Tran Do Hoang Anh has been teaching preschool kids at Vanh Khuyen Kindergarten in Thu Duc District, HCMC for the last 7 years.
Tran Do Hoang Anh changes the common perception that only women can be preschool teachers.
Hoang Anh, who has been teaching preschool kids at Vanh Khuyen Kindergarten in Thu Duc District, HCMC for the last 7 years, is indeed a rare case.
In Vietnam, almost all preschool teachers are women.
As the only male teacher at Vanh Khuyen, Anh proves that in no way can a man be outdone by women when it comes to looking after kids. There is nothing he can’t do, be it cleaning, sweeping or singing lullabies.
“I always address myself as father to make my classes more like a family for the kids,” Hoang Anh said. “I just love children very much.”
It is this love that urged him to enrol in a preschool education junior college despite his family’s fierce disapproval.
Anh was first recruited by a preschool in Tan Binh District after graduation, but had to leave it shortly afterwards since as he said, “few parents want a man to teach their kids.”
He was then accepted by Vanh Khuyen after showing his determination and love for the profession.
“I’m probably not as sweet and meticulous as a woman, but I have the same expertise and loving heart,” Hoang Anh said.
Tran Do Hoang Anh has recently won an award of excellence presented by the HCMC chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union.
This is a reward for his initiative to help kids pronounce words better and make preschool more fun for them. Hoang Anh won the award also for his enthusiastic participation in extra-curricular activities.