Mr. Ngo Ba Thuy (born in 1970) is one of the four “school guards” at Nam Tu Liem Primary School (Hanoi). Mr. Thuy said: “12 years working as a security guard here is also the same amount of time I have not celebrated New Year’s Eve with my family. At first, I felt sad because the most sacred moment of the year was not with my loved ones, but gradually I got used to it.”

The school's security team has 4 people, divided into 2 shifts with different security positions. When Tet comes, everyone divides their schedules, but usually those who live nearby volunteer to be on duty during Tet so that those who live further away can gather with their families.

Having celebrated New Year's Eve at school for 12 years, Mr. Thuy feels lucky because his 80-year-old mother and children always sympathize and understand the nature of his job.

“There were many years when New Year's Eve was approaching, I rushed home to burn incense for my ancestors, send my New Year's greetings to my mother, hug my children, and then return to school. Even though I haven't celebrated New Year's Eve with my family for many years, I don't feel sad because every hour, every day I'm trying to do my job well. Besides, I think that if I'm on duty, others will feel more secure, and my colleagues will be able to gather with their families, so they feel happy," he shared.

Mr. Thuy said that security work during holidays and Tet is sometimes twice as stressful as usual due to limited staff, and the on-duty team must protect school property as well as prevent fires and theft.

During Tet at school, the security team also has chicken, ham, banh chung... prepared by the school's union. "Many times while sitting at the security post, we are unexpectedly visited by the principal, wishing us a happy new year and giving us lucky money. That concern makes us feel warm and reminds us to enjoy the new year and not forget our work," he said.

During Tet holiday, stone benches, blackboards, and white chalks lie still, and there are no more scenes of students playing around, so sometimes the security guard feels empty. "The school is my second home and the students are like my children and grandchildren. On normal days, the children play so loudly that my ears hurt, my brain hurts, and my mouth gets tired from having to remind them constantly, but without students, I feel like each day passes so long... Really, working in an elementary school environment, I feel happy and much younger," Mr. Thuy confided.

He said that during his 12 years of work, he has always tried to ensure absolute safety for students and has never had any unfortunate incidents such as theft or loss of property...

The duty of school custodians like Mr. Thuy is to ensure that all students who have entered the school do not leave without permission, and that parents can only pick up their children after school; at the same time, they control who comes in and out and protect the school's facilities.

In addition, with the characteristics of primary schools having mostly female teachers, security guards often support heavy tasks such as decorating classrooms, repairing broken desks and chairs, replacing light bulbs, handling electrical and water problems and internet...

At Nam Tu Liem Primary School, the school regularly organizes activities such as decorating the school yard with Tet atmosphere, banh chung festival, Tet market... so that students have an environment to both study and experience. On those occasions, Mr. Thuy always participates in supporting the School Youth Union and teachers.

Pointing to the peach tree at the school gate, he said: “I personally cut the branches of that peach tree, then decorated it with the teachers... so that the students could see the artificial peach tree that looked exactly like the real thing and attached pieces of paper with New Year wishes for teachers, staff and myself; and my wishes for the new year.”

For “school keepers” like Mr. Thuy, the happiest thing about every day after work is not receiving any strange calls, because that means all the students in the school have returned home safely.

“When I decide to do a job, I do it with all my responsibilities, even more. I don’t say anything about first graders who have just started school, but I am confident that with second graders and above, I can remember each student and which parent picked up their child in which grade. That is the overall role of a school employee that I strive to fulfill every day,” he shared.