"I have never stopped dreaming to become a teacher. My relatives and neighbors still remembered that I was always an excellent student at school and wanted to be a teacher, so they asked me to tutor their children. That made me so happy because I felt my dream of becoming a teacher was starting to come true," said Sinh. 

Teacher Sinh and her students.

Teacher Sinh says grew up in Kim Anh commune, Hanoi with more hardship than joy but she never gave up wanting to go to school, partly because she loved learning and partly because her parents gave her lots of love and encouragement. Then when grown up, she dreamed of going to university and becoming a teacher, but due to her poor health, she had to set aside that dream after finishing high school. Recalling her childhood experience, Sinh says those days were very difficult for her.

"My mother told me I had muscle inflammation when I was just two years old. After years of unsuccessful treatment, my right leg was atrophied and noticeably shorter than my left leg. There are still several metal pins inside holding the bone together," Sinh added. 

At first, she only tutored a few children from grade 1 to grade 5 whose parents later witnessed their children improvement in study, becoming more obedient and respectful. This appealed other parents to send their kids to Sinh’s classroom. Sinh’s house turned into a classroom of children divided by age and educational needs. Many of the children in her class have achieved excellent academic results. Duong Van Thanh, one of her students has been recognized as an outstanding student for three consecutive years.

"I’m 9 years old and in grade 4 at Minh Tri primary school. I come to Ms. Sinh’s class to improve my math skills. At school, the teachers focus on basic knowledge, but Ms. Sinh explains things more fully, reviews lessons with us, and helps us understand the lessons better. I’ve learned many valuable things from her," Thanh said. 

Thanh’s father, Duong Van Vi, said that, while every parent hopes their child will do well academically, he also wanted his son to learn from Ms. Sinh’s perseverance and determination.

"For the past three years, my son has constantly achieved good academic results. This year, as he enters grade 4, I still send him to Ms. Sinh’s class. There, he learns many useful life lessons," Vi said. 

More and more parents are sending their children to Ms. Sinh’s class, which is held for free of charge. Contributions are made voluntary and depend on the parents’ affordability. Mr Thanh said:

"Our family isn’t well-off, but when my child studies with Ms. Sinh, I don’t have to worry about the tuition fee. I contribute whatever I can, to support her with expenses like electricity."

Ms. Sinh has taken in disadvantaged children from other provinces and cities, some of them with disabilities or delayed development. She teaches them and gives them food and shelter.

Students are happily learning in Ms Sinh's class.

Ms. Sinh says hearing the children call her “teacher” makes her feel fulfilled. She is happy seeing the children make progress day by day. That joy motivates her to keep going, constantly learning new teaching methods so she can handle more students and improve the quality of her lessons.

Having only completed high school, Ms. Sinh never received formal pedagogical training. To be able to teach a class, she had to first teach herself how to be a teacher. She says without a great passion for teaching, she never would have acquired the confidence to teach the children.

"I tried every possible way to build up my knowledge and acquire teaching skills. During the day, I volunteered to teach for free at tutoring centers. At night, I used my phone to search online, study math problems, and learn different methods of solving them," Sinh said. 

Step by step, battling her health issues, teacher Sinh managed to master her knowledge and teaching skills needed to be an effective teacher. Sinh says that as long as her health allows, she’ll continue helping children study their lessons and acquire the skills they’ll need to lead their life beautifully.