Teacher and student in special class

Every Tuesday afternoon, when the streets begin to bustle, Ms. Pham Thi Loan (49 years old, living in Binh Tan ward, Ho Chi Minh City) hurries to ask to leave work early.

Teacher Luan (sitting) is always devoted to each student.

She took her son Bui Anh Quan (11 years old), who has autism, to a special physical education class at the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training and Competition Center.

There, under the teacher's guidance, she placed her faith and hope in her son's journey to find another door to integration.

At the end of the practice session, the children left one by one, the mothers still walking beside their children. As for Mr. Luan, he stayed for a long time, his gentle eyes watching. On that track, perhaps the most precious thing was not the speed or the medal, but the steps, though slow, never stopping moving forward.

Where mother and child go to sports together

As soon as he entered the practice field, Quan immediately ran to a corner, his curious eyes looking around despite his mother's helpless calls. Only when teacher Trinh Cong Luan, 53 years old, blew the whistle did the boy slowly return to the line. Sometimes while practicing, Quan suddenly stopped and ran around amidst his mother's worried eyes.

At those times, Loan felt both embarrassed and heartbroken, and could only stand and watch. But then, with the teacher's patience, he gradually stabilized and practiced basic movements with his friends.

That scene repeated itself every class, Ms. Loan confided: "In the past, my child was very hyperactive. If I let go of my hand at the supermarket, we would chase each other everywhere. I remember one time I had to… lock my child in the supermarket cart to get some peace."

Six months after Quan's birth, her husband left, leaving Loan to take care of the family alone, both earning a living and taking care of her child. Although the tuition fee for the special school, which is up to 4 million VND per month, is a heavy burden for a single mother, she is determined to send her child to school. Every afternoon, she rushes to take her child to class, hoping that her child will become healthier and stronger through sports training.

After many days of training, Quan learned to listen to commands and help his mother with small tasks. Although his hands were still clumsy and sometimes the dishes weren't clean, to Loan, each small change was a miracle. What moved her the most was extremely simple: "Now when I hug my son and say I love him, he hugs me back."

The special thing about this physical education class is that there are always mothers accompanying their children because most of them are sick and cannot walk by themselves. The mothers patiently sit and watch their children's every step, so that they can both practice and make friends. While waiting, they gather in a small corner in the yard, tell stories about their work day, exchange cooking recipes or parenting experiences.

Among those stories, Mrs. Tran Thi Mong Thu (60 years old, living in Cho Quan ward) told about her son Huu Nhan (25 years old) who has autism. She recalled that when he was young, Nhan was very hyperactive, never sitting still, but from the age of 15, he gradually became more calm.

"My child is quiet but still has the skills to be independent, can take care of personal hygiene, and help with some small chores around the house. What I am most happy about is that he likes to participate in this class, likes to be with friends like him, and is very excited when talking about going to school" - Mrs. Thu shared.

When her son was over 20 years old, no special school would accept him, so Mr. Luan's gym class became a place for mother and son to find joy. In addition to the gym class, Nhan also studied drawing and calligraphy. "As a mother, I just want my son to be better every day, to have a better life. This class is the place to help my son do that," Mrs. Thu added.

Teacher Luan must be tactful, both cheerful and strict to teach effectively.

Special sports class of the determined teacher

Mr. Trinh Cong Luan, the name that many parents often mention, is the founder of this free physical education class. He is a disabled athlete who has won nearly 20 gold medals at the Para Games.

He said that he had polio since he was young, his body was atrophied, but his love for sports has helped him stick with the running track since 1992 until now. From his own experience, he opened this free class for children who have few places to integrate.

"I am also disabled, I understand the feeling of being limited in both movement and perception. So I want to share something, accompany parents so that children can have an active environment, both to train their bodies and practice communicating with each other" - Mr. Luan said.

The class mainly teaches athletics with endurance running steps to improve health. In addition, students also practice other activities such as weightlifting, discus throwing, and dart throwing to get familiar with many forms of exercise.

On sunny days, the teacher takes his students to the backyard to practice, patiently instructing each movement and correcting each small posture. In each practice session, the teacher is always dedicated to both training the body and instilling in the students confidence and joy in participating in sports.

It is not easy to teach a class of special students like this, for teachers the most difficult group is the autistic students: "Even parents find it difficult to control, let alone teachers. There must be a process, both caring and patient, persistent. If you can't do it today, then tomorrow, the day after, slowly you will get used to it" - said teacher Luan.

Seeing the teacher use a whistle and a firm voice to control the class, the mothers explained that it was a way to help students concentrate. After observing for a while, I understood that for hyperactive children who have difficulty controlling their behavior, this is probably a special method of communication, only available in this special learning environment.

Thanks to his teachings and training, many students have participated in sports competitions organized by the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, some of them won bronze and silver medals. "Some of them later went to vocational school and worked to support themselves. That is my greatest happiness" - Mr. Luan proudly said.

Whenever Quan is absent-minded, Loan patiently practices with him so he doesn't fall behind - Photo: NS

Relieve stress, find friends in class

Not all children are easy to integrate, Thinh Phat (16 years old) is hyperactive, used to be very naughty. "At home he is very naughty, I asked to put him in this class hoping he would be more restrained, now I see he is less irritable, less hot-tempered at home" - Ms. Nguyen Thi My Hong (52 years old, resident of Chanh Hung ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said.

In class, Phat gets to play many sports and compete in tournaments, which helps him relieve stress. "Before, I also let my child play with friends in the neighborhood, but it was easy to argue and get teased, so he got angry. But here, he has friends in the same situation and the environment is more suitable, so he is much happier," Ms. Hong shared.

Ms. Hong added that her son often has the habit of snatching other people's things. She had to tell the group of friends in the neighborhood: "If my son happens to snatch things, tell me, I will pay for it, don't fight. If you hit my son, I will accept it, but if my son hits you back, it will be miserable, no one can pay for it." That honest statement made the mothers around laugh.

Seeing Phat proactively approach to say hello, I asked him about the story, and he honestly shared: "I mainly practice walking and running. The teacher's lessons are easy to understand, and I get to play with my friends, so I'm very happy." At home, Phat also helps his mother clean the house, and early in the morning or evening, his mother takes him to the park to practice more. He excitedly said that he will soon participate in an athletics competition, so he is trying to practice.

Seeing the children perform seemingly clumsy but full of effort movements, mothers feel warmed up. Because each step is a small victory, a victory over illness, inferiority complex, loneliness and most importantly, behind the children there are always two strong supports: mother and teacher.

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NGOC SANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thay-tro-trong-lop-hoc-dac-biet-20251010092753537.htm