Teacher of autistic children

Special Class

"Hello! How are you feeling today? Are you ready for school?"

Those were the loving words of Mr. Sang when he first entered the classroom, preparing for his lesson. After the greeting, he would let the students listen to meditation music or relaxing music. He shared: "When greeted like that, it depends on the children, some children will react immediately and greet the teacher, some will react more slowly, some will say "yes!"". Mr. Sang felt happy about that and he still repeated that greeting in every lesson.

Teacher of autistic children - Photo 1.

Mr. Sang teaches his students to read and write. Photo: provided by the author

Mr. Sang's lessons always take place in a very special way: Create a suitable learning environment, quiet, not too noisy, not too many toys, too stimulating equipment because it can make children lose concentration. Activities must be appropriate, divided into small content, not too long in time, combining static and dynamic activities. Reward and encourage promptly, reasonably and let children take breaks in between.

After graduating from Hue University of Education, majoring in mathematics, Mr. Sang worked at PaNang Secondary School, Dakrong District, Quang Tri Province (now Dakrong Commune, Quang Tri). After many years of working at PaNang School, in 2019, he resigned and applied to teach at Binh Minh Center for Supporting the Development of Inclusive Education after being introduced by a friend. Although at that time, this was an environment completely unrelated to his major, Mr. Sang decided that this would be his final destination.

Teacher of autistic children - Photo 2.

Teacher Sang guides students to identify. Photo: provided by the author

Stemming from the love for children and understanding the feelings of parents whose children have developmental disorders, he wants to contribute a small part to support and help children with developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorders to be able to integrate and become independent in the future.

Because he had not received any professional training in teaching autistic children, Mr. Sang took an additional teacher training certificate in inclusive education for people with disabilities, learned from colleagues and on official websites in this field, and regularly attended professional training classes organized by the center.

Recalling the first day of work at the Binh Minh Center for Supporting the Development of Inclusive Education, the young teacher confided: "When I first came to school, I taught the older class, the children were from 9 to 18 years old and this was the class with the most difficult students to teach... In the first days, the children were not familiar with the new teacher so they were not cooperative, it was difficult to interact and the teacher did not really understand the children's needs. In addition, the children also had behaviors so I felt quite pressured." It took him 2 months to get used to the actual job: teacher and nanny.

Witnessing the change in her child from the teaching and care of Mr. Sang, Ms. Tran Thi Hoa (parent of PTHH, 13 years old) said: "After 1 year of my child studying here, I see that my child has made more progress than before. He knows how to proactively say "please" when he wants to eat or likes something. He knows how to greet his parents and teachers when coming to class and when leaving. He knows how to concentrate and sit with his mother to study for 30-45 minutes. He knows how to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits...".

Mr. Sang is an enthusiastic, energetic teacher who loves his students very much. In his work, he always tries to find ways to intervene so that students can achieve the best possible results. He is always concerned about the difficulties of the children and does not hesitate to do any work that is good for them.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh, Director of Binh Minh Center for Supporting the Development of Inclusive Education

Hope will be the door that opens the future for you.

Mr. Sang's classes are usually organized in the form of 1 teacher - 1 student. On average, each day, he teaches 7 - 8 students of different ages from 1 - 18 years old. Each child has a different disability, but Mr. Sang is always proactive in researching, depending on the needs, abilities, and interests of the children. Determining that each child has his or her own strengths, Mr. Sang teaches based on the child's strengths to support weaknesses such as: Autistic children learn well through images, children with intellectual disabilities learn well visually, children with Down syndrome interact well socially. In addition, some children with talents (drawing, singing...) will be supported and nurtured to develop.

Teacher of autistic children - Photo 3.

The teacher also doubles as a nanny, taking care of the students' meals. Photo: provided by the author

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh (Director of Binh Minh Center for Supporting the Development of Inclusive Education) shared: "Mr. Sang is an enthusiastic, energetic teacher who loves his students very much. In his work, he always finds ways to intervene so that the students can achieve the best possible results, always worries about the difficulties of the children and does not hesitate to do any work that is good for them."

In addition, he also connects with departments to help with career guidance, job creation, and future orientation for children. Among Mr. Sang's students, some have integrated into the community and are good students in elementary schools. Dozens of students have improved their disability from severe to mild and are moving towards social integration. He hopes that he and his colleagues will be a stepping stone to help them prepare for the future.

Despite experiencing many hardships on the journey of sowing complete letters for the disabled, Mr. Sang has never intended to give up or feel regretful about his choice. What always worries him is the view of society towards disabled children. According to him, every child born into this world is a happiness for the family, they do not have the right to decide their fate but have the right to change themselves. He hopes that every father and mother will always be there, caring to help their children find their special things.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thay-giao-cua-tre-tu-ky-185250725195017716.htm