Thinking about the teaching profession

In society, there are also jobs that, right after leaving, people no longer want to think about it, but the teaching profession is not like that. I know that in this special field, there are teachers who, even though they haveOfficially retired for decades, but their teaching profession seems to be still intact. They are beautiful flowers that are worthy of respect in society. It is not by chance that in society, there are only two professions that people call teachers: teachers and doctors. Although it is so glorious, there was a long time when the teaching profession was still "turned away" by society: "Rats running on the same pole enter pedagogy”. Then there was a time when students flocked to Pedagogical College, not necessarily because they were passionate about the profession, but because they did not have to pay tuition, and after graduation, it was easy to find a job. In general, this is an unstable profession. Or it could be difficult, not everyone can do it. So is it really difficult to be a teacher? Personally, it was not until I officially completed my nearly 40-year career that I found an answer that was considered acceptable: being a teacher may be easy for some people, but for others it is indeed difficult. It is said to be easy because on the surface, compared to many other professions, the teaching profession does not require "muscles", the job seems "leisurely", "free food, free clothes": no manual labor, no need to go to the office every day, respected by many people in society" ((if not "respected", how can people call you a teacher?)...

The teaching profession is subject to a lot of social pressure, but few teachers become rich from their profession.

But being a teacher is also very difficult. Because, once accepting this job, it also means accepting sacrifice: one cannot become rich when being a teacher (except for some talented, outstanding people). In folklore, there has long existed a saying "no trade no wealth”. Having been attached to the teaching profession for almost my entire life, I dare to affirm that in our society, there are few teachers who have ever become rich (or those who are rich must have worked extra, or done some “shady” work). Recently, on the internet, I read information that a study at an American University said that Vietnamese university teachers can earn billions each year. I myself know that there are a few teachers (thanks to teaching extra, or having some “tricks”) who earn billions each year, have cars, and houses. But those are just isolated cases. In general, the majority of teachers in our society are still very poor, while the social pressure they have to endure is extremely great. This has its reasons, the teaching profession (and that of doctors) is always subject to criticism and “scrutiny” by millions of people. Every family has someone who goes to school (and receives medical treatment). And of course, all issues related to Studying, exams, the ethics of teachers and doctors, even jobs, people also put all the responsibility on the education sector. It is true that the social view of "these two teachers" is sometimes very unfair. Here is an example: the recent vote of confidence results for the ministers of the two leaders of the teaching profession, doctors and teachers, were both ranked last. Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry and Trade, who is also the leader of industry, has not made a decent screw for nearly half a century (since the country's unification and international integration), has not made a single decent screw, cars are still a distant dream, domestic consumer goods from toothpicks, threads, needles onwards..., but still receives more trust than doctors and teachers. Society is truly very unfair. I say this so that everyone can have a more impartial view of the teaching profession (and doctors)...

I affirm that being a teacher is really difficult, also because for anyone, once entering this job, it means having to accept sacrifice, having to be an example for students, having to be loving, and sometimes having to be "hypocritical", that is, having to "lie to oneself" when faced with something very desirable, but still being forced to "suppress oneself". Faced with material desires, trivial desires, the teaching profession is the "obstacle" that prevents teachers from being swept away. Teachers, like doctors, when entering the profession, have taken the Hippocratic oath: not only must they be an example of morality, they must also be an example of expertise. I do not think that expertise here means having to equip oneself with many degrees (although this is also part of their responsibility), but rather having to really delve into one's field of expertise, having to be passionate and dedicated, having enough enthusiasm to arouse passion in students, having to be creative - "creativity", as Professor Do Duc Hieu, my highly respected teacher and many generations of students of the Faculty of Literature, said, so as not to "turn students into copies of oneself".

I once experienced the feeling of being unable to hold back my tears when I happened to read the Teacher's confidences on November 20th in the last years before he passed away: "Every year, November 20th is like someone else’s birthday to me. Recently, a former student wrote it for me. Teachers and students work as if immersed in culture and love. I am grateful to those students, a source of light in my life."; and "I love teaching, it goes well with writing criticism and literary research. With the national spirit in my blood, sometimes when reading modern writers around the world, I feel like I am lost in a maze of literary theory and philosophy, like a “wild man” lost in a modern city. I always tell myself: do not live in delusion, must study; must walk, must “run”, hoping to catch up with the world, catch up with humanity.”. Indeed, for a long time, Professor Do Duc Hieu lived right in the center of Hanoi (26 Hang Bai Street), just like a person lost from another planet. He gave up all his (material) desires to be passionate about books, about training students, “naive” before the world of money, sometimes even having in his pocket not even 50 thousand dong for a daily meal which was already very frugal.

