Known as "Bà giáo già" (The Old Teacher) on her Facebook page, To Thuy Diem Quyen has dedicated over 30 years to the education field. Throughout her career, she has held various roles from teacher, training specialist to founder of InnEdu. Through her innovative teaching methods and commitment to critical thinking, she became the first Vietnamese to be recognized as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert.
In 2021, she was named one of Forbes Vietnam's Top 20 Most Inspirational Women. In this episode of the Have A Sip podcast, she shared her journey on inspiring thousands of students every year.
Bridging Learning Gaps For Cognitive Diversity
When she discovered that her eldest son was autistic, Diem Quyen had a unique approach to supporting him in his learning journey. Rather than pressuring him to learn to read before first grade, as many of his classmates had, she allowed him to develop at his own pace.
When she saw him struggling to fit into a typical school environment, she quickly transferred him to a more suitable setting. She recognized that autistic children learn, think, and understand differently, and that forcing him to follow the same path as others would be ineffective. Today, the "sweet fruit" of her patience and understanding is her son's success and happiness in life.
These experiences motivated her to create innovative educational projects and support teachers in under-resourced areas, ensuring that no child with cognitive challenges is left behind.
Learning For Freedom
After many years in the education sector, Diem Quyen has come to a conclusion: we learn to gain freedom. She believes that knowledge gives us the ability to make choices that lead to a fulfilling life.
She encourages learners to ask 3 questions: What should I learn? Why should I learn it? And how can I learn it? These questions, she says, help individuals identify the most effective path for personal growth.
Diem Quyen draws inspiration from Picasso's words: "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." In learning, "stealing" means absorbing knowledge from others and transforming it into personal wisdom.
In the post-COVID era, where traditional classroom models are being reshaped, Diem Quyen emphasizes that a teacher’s role is no longer just to pass on knowledge.
Today, teachers must understand their students, keep them motivated, evaluate and guide them to focus on their own progress. She believes the core of education should be about helping students develop their abilities instead of comparing them to others.
Learning From Damage
"Damage" here refers to both physical and emotional challenges. Diem Quyen reflects on her younger years, when she balanced raising three young children, working, and studying to advance her career. There were times when all three kids were sick at once, and the stress took its toll—her hair became damaged, and at one point, she cut it short just to feel a bit less "defeated."
Yet, each time she overcame those struggles, she grew a little stronger. Now, as she takes better care of herself, she looks back with gratitude at that version of herself, with her "damaged" hair, as a symbol of resilience.
The deeper emotional damage followed the same pattern. There were moments when Diem Quyen felt lost and hopeless, but a simple compliment from a friend about her fish soup reminded her that she always had something to offer, something she did well.
From those experiences, she learned that everything happens for a reason, even the people who hurt us—they arrive in our lives to teach us something. Once we move past the damage, we emerge stronger. Every scar carries its own beauty—the beauty of resilience and effort in overcoming life’s storms. We should be proud of that.
More importantly, Diem Quyen believes that women should not be judged by their damaged hair or worn-out appearance, as these are signs of the immense effort they put into balancing both career and family. She deeply admires women who face these challenges and still achieve success in their lives.
This is what inspired Diễm Quyên to launch her critical thinking workshops. For her, teaching critical thinking isn't about winning arguments, but about helping people (and herself) see issues from multiple perspectives. This broader view allows for better collaboration in both work and life.
A heartfelt thank you to Dove for partnering with Vietcetera in this podcast series honoring Vietnamese women.
Damage is a part of everyone’s beautiful journey; it helps us grow and become who we are today. There’s a unique beauty in damage—each scar tells a story.
To all women—don’t fear damage. Embrace the challenges and let Dove take care of the recovery.
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Translated by Thúy An