(Photo: hoabinh.tintuc.vn)

Binh’s father died when he was 6 years old. Worse still, Binh became paralyzed after a high fever when he was in 4^th grade. But he continued to study hard and got excellent marks.

Ten years ago, one of Binh’s friends asked him to teach their son. The student’s academic results improved so much that Binh started attracting more and more local children.

4^th grader Minh, who attends Kim Truy primary school, gets up at 6 a.m. to go to Binh’s class. Minh often arrives early to help his teacher onto his wheelchair. In Binh’s class, the teacher sits in the middle surrounded by children. Binh says the children mostly speak the language of the Muong ethnic group, so he teaches them standard Vietnamese.

“At first, most of the children are illiterate. After some time, they now know how to read and write and do math. I am really happy that the children are getting good marks at school,” Binh said.

(Photo: hoabinh.tintuc.vn)

Despite his poor health, Binh teaches every day. Ms. Bui Thi Hoa of Yen hamlet says her 4^th grade daughter’s school marks have improved since Binh began teaching her. For more than 10 years, he has taught the children without any payment.

“When I teach, I show that I can still do something even though I’m disabled. I’m pleased with the children and with my current life,” Binh said.