Ms. Do Thi Huong Thao, 39 years old, often arrives at Dewey High School, Hanoi, early even though there are many days when there are no morning classes. Sitting in the IT room for middle school students, she carefully arranges her computer, reviews her lectures, and chats with her colleagues at the school.

"I used to be a flight attendant," the statement surprised everyone and made them curious about the IT teacher with a master's degree in Information Technology in France.

Ms. Thao is a former student of Information Technology at the Academy of Posts and Telecommunications Technology. Graduated in 2006, she worked as a mobile game programmer. For more than a year, every day was just one journey from home to the company and back home. While she was at the age of exploration, Ms. Thao thought about changing careers.

At that time, Vietnam Airlines was recruiting flight attendants. After being told many times by her cousin about the interesting points of this job and the comment that "Thao looks very suitable", she decided to give it a try.

After being selected after many rigorous rounds of selection, from profile, appearance, health to interview, the girl from Phu Tho started a job in a different field with many new experiences, setting foot in many new lands. From the treatment to the working environment, Thao was satisfied with everything.

In 2009, Thao got married. Her husband, who had studied at the same school and was then doing his PhD in France, advised her to quit her job as a flight attendant and find a master's scholarship so that the couple could reunite. Curious about the overseas training program, Thao followed her husband.

Ms. Thao was then admitted to the Master's program in Information Technology thanks to her good academic performance at university level, such as a graduation score of 7.95/10, being in the top 10 of her class, and winning first prize in the National Student Math Olympiad.

After completing the program, she gave birth and worked for an AI startup in France, achieving some results that were featured in a local newspaper.

In 2017, Ms. Thao and her family returned to Hanoi, worked as a programmer for a company, and then supported her husband's startup company. During this time, Ms. Thao studied pedagogy with a one-year program at Hanoi National University of Education.

"There are many reasons for me to do this. It's not a spontaneous decision but a desire after a long time of sharing stories," Ms. Thao said, starting to talk more about her mother.

Ms. Thao’s mother is a primary school teacher in Thanh Ba district, Phu Tho. Because she gave birth to her third child, she was disciplined and had to transfer to teach at a school far from home. Carrying her 6-month-old baby and cycling dozens of kilometers every day, while earning a meager salary, she decided to quit her job, despite the advice of her superiors and colleagues.

According to Ms. Thao, that "slightly angry" decision made her regretful. Decades later, she still often talks about her memories of her teaching days. Ms. Thao is curious about what it is about the teaching profession that makes her mother so attached to it.

The time spent in college, working, and studying abroad in France also helped Thao see the importance of bringing reality into her lectures for students. Many times Thao received gifts on November 20 for sharing her learning experiences or guiding interns at the company. All of this made Thao think more and more about the teaching profession.

However, Ms. Thao admitted that when she started studying pedagogy, she did not think she would become a teacher right away. She and her husband found this useful, especially in understanding their children's psychology and changing their teaching methods to be more positive.

It was not until near the end of the course, when the lecturer sent her recruitment information from two high schools and encouraged her to apply, that Ms. Thao seriously thought about this.

She applied, interviewed, and tried teaching, and was accepted by both schools. After discussing it with her husband, she decided to start her teaching career in 2022.

"I am lucky to have a husband who takes care of the finances and is supported by him. Because if the economy is not stable, it is very difficult to devote myself to this job," said Ms. Thao.

At the beginning of each class, Ms. Thao often spends time sharing with her students the topic "What is absolute freedom?". Students are free to talk and do their own work during class, but she asks them to think about the consequences if they choose to do so.

"If you study poorly, after graduating, will you be free to choose your favorite university? When you start working, will you be able to choose your workplace? If you don't have a choice, can that be called freedom?", she asked interactive questions to help students realize the need to focus on studying.

With the idea of ​​learning to gain knowledge and skills to solve problems and challenges in life, Ms. Thao does not teach new knowledge right at the beginning of the class. Instead, she often poses a problem, asks students to find a solution, and then cites related knowledge. Ms. Thao also spends her own money to buy electronic lecture tools to interact with all students, asking them to solve problems, instead of just calling on 1-2 students in each class.

According to Ms. Thao, her previous work as a programmer or flight attendant helped her improve her communication skills, neatness, update new knowledge and master two foreign languages, English and French, to serve her current job.

Mr. Duong Hong Phuc, Principal of Dewey Middle and High School, said he was impressed by Ms. Thao's dedication and interesting lectures. According to Mr. Phuc, it is very rare for an IT engineer with many years of practical experience to also study for a teaching certificate to become a general education teacher.

"This is lucky because recruiting such teachers will help students access lectures and practical knowledge," said Mr. Phuc.

After two years in the profession, Ms. Thao said she will stick with the teaching profession for a long time. Although the work is quite hard and the income is not as good as before, she is happy because she can share knowledge, helping students practice concentration and logical thinking.

"Interacting with students also helps me feel refreshed, energized and learn more things," said Ms. Thao.

Vietnamnet.vn