Like other teachers, Pham Thu Thuy enjoys her teaching job. However, her class is different from other classes. The twenty-five children, who are learning how to read and write in her class, are disabled. Some are deaf, some dumb and others mentally retarded. Most of the children come from large and poor families, which prevents them from having proper schooling.

At first, there was a lot of opposition from the parents of the disabled children. They used to believe that their children could not learn anything at all. In the first week, only five children attended the class. Gradually more children arrived. Their parents realised that the young teacher was making great efforts to help their poor kids.

Watching Thuy taking a class, one can see how time-consuming the work is. During a maths lesson, she raised both arms and opened up her fingers one by one until all ten stood up. She then closed the fingers one by one. She continued the demonstration until the children realised they had just learned how to add and subtract. The children have every reason to be proud of their efforts. They know a new world is opening up for them.