Every morning, at the Edison School’s gate, you will always see a student waiting for a friend. When that friend arrives, he will gently take his arm, then both of them will walk into the school together.
The name of the friend being waited for is Bui Quang Khanh, and the one waiting is Tien Dung, or it could be any other friends of 10A2 class.
Hung Anh, a student of class 10A2, said, ‘On the first day, Khanh came to class with Vinh – his close friend. I thought they were just two normal new friends like anybody else in class until Vinh stood up and took Khanh to the restroom. The next day, Vinh didn’t come to class anymore; he only came on the first day to make Khanh feel less lonely in the new school. But Khanh is never lonely; he usually sits at a same place, and we always gather around and talk to him.
“Even the other classes also joined us and played with him!” Hồng Long – class 10A3, said, “Khánh has a special talent: Just by holding your wrist, he can immediately recognize who you are. We’ve tried many times, and he always recognizes exactly.”
“What we find most admirable is that he’s just like us, open-minded, cheerful, easy-going, not self-deprecating, not pessimistic. The only difference is that he studies better than us in all subjects (laughs). “And we don’t understand why, despite not being able to see anything, he excels in all subjects like that.”
“This is the way to start a friendship as usual”- Teacher Hao, the homeroom teacher of Class 10A3, shared, “That was the intention of the school and other teachers. Khánh will be treated just like any other student. The whole class will study, play, and support each other as they always do.”
“I remember the first day I took him around the school. I said, “You will be here for 3 years for sure, I’ll take you around to see everything.” Khanh grabbed my forearm, and we walked. First, we went to building C, then building B, building A, and even building D. As we walked, I described everything to him. I also sit next to him in class, and he actually has a strange memory. Only Math, in high school, with too many difficult symbols, is really challenging for him, and unfortunately his learning software for the visually impaired does not provide him with much support. But he is really excellent at other subjects. He also taught me how to read Braille.” Hung Anh shared all this about his new friend.
The class is playful, mischievous, and loves to capture every homeroom teacher’s moments and post them on TikTok, but they are also very affectionate and close-knit.
At the opening ceremony of the 2023-2024 school year, being on stage to receive the ‘Full Scholarship’, Khanh was moved to tears as he expressed his gratitude to his teachers and friends for loving and helping him to integrate into the new environment.
Those who attended the opening ceremony may know that Khanh is the first student to receive a ‘Full Scholarship’ from Edison Schools, and enjoy Khanh’s performance entirely, but may not know that Khanh is the first visually impaired student of the Piano Department – Hanoi Institute Of Music.
The story of Khánh’s life journey, with his teachers and friends in Hải Phòng, with the first teacher who helped him to learn piano, with the professors at Hanoi Institute of Music who created special lesson plans for him, and with his fate with the “Red Brick School,” will continue.
A long journey has passed, and a new chapter is about to begin with a lot of new experience ahead. In this journey, teachers and friends from class 10A2 at Edison Schools are always with him.
