A vice principal shares about the 'pressure' of the 10th grade entrance exam

About 5 years ago, when I heard that in big cities - especially Hanoi - parents stayed up all night, climbed fences, even jostled and pushed each other..., just to get a ticket for their children to go to public school, I found it funny, some people even clicked their tongues "is it necessary to do that"... bala... bala...

But now it has appeared right before my eyes and many parents in Vinh city, so fast and almost unpredictably.

Last year, according to information sources from the press and the Department of Education and Training, the NV1 passing rate of 3 public schools in Vinh city ranged from 51% - 60% (estimated). Many people believe that it was in 2007 (Dinh Hoi) that the number of children increased dramatically (year of the golden pig).

However, by 2023 the situation seems to be repeating itself, both students and parents with children taking the 10th grade entrance exam in Vinh city are sitting on hot coals, combined with the prolonged hot weather of these July days seems to make the temperature in many houses even hotter.

This morning, reading the article “When will the 10th grade entrance exam stop being so stressful?” on Nghe An Newspaper, and then continuously receiving many calls from parents asking about the benchmark scores… I felt many more things and thought I needed to share a few things. I would like to refrain from commenting or suggesting solutions… for this reality, but I would like to boldly exchange a few small things with my daughter’s friends and their parents.

1. For parents - if you are lucky, please don't show off, don't be too "excessive" with joy. About a month ago, Dan Tri newspaper reported on a student who passed the entrance exam to a prestigious specialized school. His mother was so happy that she forgot to "ask permission" for her son to show off on social media; the boy responded, "My friends failed all of them! Mom, can you stop showing off that I passed? I'm so upset." Please keep that joy and excitement to a certain extent, okay? Because around us, there must be people who are very confused, very withdrawn... after knowing their child's results.

Especially for parents of children who have not achieved their wishes in this exam, we hope that everyone will be calm, sympathetic and share with their children. Please do not criticize, speak harshly, express this or that attitude or cry, hint, or tell stories about your own “efforts” and “sacrifice”, while your children do not understand, do not try, do not really make an effort…

The day I picked up my children at the exam school, I saw some children burst into tears when they saw their parents come to pick them up, some even refused to leave the exam school - they must have been under pressure, even much greater than us (the parents).

Last year, I had to consult many cases in this situation: the family atmosphere was gloomy, the children were stressed, the parents argued, the grandparents were also stressed... thinking foolishly, if the children had bad thoughts, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

Please don't blame yourself for not trying to get your child into the public school of his dreams.

I believe one thing for sure, you have tried extremely hard, worked extremely hard, some even dreamed of “sweet revenge” because you failed to get into the school your children applied to. It is easy to say this, and I know it is extremely difficult to do this. In the book “Slowing Down in a Hurrying World”, Venerable Hea Min said “…all the actions we say we do for others, are actually for ourselves… worrying about our children to be good, in the end, is because we want our children to succeed according to our wishes”.

2. For the 2K8 students - in the words of teenagers, you have gone through a very difficult challenge. For the lucky ones, smile brightly, feel happy, thank the teachers who have given wings to your dreams to fly high, and then fly even further; cherish and be grateful to your parents and loved ones who have always encouraged and followed you... And more importantly, remember: This is just the beginning of a new journey, with many hardships and new challenges.

For those of you who have not yet achieved your dreams, the first thing I want to say is to sympathize, and… I hope you take a deep breath, relax your body and calm down. This is not a failure or a disaster, my children, it is just another turn. Don't torment yourself, don't think negatively and do foolish things. I know it is extremely difficult for you, the "temperamental angels" of 15 years old, everyone is still with you and hopes that you continue to try in the upcoming journeys. Everyone wants to have a happy family, a dream learning (working) environment… But the truth is often cruel - not like the dream, even contrary to the dream.

A successful person will have to go through many stages, with advantages, difficulties, and even bitter failures, but one thing is for sure: one must always learn, always try and strive to improve.

A few days ago, I attended the 20th anniversary graduation ceremony of former students. Surprisingly, many students in the semi-public class at that time have grown up and have made many contributions to society, actively helping classmates or students in the course who are in difficult circumstances. They said, "You probably don't remember bad students like us." - I argued with two basic points: First, I don't differentiate between students based on their level, they are completely equal; second: They are not bad students, but they have not studied or have not been enlightened - this is also partly the teachers' fault.



Among the 2K8 mice, there must be many who like martial arts movies, and I wonder if you have seen the movie “Kung Fu Hustle” in which star Stephen Chow plays the character Tinh. Tinh - a vagrant, was recognized by an old beggar as a martial arts prodigy and offered to exchange 10 cents for the book “Tathagata Palm”, this guy broke his piggy bank and bought the book to practice on his own, of course without success.

Later, thanks to the match with the Ultimate Killer King (Old Monster) and being beaten to the point of death by Old Monster. But that was the crux of the matter, Old Monster accidentally opened up the meridians and helped Tinh absorb the martial arts in “Tathagata Divine Palm”. In the end, Tinh not only defeated Old Monster but was also honored by him as his master… I hope that in the upcoming journeys, you will meet people who will contribute to “opening up the meridians” and “unlocking your potential”.

I want to say a lot more but I'm afraid it will be too long. I hope the 2K8 mice have enough health, a clear heart, a bright mind, and full of ambition to continue the new journeys./.