With no training at any teacher training school, never once standing in a lecture hall in the true sense, and without the good fortune of having healthy arms and legs like other people, for more than four years now, the young man with disabilities in both his arms and legs, Phung Thien Truong (Nam Phuong Tien Commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi), has truly become a “teacher” in the eyes of the local children and everyone in the area.
From the letters and numbers written with… his mouth, the example of “Teacher Truong” and his love of learning and overcoming himself has been passed around by people across the region like a modern-day fairy tale, recalling the image of a second Nguyen Ngoc Ky…
Overcoming himself
Amid the sultry heat of a June summer midday, the small house beside the inter-commune road belonging to “Teacher Truong” still echoes with children chanting their reading. Stepping through the folding door, the first impression is of two bookshelves crammed with all kinds of children’s books, pictures and stories. In the modest but tidy house, there is nothing of value apart from a few sets of tables and chairs and an old bed. In one corner, more than a dozen primary-school-aged children sit together at tables and chairs neatly arranged in a U shape. Inside, “Teacher Truong” sits in a wheelchair, with a small table in front of him holding study materials and a rack for exercise books. He teaches with great enthusiasm. Below, everyone studies attentively: one group practises writing, another does maths with great focus, another chants their reading. Seeing visitors, the children politely look up to greet them. After a moment of getting acquainted, the conversation between us and “teacher” Phung Thien Truong soon becomes friendly…
Ms. Do Thi Nam – Truong’s mother – said that Truong is the eldest of five children in a family that lives purely by farming, so life is far from comfortable. On the day their chubby, handsome first son was born, the whole family was moved to tears with joy. But by the age of two, when all his friends of the same age were toddling around learning to run, Truong still could not walk by himself. His two knees constantly secreted a slippery mucus, and whenever he tried to walk he fell. Although his arms and legs were not as strong as his friends’, when he reached school age, Truong insisted that his parents let him go to school. Bright and keen to learn, throughout primary school he always earned the title of good or excellent pupil. But as he grew older, both his arms and legs wasted away and gradually lost feeling. By grade 8, both his legs were completely paralysed and his arms were so weak they could barely function. Truong sadly gave up his dream of going to school.
In the days spent at home looking after the roadside grocery shop, watching the children call out to one another to go to school every day and chatting about their lessons and studies…, the young man with a disability longed all the more to go to class. Once, while listening to a radio programme, he heard the story of teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky, who had been paralysed in both arms since childhood and lived with a serious illness, but through determination had learned to write with his feet and became an excellent teacher. From then on, his aspiration grew stronger. Unable to hold a pen with his hands or feet, Truong held a pen in his mouth to practise writing. It sounds simple, but doing it was extremely hard. “At first, when I was not used to it, every time the pencil poked into my mouth I felt like vomiting, and it was terribly uncomfortable. To get support, I learned to hold the pen between my teeth. But the trouble was, every time I bent close to my exercise book to practise writing for a long time, when I looked up I felt like fainting because my eyes were blurred and my head was spinning. Fortunately, my father thought of tying a bamboo stick to the pen, making the pen longer but keeping the pressure strong and easy to control, and only then could I write easily…” – Truong recalled. After more than a month of diligent practice, his handwriting began to become neater, clearer and softer. Even more painstakingly, he began to learn handwriting styles from television and from books on beautiful handwriting… to create in his own way. In just a short time, Truong’s handwriting had become visibly beautiful, and everyone admired it. Without seeing it with their own eyes, no one would believe that those graceful, elegant letters were written with… the mouth of a person with disabilities in both arms and legs! Seeing his younger sister’s children writing badly and making no progress at school, Truong called them over and showed them how to study. Every afternoon, as soon as school finished, the children would come to Uncle Truong’s house to practise reading and writing. Gradually it became a habit, and the children in the neighbourhood, first curious to watch, then delighted, came over to “sit in” on lessons. Many of them wrote beautifully and made clear progress in maths after only a short time under Truong’s guidance. Seeing their children’s progress, word spread, and many families in the village brought their children to entrust to “Teacher Truong”.
Sowing the seeds of will…
The family’s finances were far from comfortable, and Truong’s class at first consisted only of rough, hastily made tables and chairs, and lights that flickered on and off. At Truong’s special class, there is no white chalk or blackboard, only books with worn covers placed in a plastic rack. Yet more and more children in the commune asked to come and study. With not enough seats, many were happy to stand to listen to the teacher and watch him practise writing. Pupils can come to study at any time and for as long as they like. In summer, the class opens at 6am and runs until late afternoon. With limited health, Truong only tutors about 15 – 20 children. For each age group, he has his own way of tutoring. Children in grades one and two focus on writing; grade three reads, grades four and five do maths… The knowledge of someone who only finished grade 8 is not great, just enough for him to teach basic skills and gradually fill the gaps in the children’s knowledge. But the most precious thing about that special class is that he has sown in each pupil the seeds of will, a love of learning and of overcoming oneself, and the determination to become a useful person in society. To teach the children better, Truong regularly updates his own knowledge through his computer. Now, besides teaching academic subjects, he also explains social knowledge and life skills to the children… Truong’s simple but warm lessons have touched the children’s hearts. Phung Thi Thu Thao, a pupil in class 3B at Nam Phuong Tien Primary School, proudly said: “I have been coming to Uncle Truong’s house to practise writing and maths for more than two years. Uncle Truong writes very beautifully. My friends and I have been taught by him how to write beautifully and do maths quickly. I love being taught by him. For two years I have earned the title of excellent pupil, and my teacher even chose me for the school’s clean exercise book and beautiful handwriting competition…” Many parents said they want to entrust their children to Teacher Truong’s special class so that their children are not only taught to write beautifully, but also to develop good character and be close to a teacher with a beautiful personality and soul.
Moved by Truong’s resilience, Ms. Ngo Thi Huong, a girl from a neighbouring village, fell in love with him and was determined to overcome all barriers to be with him. In 2012, a simple, moving wedding was held amid everyone’s joy. Their happiness doubled when, just a year later, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, named Phung Thien Truong Quang.
After many years of teaching for free, feeling sympathy for his circumstances, parents agreed among themselves to contribute 150,000 VND per child per month to help Truong earn extra income. The money is small, but it also helps him support his wife and child. In the mind of the teacher with a disability there is always a cherished dream that one day he will open a proper classroom to welcome many pupils, especially those in circumstances like his own. Since having a child, Truong has longed to live, even if only for ten more years, to teach and guide his child to become a good person. Recently, his health has grown weaker, but Truong dares not go for a check-up, fearing that if many illnesses are found, where would the money for medicine come from? The life of this teacher with a disability is still full of difficulties ahead, but the example of Phung Thien Truong overcoming his fate has become a source of pride for the people of the commune.
Bao Nga – http://hanoimoi.com.vn