Lao Cai (VNS/VNA) - Many students in Din Chin – one of the poorest, most remote communes inMuong Khuong district, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, consider teacher Lo Thi Lan a second motherthanks to her dedication.

Lan,30, a teacher at Din Chin ethnic semi-boarding primary and secondary school, is in charge of teaching first-graders – the hardest task becausethese students are not yet accustomed to the schooling environment.

“Mostof the students at Din Chin are ethnic minorities. The language differenceaffects their communication and learning capacity,” Lan told Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

Beinga member of Bo Y ethnic minority group, she understood the students faced a lotof challenges including poor learning conditions.

“Iam ready to devote efforts and overcome difficulties to teach the studentsbecause I don’t want to let them be illiterate and live in poverty for the restof their lives,” she said.

Thething that makes her worry most is when the students drop out of school. Due tofamily financial difficulties, some of them have missed schooling to help theirparents farm.

Overthe past nine years, Lan has visited their homes many times to persuade them tolet the students return to school.

Whenthe children have difficulties in class, she is on hand to help.

Lanlearnt their language so she could talk to them more easily and understandmore about their circumstances. She also taught the students life skills tohelp them better respond to the requirements of daily life.

However,Lan said, the shortage of water is the biggest challenge.


Everyday, early in the morning and after school, Lan and her colleagues carryplastic cans to fetch water from a stream which is about a kilometre from theschool.

Thisjob was not easy at all, she said.

“Itis actually collecting every drop of water. Each can of water is a test ofpatience for the collector because each one has to line up. Sometimes, it takesme two hours to be in my turn to get two cans.

“Thewhole village only has one water source that flows too slow. There is anothersource not far from this water source but people must pass a rocky slope.Sometimes only a little volume of water is left after coming home,” she said.

Thefirst lesson Lan learnt after arriving at the commune was saving water and howto use it in a smart way.

Asthe water source is scarce, the teachers and students of Din Chin school haveto take full advantage of the water which was used to wash the vegetables orthe dishes.

Everytime, when it rains, the whole school will do washing, cleaning and storewater.

Althoughlife was hard for her, over the past nine years, Lan has never thought ofquitting.

“Ihave chosen a job as a teacher with the hope of contributing a part to thesowing of dreams, setting the first step for a new generation.

“Ibelieve any teacher will feel happiness when students begin to read, write, dothe first calculations, gradually mature to become useful people for society,”Lan said.

“Everytime I step onto the podium and look at the innocent faces waitingintently at class, all my hard work disappears, giving way to motherhood andpassionate love for the job. "

Formany years, Lan has been a good teacher.

Shewas among those praised at the programme 'Sharing with Teachers' in 2020,held recently by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, theMinistry of Education and Training, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and theThien Long Group. The event aimed at honouring excellent teachers from ethnicminorities who teach in remote and disadvantaged areas.

Commentingon Lan’s work, Tran Van Hung, deputy head of her school, said: "It’sher enthusiasm, closeness with the students and special love for them make Langain the trust and being loved by both students and their parents."

"Lan'sefforts have become a motivation for her colleagues, giving them moreconfidence and effort in teaching," he added./.