In your opinion, what is true education?
Neo: I agree with IEG's CEO quote about where students go, it's the broad horizon that they must walk with knowledge, thinking, skills, and characters to find their own happiness and true North. It offers me a true insight into education that I have never known before. Education is a broad term. I would say that the goal of true education is to inspire students to learn for themselves, nurture their characters day by day, so that after the class, after school, they know their inner power, know how to achieve their dream and find their happiness in life.
Would you please use an image to generalize the term "education"?
Neo: I imagine a teacher standing on the stage, engaging students in the lesson, showing them ways to the mountain summits, and saying "you will reach it if you try to climb higher a little bit each day".
Before and after joining IEG, what did you think about education?
Neo: When I was a child, becoming a math teacher was my dream. After many years in school, my dreams had been faded. Education is just like a scene that a teacher talks and students listen, jot down anything and finish all required exercises.
What appears in your mind whenever you come to the class when you're teaching and after the class?
Neo: before the class, I often worry I will disappoint my students because I'm not a great teacher. When I am teaching, I try to listen to my students as much as possible. I love the way they laugh and surprise, those moments are always astonishing to me. After class, I am exhausted, I will be sad if that day students are confused about the lesson, and I will be happy if they overcome the challenge with their efforts.
If today was the last day to teach your students, what would you teach them?
Neo: I teach them about the love for learning, motivate them to become life-long learners, and give each of them a book if I can.
What are your biggest concerns about your students? What values that you're trying to improve/generate for your students?
Neo: I worry that keeping students in the evening and the weekend is not a great idea, although I know they are learning good things. I don't like afterschool classes, so I hope I will find some way to teach students but don't take away their free time. The value I'm trying to generate for my students is "practice makes perfect" if they fail, I will help them step-by-step, showing them what they should do to improve their work. Sometimes I teach them to be grateful to their parents, who give them the best education possible.
What is the most considerable change that you see in your children? What makes that change?
Neo: Students are more comfortable joining games and working in groups. I invite them to join, always welcome them to join the game with a big smile, and I hope that they can overcome their embarrassment to step up. There are a lot of science projects in science programs, working in a group is a must. However, students often don't know how to collaborate, so I help them to distribute tasks to anyone so that each individual can contribute to the final product.
A memorable story between you and your students?
Your answer: My student, Mike, call my name, tell his friend "hey do you know that Mr Dung is my teacher" proudly. I will never forget that day when I organized a science club for many children. I was so surprised that Mike really believe in me, although in my class, he was so energic that he cannot stay still for a while, he is often out of control. But on that day, he was so strange, no talking, no interruption, no poking other students, but listening carefully. Why did he do that? He wanted to win the challenge. He tries his best during the project, tries to communicate, try to support his teammates. That's a true desire to learn and work, toward a valuable goal. I still remember the day vividly. After the event, I just stay for a while in the classroom, then I decide to stay for a long time for education. Because I realize the power of education.
One day when you feel really exhausted, walking into the class and seeing your students, what is your first thought?
Neo: If I was exhausted before the class, I often light up when I see my students. When I wake them up for the lesson, I am woken up myself. I thought about their surprise and happiness at my lesson.
If "students" were a symbol, what would they be?
Neo: NO, students are students, I cannot think of symbols that can compare to students. Students should never be compared with a thing because things don't interact with the world as we do. What I want to see in my students is that they learn actively, ask questions, research information, synthesise information, propose solutions, solve problems. How can a thing do that? No way.
What do you think about this generation? What are your wishes for them?
Neo: This generation knows too much about technology, they get bored with study and their focus is really low. They know lots of things, but just a little bit each, so they soon feel bored if they have to repeat what they already knew (a bit). I wish they can spend less time watching TV, youtube, less time on digital screens. Instead of watching “the world” through a screen, I hope they can touch and feel “the world”