Education
Great teachers do great jobs on Hon Mot island
  • | dtinews.vn | May 19, 2011 06:28 AM

Hon Mot looks inhospitable, but some teachers have decided to make an effort to provide the island\'s students with a quality education.

Hon Mot school

Teaching on Hon Mot, in Vinh Nguyen Ward, Khanh Hoa Province’s Nha Trang, requires not only education experience but also tolerance and sympathy.

“Seeding knowledge” to an island

It takes one hour to travel by ferry-boat from Cau Da port to Hon Mot island. Teachers often leave the mainland on Mondays and stay on the island until Fridays. They return home only on weekends.

Hon Mot has two classes of primary shcool, one is called “3 in 1” and the other “2 in 1”.

The “3 in 1” provides education for students of 1st, 2nd and 3rd forms at the same time while the “2 in 1” prepares students of 4th and 5th forms.

The “3 in 1” class has 17 students, and is taught by Le Thi Huyen, 27, from Thanh Hoa Province. Huyen has taught at this point of school since October 2009.

Due to the lack of teachers, Huyen is forced to give lessons to three groups of students at the same time.

She shared, “During the first days of teaching here, I found it difficult to arrange my classes. But I gradually got used to it. I’ve had to come up with my own curriculum that is suitable for different groups of students.”

According to Huyen, despite their economic difficulties, students on Hon Mot are very eager to study.

With a great passion for teaching, Ho Thi Nhu Y, 22, moved to Hon Mot directly after graduation in 2010. She is the only teacher of the “2 in 1” class.

Ms. Lan, a resident of Hon Mot, said, “I’d like to send my gratitude to the young teachers here. They have to make a long trip to make sure our children get the chance to learn.”

Along with two classes of primary education, there have been a class of preschool. Ho Thi Huong, from Nghe An Province, has been the only teacher of the 16-member class for one year.

Despite mounting challenges, these teachers are still very optimistic, saying that they are happy to work on the island.

Love for an island

Nguyen Tan Phi, a student, said, “These teachers love us so much. In addition to teaching us about the normal subjects, teachers also give us advice and guidance.”

When asked about her job on Hon Mot, Y shared, “Teaching and learning on this island are much more difficult than on the mainland. Almost all parents are busy at work, and some do not have time to give proper care to their kids. Some students skip school after finishing primary education.”

“The lack of equipment and facilities has been hindering our teaching abilities. These students do not have a chance to study English or computer science, due to the lack of teachers”, she added.

Huyen said, “The most interesting and impressive thing of teaching here is the thirst for knowledge many of the students have. We can sympathise with the challenges they face, and hopefully we can help them overcome those challenges.”

“3 in 1” class

The only preschool class

Nguyen Tan Phi, a good student

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