Someone once said that teaching is like rowing a boat to carry passengers across the river. They metaphorically compare teachers to boatmen who skillfully navigate and carry countless generations of students to their future destinations. In November's Kind Deeds, audiences will meet these special boatmen from around the country, including a real boatman from the Da River, who deftly ferries students across the river to school.
"The Boat of Years" will also be the theme of the November's Kind Deeds program. The program aims to honor and thank teachers on the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20.
News anchors Thuỳ Vân and Mạnh Cường (editor Manh Cuong) will co-host the program, inviting viewers to watch November's Good Deeds.
An 18-year-old teacher rowing students across the river
Xom Nhap, Dong Ruong commune, is an extremely difficult and remote area in Da Bac district, Hoa Binh province. Located along the Da River, residents rely primarily on boats and ferries for mobility. However, with nearly 60% of families classified as poor or near poor, some cannot afford to buy a boat. This makes it even more difficult for children to get to school. In the midst of these tough trading conditions, Mrs. Quach Thi Bich Nu - director of Yen Hoa Kindergarten in Da Bac, Hoa Binh - has been taking students across the river for the past 18 years.
After having to replace the boat several times due to collisions with rocks and growing concern for the safety of the students, Mrs. Nu sold a pair of cows that her parents had provided as a dowry to buy an iron boat for 11 million VND. Still, with the mountainous river terrain and unpredictable weather, the journey to school in search of knowledge is fraught with challenges.
Mrs. Nu is moved when she unexpectedly meets former students whom she used to ferry across the river to attend classes from the age of 3.
A teacher erases illiteracy for fishermen in a Hue fishing village
Like many young men, Tran Van Hoa returned to his impoverished homeland to start a new life after peace was restored in 1975. At that time, the majority of people in Phu My Commune, Phu Vang District, Thua Thien - Hue Province had no access to education and no jobs. They only knew how to catch a small amount of shrimp and fish in the river every day to feed their families.
Feeling sorry for the people in this rural area, teacher Hoa asked his mother to open a free class for poor children right in their small house. The charity class was born.
Every day, after early morning fishing, Teacher Hoa would return in a small boat with a simple breakfast, sometimes just a piece of bread, sometimes a packaged noodle... And then the literacy classes began from 7 to 10 a.m.
After more than 30 years, many generations of people in the fishing village have grown up in Teacher Hoa's class, and many have been able to find stable jobs. Currently, the teacher still supervises the literacy class and teaches at night for many people in the area.
The teacher sells lottery tickets and uses the profits to help those in need.
Venturing further into the rivers and waters of Can Tho, there is a very special fine arts teacher. Mr. Nguyen Nhut Tan (Phong Dien I Elementary School, Can Tho City) uses his free time after class to sell lottery tickets in cafes and on sidewalks. All proceeds from the lottery sales are used by the teacher to support poor patients and provide gifts to students in difficult circumstances who strive for academic success.
Coming from a farming family where four siblings had to share a pen and a notebook to attend school, Teacher Tan empathizes with those who are struggling and wants to share what he has, even though he has little himself. Over the past four years, Teacher Nguyen Nhut Tan has consistently mobilized philanthropists to support the sick, organized road repairs for safe travel, and actively participated in relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the age of 40 and still unmarried, Teacher Tan considers his volunteer work a source of happiness. He is not only the "ferryman" who has brought countless generations of students to the shores of knowledge, but also a diligent "farmer" who sows the seeds of love and nurtures the spirit of compassion.
Each "ferryman" navigates different terrain and circumstances, but with a love for their profession and a deep affection for their students, they all strive to find ways to bring children closer to literacy.
