Mrs. Thao once shared her thoughts on the subject: "Students normally consider Civil education a boring and monotonous subject. However, if the teacher could liven up the lesson and arouse students' creativity, the subject would become much more interesting".

The beginning

Civil education is a useful and practical subject, providing students with basis of morality. Therefore, teachers who teach the subject should always be a role model for students to look up to. Understanding this principle, Mrs. Thao  always tries to become a teacher that any students could trust and love.  Throughout her 8 years in Hanoi-Amsterdam high school, she never stops learning from her mentors and colleagues. Mrs. Thao graduated with two university degrees, one from Hanoi University of Educationand the other from Foreign Language University in 1998. She taught in a private school before coming to Hanoi-Amsterdam High School. She has made a good impression on students with her commitment and creativity in her teaching style.

Her love

Civil education has always been considered boring and monotonous; however, Mrs Thảo is able to liven up the lessons with her tactful teaching method. In class, apart from the knowledge in the textbook, Mrs Thảo always gives factual examples for the students to discuss. Her teaching method is to allow and encourage students to express their own opinions in order to help them develop the ability to reason and react appropriately to every day’s situations. These stories have intrigued our creativity mind, attaching us to the lessons. Moreover, she also takes part in the discussions and jokes with us like our true friend. Therefore, the lessons are always filled with laughter from both the teacher and students.

It is also for her proximity to us that we never mind sharing with her our personal stories, the stories that we do not know who to talk to.

Mrs Thảo has taught and inspired many students over the past eight years in Hanoi-Amsterdam High School. Looking into her eyes, I could see how passionate she is with -civil education. She is always bothered about how to make people understand and behave well in accordance with the moral values, which became the motivation for her to keep on perfecting her teaching method.

...and the love from her students

"She is really nice, her voice is soft and beautiful. Every time I see her, I recall a line from a childhood song:  "My mom at school is our beloved teacher..." Those are a few lines that Uông Việt Hà and the Biology class 12-15 wrote for Mrs. Thảo before their graduation. In the letter, she was described as a "teacher stepping from the fairytales world, a world that when we were small, we always dreamt of, a world where everyone was nice and good, a world of dreams..." The love she has towards every student is the same: committed, diligent and nice. Although I haven't studied her for a long time, it is easy to spot a smile on her face, a smile filled with optimism in every situation, welcoming us wherever the lesson starts. That lovely smile was mentioned in a poem that the students of the Chemistry class 12-15 wrote for Mrs. Thảo on the occasion of 20/11:

(poem)

Wherever stepping in class

She smiles so bright,

Teaches passionately

Her voice's so warm

Any who are naughty

She won't be satisfied

Any who are nice

She will be pleased

Diligent as salt

Beautiful as flower

My dear teacher

Everyone would love.

After long and stressful lessons, the civil education lesson always makes us feel comfortable and joyful again. We are attracted to every word she says, curious with all the examples that she gives us in the lesson. Mrs. Thảo does not only teach us knowledge but she also teaches us how to behave well and above all, she is always our best friend. Always respecting students, always willing to listen to comments from students to perfect herself are another two things that help Mrs. Thảo be loved by every student. Mrs. Thảo has made us more mature after every lesson. Furthermore, she has always been a source of support for us to overcome the difficulties in our study and lives. I hope that in the future, when I come back to Hanoi-Amsterdam, I will still find her as passionate as she is now, continuing to inspire later generations of students with the love for the subject. On Vietnamese Teachers’ Day 20/11, on behalf of the students of Mathematics 2 class and all the students that you teach, I would like to  wish you the very best in work and in life.

Reporter:  Nguyễn Việt Hoàng T2 13-16

Translator: Trinh Le Quang (A1 13-16)