This is the motto of Nguyen Thi Thuy, a teacher of the Binh Khe 1 Primary School in Dong Trieu Town, the northern province of Quang Ninh, for teaching students with autism.

Thuy also has a child with autism so she understands the feelings of parents of autistic children.

With the vehement belief that autistic children can study and have normal lives, Thuy has spent five years working with autistic children.

Thuy uses all her love and experience to take care of and teach them.

“Better than anyone, I understand parents’ worries while having children with autism so I always pay a lot of care to the children, love them and consider them as my own children,” said Thuy.

“My love and patience have been repaid with their improvement day by day,” she said.

Thuy was assigned to work at Binh Khe 1 Primary School in 2012.

So far, she has spent five years teaching and caring for children with disabilities and autism.

With her help, five students with autism have integrated and can now study in regular classes. They can read, write and do mathematics well.

To learn how to teach autistic students, Thuy bought books and documents to study. She also went to centres for children with autism to learn from their experience.

Thuy always spends lots of time talking to and playing with children with autism, keeping a close watch on them to understand them better and help them be more self-confident.

Thuy prepares different lessons for different autistic students to suit their abilities.

Thuy said children with disabilities and autism often have an inferiority complex and understand lessons slower than others.

So besides teaching, the teacher must encourage and support them.

When the students are tired or cannot urinate by themselves, the teacher will also have to help them.

Thuy said to have suitable teaching methods for each student, the teacher should understand their character and guide their parents to help the students practise at home, as well as have suitable meals for them.

Thuy also regularly talks to other students in the school who aren't autistic to create an inclusive environment.

Le Thi Thu Huong, principal of Binh Khe 1 Primary School, said Thuy had been an outstanding teacher.

She always paid special care to poor students and students with disabilities and autism, said Huong.

Thuy is creative and always searches for different measures to connect students with disabilities, their families and the school.

She was close to them, loved them and enthusiastically helped them integrate and study, said Huong.

Thuy received a certificate of merit from the Quang Ninh Province People’s Committee for her work supporting people with disabilities and autism in 2015-18.

“Seeing the students make progress day by day, know how to read, write and do mathematics, I’m very happy. It’s the motivation for me to continue my path with hope that they will develop in the best way,” she said.  VNS  

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