but also at nights, we come to school in order to take care of their self-learning _ inspite of heavy rain at times in rainy season. However, to tell the truth, I sometimes did feel hopeless and all my strength seemed to be taken away. I couldn't stop myself thinking that I am so small and weak that I couldn't do anything to make things better when there were so many bad marks in the result of their papers.
Besides the difficulties in education quality, chaos in the classroom caused by some spoiled students in recent years is another controversial problem. Boarding High School for Minorities of Binh Thuan has been famous for its peaceful atmosphere. But today, we often have difficulties keeping the students 'attention because disrespectful, uncooperative ones disturb the class. All the tattoos, dye hair, garish make up…seem to be hidding a generation unsure of who they are and what they want…In my first year of teaching, I was assigned to teach 10th grade students. Until now, I still remember how broken my heart was in that afternoon. At that time, I only had classes in the morning, so I told my students to come to class in the afternoon in order that I could help them to review some basic knowledge that they had almost forgotten.(I was voluntary to do that and didn't intend to ask them pay anything for me).As soon as I finished talking about that, one boy shouted loudly from the back of the class: "Just for money, nothing new!". I didn't know how I could stop myself crying in front of my students that moment…In the second year, I taught students of 12th grade.At the first period of teaching, a drunk boy jabered noisily so many times while I was explaining the lesson. When I told him to keep silent, he said nothing but stood up immediately and went out. The day after, he came to meet me in the staff room, giving me a red envelop (looks like the thing in which we put lucky money for kids on Tet holidays). He looked at me for a while and said :" I think what you need is this! You can take it, and allow me to enter my class, teacher!". One more time, I had to struggle with tears and tried to stop my voice from trembling as I saw the fifty thousand VND! I gave it back to him and told him he is so young and his bright future is in his hands. I hope someday he will understand money is not everything….The day after that he changed so much, and did put a great deal of efforts into his study. He left school two years ago and became a soldier, and is one of the students who visit me most often…
I have been teaching for four years, facing so many situations like that. I encourage and comfort myself hundreds of times by the "slogan": Never allow yourself to lose hope! Be patient and learn to forgive! It's the lesson for me to believe that everything you do, if you do with all your heart, the others will soon understand. Because _ love is from heart to heart!
I always remember what C.Pauxtopxki said:" Nothing can make us happier than starting our new day in the early glorious morning - the beginning of a day as well as of a life. You would have to face rainstorms, high moutains, deep rivers and dangerous pits…Just remember one simple thing: never lose your love and confidence!".
Today, I 'm going to school where I know for sure that my students are waiting for me. Is it another new beginning for me?! Another glorious morning!!!
"Này con, khi con mới chào đời mọi người nhìn con mỉm cười mà con lại khóc, vậy con hãy sống sao cho đến cuối đời mọi người nhìn con rơi lệ mà con vẫn mỉm cười".
