It is often said that teachers are just like the ferrymen and students are the guests who cross the river. Even after the guests have crossed the river, the ferrymen are still there, patiently and passionately plying between the two banks, carrying innumerable generations of students across the river of knowledge. Nothing can match the happiness of the teachers seeing their students growing up, followed by new fledgling generation of students. Nothing can equal the gladness of the teachers realizing that their former students still remember the old river, the old wharf and the quiet ferrymen.

We have always heard about touching stories of teachers, which tell us about teachers, who provide disadvantaged and orphan students with food, clothing and books, who often help their poor students to pay for the insurance fee, stationary fee or tuition fee, who voluntarily tutor students without charging fee, considering themselves as “nannies”, who leave the luxurious and convenient life in the big city behind to enlighten the students in remote rural areas, in the poor and chilly highlands to the literacy. They are all great teachers with enormous and silent sacrifice, the most respectable people we have ever met in our student lives.

These moving stories of the teachers’ passion and devotion, too, occur in our Hanoi- Amsterdam High School. In a letter to our rector Mrs. Le Thi Oanh, a young teacher wrote that: “ .. I want to tell you how thankful I am to Hanoi- Amsterdam High school. It have been 5 years since I graduated from university and it is so lucky that I now can become a teacher in our school. During the time working here, I have learned a lot. I am very grateful to the teachers in the school board, who have helped me to become maturer. At school, I have a golden chance to talk to you and I am particularly interested in the ideas of education that are beneficial to the students you once shared with me. For instance, extra classes are banned in our school and I have tried to convey all the knowledge in every single lesson in class. You also told me that education at times should be free. In the Physics 1 class which I had taught for 2 years, after the program finished, some students still wanted me to continue to teach them as in the meantime they took no extra classes. After that, I set up a class for students in June ( on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 6.am to 8.am as it is the time the students need to be relaxed for the upcoming test, considering the fact that some students for staying up late studying for the exam suffered from mental illness in their first day of the test. About one third of the students in this class learn for free and in the last lesson of the course I cook the red and green bean soup for them....”

Physics 1

That simple but heartwarming letter shows the passion of the Hanoi- Amsterdam teachers. In a school for gifted students with such vigorous desire for knowledge, teachers are not only well qualified but also caring and passionate people. The free extra classes are only one of myriad of things demonstrating the great soul of the teachers.

To the ‘ferrymen’, students are their source of happiness and inspiration in life. To become teachers is to build up the future from today, to bring the love and care to children, who crave for knowledge. Teaching doesn’t only mean lecturing, giving advice, it is also loving, caring and nurturing. After all, the sacrifice of the teachers is a natural rule. To become teachers is to be selfless enough to think for the others, to voluntarily turn themselves into the ‘sand’ to support the waves, one after each other, to explore the new horizon in the vast ocean of life; however, the sand will always lie there remembering about the old waves and gently welcoming their return. That is how they become teachers, only giving and never minding about receiving, like the trees giving shadow, the bees diligently giving honey, the silkworms giving the silk till the end of their lives. Everyday going to scool, seeing such familiar people, I feel so happy and lucky for having the chance to study in a school with well qualified and passionate teachers, who love their students as much as their own children, their own family memebers.

Free home class on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, from 6.am to 8.am.

Sacrifice is a noble characteristic of teachers, not only does the enormous sacrifice make ​​us moving, but even in daily life , the teachers also make a sacrifice. One can never imagine how the hair of the teachers turns into gray for staying up late marking the tests, correcting their little students’ mistakes. One can never imagine how hard they try to become close friends of their own students, to convert the lazy ones by means of love and care. Teachers have never minded about the harsh weather, diseases or time to dedicate their lives to teaching their little students to grow up and become successful people.

Perhaps these words may best describe those silent ferrymen with the earnestly deepest feelings:

“ If I am a kite

You will be the wind

Never stop blowing

Support me to fly...”

 It is often said that the parents’ love for their children is as great as the vast ocean. Teachers don’t have only one or two children, they have countless beloved ones, therefore their love is also as deep as the sea.

Reporter: Minh Anh- literature class 1316

Translator: Thu Tra- English1 class1316