55-year-old Pham Van Trieu has been the only teacher working at Bui Hui school branch for the last 11 years (Photo: baoquangngai.vn) QuangNgai (VNS/VNA) - As professions go, you would expect a teacher tonot lead a lonely life.
Surroundedby hoards of children eager to learn, the job of an educator should be anythingbut isolated.
However,for 55-year-old Pham Van Trieu, his daily routine is as lonely as it gets.
He is theonly teacher at Bui Hui Primary School, and he has a classroom of just eightstudents who rely on him for an education.
Some inhis shoes may have quit, called it a day and moved on to job at adifferent school. Not Trieu.
“When Ithink about the children who were born in these remote disadvantaged areas, Idon’t want to stop my job,” he said.
Bui Huiis part of Ba Trang Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Ba Trang commune,Ba To district – a mountainous area in the central province of Quang Ngai.
Trieu’shome is in Ba Cung commune. It may only be 30km away from the school, butbecause of the lack of roads, the journey is tough to make.
As aresult, the classroom is his home – he rarely gets to see his wife, childrenand grandchildren and he often finds himself cut off from the outside world.
“When Ithink about my wife and family, I feel lonely,” he told Quang Ngai Online Newspaper. “There is no electricity, no television and limited phoneconnection here.”
The lackof resources makes for a difficult time teaching.
With nolighting, he must make use of the limited sunlight afforded to this region toteach. If the school needs water, it means a one kilometre hike to the neareststream. His kitchen is in a makeshift tent provided by generous locals andas for his bed, that’s just four tables pushed together.
Food islimited too with Trieu living on rice, fish sauce and noodles. When thefood runs out, he must travel 30km to his home through forests and acrossrugged landscapes to stock up.
Sometimesbecause of bad weather and floods, he must live off the land, foraging in theforests to find food to survive as the journey home is treacherous at best.
Butdespite all these issues, Trieu wouldn’t change his profession. He knows theservice he provides is crucial for the handful of children he teaches.
Thisyear, he is teaching three six-year-olds and five seven-year-olds split intotwo classes with different curricula.
“Teachingtwo classes in the same room, the board is divided into two and I have to playthe role of two people,” Trieu said.
The youngstudents are from the eethnic group and speak their own language. Trieu’s job isto teach them Vietnamese so that in later life, the students will be givenbetter opportunities.
He hasbeen teaching for almost 35 years, and working in remote locations is nothingnew. In his first job it would take him a whole day to get to the school.
“Thirtyyears ago, it took me a whole day to travel from my home to the village. Therewas no road at that time. I had to cross through a forest and over streams,” hesaid.
“Son Ba, SonCao, Son Lien, Son Thuong and Son Thuy are among the remote villages whereI have been and worked. Only people who have been will know exactly how hardthey are to get to.”
Sotoday’s job is nothing new for Trieu, who accepts this is the life he haschosen and a life, despite all the challenges, he finds rewarding.
“I lovethe children,” he said. “They don’t have enough to eat and they don’t have manyclothes, but they want to be in school. They want to learn.”
NguyenMinh Hai, principal of the Ba Trang Primary and Secondary Boarding School,said colleagues and local residents appreciated Trieu’s enthusiasm.
“Trieu isa good example for us to follow and he has an inspired passion for teachinggenerations of students in the remote disadvantaged areas,” Hai said.
Pham ThiY, a student of Trieu, said she wants to become a doctor and that shewould try to study as hard as Trieu told her so that the dream would come true.
It'scomments like these that give Trieu the inspiration he needs to do what hedoes.
His lifemay be lonely, his existence isolated, but when he sees students smile andenjoy learning, there is nowhere else he would rather be. He feels right athome.-VNS/VNA
Surroundedby hoards of children eager to learn, the job of an educator should be anythingbut isolated.
However,for 55-year-old Pham Van Trieu, his daily routine is as lonely as it gets.
He is theonly teacher at Bui Hui Primary School, and he has a classroom of just eightstudents who rely on him for an education.
Some inhis shoes may have quit, called it a day and moved on to job at adifferent school. Not Trieu.
“When Ithink about the children who were born in these remote disadvantaged areas, Idon’t want to stop my job,” he said.
Bui Huiis part of Ba Trang Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Ba Trang commune,Ba To district – a mountainous area in the central province of Quang Ngai.
Trieu’shome is in Ba Cung commune. It may only be 30km away from the school, butbecause of the lack of roads, the journey is tough to make.
As aresult, the classroom is his home – he rarely gets to see his wife, childrenand grandchildren and he often finds himself cut off from the outside world.
“When Ithink about my wife and family, I feel lonely,” he told Quang Ngai Online Newspaper. “There is no electricity, no television and limited phoneconnection here.”
The lackof resources makes for a difficult time teaching.
With nolighting, he must make use of the limited sunlight afforded to this region toteach. If the school needs water, it means a one kilometre hike to the neareststream. His kitchen is in a makeshift tent provided by generous locals andas for his bed, that’s just four tables pushed together.
Food islimited too with Trieu living on rice, fish sauce and noodles. When thefood runs out, he must travel 30km to his home through forests and acrossrugged landscapes to stock up.
Sometimesbecause of bad weather and floods, he must live off the land, foraging in theforests to find food to survive as the journey home is treacherous at best.
Butdespite all these issues, Trieu wouldn’t change his profession. He knows theservice he provides is crucial for the handful of children he teaches.
Thisyear, he is teaching three six-year-olds and five seven-year-olds split intotwo classes with different curricula.
“Teachingtwo classes in the same room, the board is divided into two and I have to playthe role of two people,” Trieu said.
The youngstudents are from the eethnic group and speak their own language. Trieu’s job isto teach them Vietnamese so that in later life, the students will be givenbetter opportunities.
He hasbeen teaching for almost 35 years, and working in remote locations is nothingnew. In his first job it would take him a whole day to get to the school.
“Thirtyyears ago, it took me a whole day to travel from my home to the village. Therewas no road at that time. I had to cross through a forest and over streams,” hesaid.
“Son Ba, SonCao, Son Lien, Son Thuong and Son Thuy are among the remote villages whereI have been and worked. Only people who have been will know exactly how hardthey are to get to.”
Sotoday’s job is nothing new for Trieu, who accepts this is the life he haschosen and a life, despite all the challenges, he finds rewarding.
“I lovethe children,” he said. “They don’t have enough to eat and they don’t have manyclothes, but they want to be in school. They want to learn.”
NguyenMinh Hai, principal of the Ba Trang Primary and Secondary Boarding School,said colleagues and local residents appreciated Trieu’s enthusiasm.
“Trieu isa good example for us to follow and he has an inspired passion for teachinggenerations of students in the remote disadvantaged areas,” Hai said.
Pham ThiY, a student of Trieu, said she wants to become a doctor and that shewould try to study as hard as Trieu told her so that the dream would come true.
It'scomments like these that give Trieu the inspiration he needs to do what hedoes.
His lifemay be lonely, his existence isolated, but when he sees students smile andenjoy learning, there is nowhere else he would rather be. He feels right athome.-VNS/VNA
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