Author Tran Hinh and teacher Dang Thi Hanh/Photo: Thanh Long

In my life as a teacher (and a student), I have witnessed many examples of teachers right next to me, Professor Phan Cu De, Ha Minh Duc, Le Hong Sam, Dang Thi Hanh, Nguyen Van Khoa…, with their very normal and simple actions, but they always make me think. It is those simple actions and thoughts, some of which I can imitate, and some of which I cannot, but all of them leave me with a deep gratitude, because thanks to them I have gradually perfected my professional personality. Being a teacher is not easy, even when you have been fully equipped with knowledge to impart to your students, have had many years of teaching experience, "know ten, teach one", but before each class, you still cannot be subjective, you still have to grasp every detail of knowledge before standing in front of the class. I remember a long time ago, around 1977, 1978, by chance I was assigned to teach an in-service class in Hai Duong with Professor Do Duc Hieu. At that time, Professor Do Duc Hieu was the deputy head of the Literature Department, in charge of professional matters, and in the same professional group as me. On the night before the day I was supposed to teach in class, because I was worried about my health the next morning, I went to bed early. But I was very surprised, when I had a nap, suddenly woke up, I still saw the light on my teacher's bed: he hadn't gone to sleep yet, he was flipping through a book, seemingly gently so as not to affect the sleep of the person next to him. When I asked: Professor, why aren't you resting yet, tomorrow we have an early lecture? The teacher who had been teaching for thirty years, that evening softly replied, making me feel embarrassed for a long time: Mr. Hinh, you go to sleep, I will stay up a little longer to review tomorrow's lecture for class.

A teacher who had been teaching for nearly thirty years (at that time), who knew his lessons by heart, yet carefully reviewed each page of the lesson plan before class gave me a profound "lesson" in the teaching profession: a teacher should never allow himself to be "negligent" in front of students, because in front of students, each teacher is considered a "living saint", always saying the right and accurate things. The teacher's unnecessary mistakes in teaching will sometimes leave a "haunting" effect on students for a long time. The teacher's negligence may not be as "fatal" as a doctor's, but it also leaves no less harmful consequences: because of the wrong knowledge imparted, students may lose faith, or may lead to "mistakes" in their future work, greatly affecting society. It is true that being a teacher is not easy.

I think, in the Faculty of Literature and in the former General University as well as the current University of Social Sciences and Humanities, there are many examples of teachers (whose names I cannot mention here), they have devoted their whole lives, in their old age some are "well-off" and some are considered "potentially wealthy", few are rich, so accepting to be a teacher is not easy. But if I were to say that, now, if there was a magic spell, allowing me to choose again, I would also choose to be a teacher. I am telling the truth, not at all exaggerated, because my own son who is currently working in a foreign company, has half-jokingly, half-seriously told his father many times: "I find my parents so strange. They've been working in the same place for decades, with a salary just enough for a mediocre life, but they never think of moving anywhere.”. Well, as for me, where can I choose to go, when for so long I have only been “trained” to be a teacher. If I were not a teacher, I really would not know what else to do. After all, being a teacher is also a happiness, or in other words, a “billionaire”, a billionaire in spirit. I would like to affirm this with my nearly 40 years of teaching experience. Please be patient and listen to my explanation…

But teaching is a sacred and noble profession.

First, as I said above, in society there are many professions, but only two can be called teachers: teachers and doctors, which is a blessing; second, being a teacher, at least you have the joy of teaching every day, of bringing your little knowledge to "give" to many generations of students, of seeing them grow up and contribute to their families and society. Let me tell you a few small, funny stories. A long time ago, I once took my friend Nguyen Huy Hoang (currently in Russia) to the emergency room at a hospital. He had appendicitis. While we were rushing to push him on the stretcher into the operating room, both Nguyen Huy Hoang and I were suddenly startled: "Hello teacher!”. We looked up, a middle-aged woman, who had just greeted, introduced herself as a student of the teachers. That day she had to go to the hospital to visit a relative. Seeing the teacher lying on the stretcher, she naturally let out a respectful greeting (a small joy); another time, on the way to class, when passing an intersection, because the class was almost over, I quickly “passed” when the red light was on. A policeman stopped my car with a very serious expression, the first thing he did was ask for my papers. That day I did not have my identification papers with me, so I quickly told him: “I'm sorry, you can fine me as much as you want, but hurry up, it's almost time for class.”. When the policeman heard me say “it's almost time for class”, knowing that I was a teacher, he immediately changed his attitude and said to me: “Then go quickly, next time pay attention.”. There was no ticket. Another time, 20 years ago, I was a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Literature, Hue University of Sciences. On the first day of class, I witnessed an unexpected scene: a whole “forest” of female students below, all wearing white ao dai. I asked, “what's up guys?”, the whole forest of white flowers answered in unison: “Vyes teacher”. I was very touched. Later, when I asked, I learned that because I was a teacher from the North who came to teach, it had been a long time since a teacher from outside had come here, and the students automatically told each other to wear white ao dai to class to surprise the teacher… Indeed, being a teacher is truly a happy job, because in your life you get to encounter countless “small joys like that”. It is not by chance that for many generations, folklore has existed to honor teachers: “Without a teacher you can't do it”, “One word is a teacher, half a word is a teacher” (“One word thanks to teacher, half word thanks to teacher”), “If you want to cross the bridge, cross it. If you want your children to be good at reading, love their teachers.”…

That's all I've accumulated from being a teacher for nearly 40 years. In our generation, choosing a career was not really important. But today it's different. I know that young people today do not prioritize choosing the teaching profession everywhere. Now society is more "pragmatic", career choices are also more inclined towards "material", spiritual values ​​become fragile. Furthermore, because of the fierce competition for money, in the educational environment, although there are still many bright examples, there are still many "dark examples". However, no matter how things turn, I think the teaching profession is always necessary, important and sacred to many people. There will be no good society without good teachers.

                                                                                                                       20/11/2014