Am I making it clear?

In September 2002, I received a full scholarship to pursue my Master’s degree at Larenstein University (which was later merged into Wageningen University, the Netherlands). Getting that scholarship was truly a turning point—it was an exceptionally generous one. I remember that even after covering all living expenses, I could still save over 100 million VND each year.

My class was full of international students, and almost everyone spoke English fluently—except for me and a few Chinese friends, who were probably the weakest in English. On the first day, the teacher was passionately lecturing, but I could barely understand a word. I was anxious and tense, yet tried to look attentive and composed. Suddenly, she stopped talking, walked slowly down the aisle, and stopped right in front of me. My heart almost dropped. Then she asked, very clearly and deliberately, “Am I making it clear?”

Her voice was so slow and distinct that I caught every single word. It was actually the first complete sentence I understood that whole morning. My heart raced even faster because I didn’t dare tell the truth. The classroom fell silent for a few seconds—then suddenly a voice from the back shouted, “I don’t understand anything!” The whole class burst out laughing, as if a heavy spell of tension had been lifted.

The teacher smiled warmly, with deep empathy, then walked back up and began summarizing the lecture again—slowly and clearly. This time, I started to understand. The whole class became livelier, full of questions and interaction.

At that moment, I didn’t fully realize it—but later I understood: her question focused on herself, not the students. It wasn’t the usual “Do you understand?” that puts responsibility on the learners—it was “Am I making it clear?”, a self-reflective question.

And that, my friends, was a question that changed everything.

Coincidentally, years later I came across the concept of “Above the Line” mindset, and made “Ownership” one of Bác Tôm’s core values. They all share the same principle: always see yourself as the Cause, not the Victim. Whenever a problem arises, focus on finding a solution rather than complaining.

The simple secret is to keep asking yourself, “How can I make it better?” instead of “Why are you late?”