Quietly bringing disabled students to the shore of knowledge

Dedicated to students with disabilities

Mr. Nguyen Minh Phung (31 years old) was born and raised in the border commune of Thong Binh, Tan Hong district, Dong Thap province (now Tan Thanh commune, Dong Thap) in a farming family with 4 siblings. Although his family's circumstances were difficult, with a strong will to learn, the poor border boy never gave up his dream of pursuing his education. In 2012, Minh Phung passed the entrance exam to the economics major of 2 universities in Ho Chi Minh City, but his family's financial situation was limited and he could not afford the expenses, so he had to temporarily put his dream on hold.

Lặng thầm đưa học sinh khuyết tật đến bến bờ tri thức- Ảnh 1. — Mr. Nguyen Minh Phung teaches students at Dong Thap School for Children with Disabilities

With the desire to continue her education, Minh Phung chose to study pedagogy at Dong Thap University. Her family situation was very difficult, so Minh Phung tried to overcome the difficulties, both studying and taking advantage of her time to work to cover her tuition and living expenses. Overcoming many difficulties and challenges, in 2016, Minh Phung graduated from school and decided to choose Dong Thap School for Children with Disabilities as her second home.

Having just graduated and not having much experience teaching in a special environment, Minh Phung faced a lot of pressure because disabled students often have limited language skills and teachers are not familiar with how to express themselves. "In the first days of teaching, I was very confused because I did not fully understand what the students meant. Disabled students are not like normal students, they want to scream or run around whenever they want, so sometimes I cannot handle the situation in time. Therefore, outside of class, I proactively learn from my colleagues about language and signs to communicate well with students. At the same time, through the process of interacting with disabled students, I feel that they have many disadvantages in life, so I want to help them progress more in their studies as well as improve their life skills. From there, I actively researched appropriate teaching methods, applying science and technology to better teach disabled students," he shared.

Through his teaching practice in class, Mr. Minh Phung realized that imparting knowledge by normal methods would make it difficult for students to understand the lesson and learn well. From there, he had many new initiatives to apply to teaching disabled students, especially in math. He also applied information technology in designing lessons, skillfully and meticulously integrating games, images, and vivid sounds to create excitement for students, helping them understand the lesson better and develop better thinking.

Lặng thầm đưa học sinh khuyết tật đến bến bờ tri thức- Ảnh 2. — Mr. Nguyen Minh Phung teaches math to students.

Along with accompanying students in their studies, Mr. Minh Phung also devoted much love and care, helping them develop life skills. Notably, he proposed that the Board of Directors build a "Learning Club" model, coordinating with other teachers to organize extracurricular lessons for students. At the same time, he coordinated to organize "Connecting Bus" to help students have the opportunity to exchange cultural activities with students from other schools; organized to teach students to plant flowers and trees to decorate the classroom; implemented a clean vegetable garden model at school for students to plant and care for themselves. Through these activities, students have practical experience, gain more knowledge and life skills, thereby helping them confidently integrate into the community.

Teacher Nguyen Minh Phung shared: "What is needed in a teacher at Dong Thap School for Children with Disabilities is love for the profession, love for children and deep sympathy for children with disabilities. This is an environment that not only has a sense of responsibility but also love and affection between teachers and students with disabilities. It is so hard, but every day, seeing the children develop, all my fatigue disappears. That is also the motivation for me to stick with this school until today."

Lặng thầm đưa học sinh khuyết tật đến bến bờ tri thức- Ảnh 3. — Teacher Nguyen Minh Phung is always loved by students of Dong Thap School for Children with Disabilities.

The heart of a devoted teacher

Not only does he have a love for children, Mr. Minh Phung also plays a good role in the Trade Union work. As Vice President of the Trade Union of the School for Children with Disabilities, Mr. Minh Phung effectively implements tasks, movements and activities launched by the higher-level Trade Union. In particular, since he was a student, he has been aware of the noble humanitarian meaning of voluntary blood donation, so he has always actively participated in donating blood to save lives.

In addition to actively participating in mobilizing union members and workers at the school to participate in voluntary blood donation, the teacher himself is a pioneer, exemplary and enthusiastic in donating blood. At the same time, he participates in the "Living Blood Bank" Club to promptly donate blood to save people when patients need blood to overcome danger. Up to now, he and his family have donated blood 31 times. The drops of blood donated by Mr. Minh Phung and his family not only save the lives of patients but also spread the noble gesture in the community, contributing to promoting the voluntary blood donation movement in Sa Dec to develop more and more.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Phung confided: "In my opinion, donating blood to save lives is a meaningful thing, so over the years, my family and I have always actively participated. I hope that my small drops of blood will contribute to the treatment and bring life to patients who need blood transfusions."

Over the past 9 years, Mr. Minh Phung's dedication and devotion have been recognized when he has repeatedly won the title of Emulation Fighter at the grassroots level; and has been recognized by the Provincial Party Executive Committee for meeting the criteria of "Excellent completion of tasks" for 5 consecutive years (2019 - 2023). Most notably, Mr. Minh Phung has just been awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Standing Committee of Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee for his outstanding achievements in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in the period of 2016 - 2025 (May 2025). He also received a Certificate of Merit from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and the Provincial Labor Federation for his outstanding achievements in Trade Union activities and performing tasks during the school year.

Ms. Lam Thi Thu Han, Principal of Dong Thap School for Children with Disabilities, commented: "Mr. Nguyen Minh Phung is an exemplary young teacher, devoted to his profession and has a lot of love for students with disabilities. In his professional work, he is always energetic, enthusiastic, and dedicated to his teaching career. Not only does he do well in his professional duties, Mr. Minh Phung also lives in harmony, actively helps his colleagues, and at the same time does well in his Union work. Notably, Mr. Minh Phung and his family always enthusiastically participate in voluntary blood donation. This is a very respectable and commendable example."

In the modern world, when many people are busy with the choices of fame and benefits, in Sa Dec, there is a teacher who quietly lights the fire of love, inspiring the disadvantaged. Teacher Nguyen Minh Phung not only teaches letters, but also teaches how to be a human being - with all his heart.