Where has the spirit of respecting teachers and elders gone?

It's no longer just an alarm; it's time for the education sector and society to strongly condemn and severely punish those involved in this act of violence to prevent its recurrence in the educational environment.

In fact, instances of students or parents behaving violently towards teachers are no longer uncommon in recent years. I have previously stated that school violence, from a certain perspective, is a contagion effect from a society where violence has become a serious problem. Furthermore, it's easy to see that violence today reflects not only a decline in morality but also a reversal of value systems.

Decades ago, violence did exist, but it was mostly teachers insulting students and parents beating their children. Today, the opposite is becoming increasingly common: children insulting and abusing their parents, and parents and students insulting their teachers. What's horrific about the incident in Tuyen Quang is that it wasn't just one student insulting a teacher, but a collective attack. Students attacking teachers is unacceptable, and a group of students attacking a teacher is even more unacceptable. This is not just...school violenceThat was, in fact, a school riot!

What's even more heartbreaking is that the riots occurred just over a week after the day the whole country paid tribute to and honored teachers! How ironic! Where are the expensive cultural performances? Where are the lavish bouquets of flowers? Where are the solemn congratulatory messages? In other words, where is the spirit of respecting and honoring teachers?

It must be said that we are failing in raising our children. The education sector, including, of course, many schools, is failing in educating students' morals. It seems we are preoccupied with making as much money as possible, preoccupied with building image and fame, preoccupied with the pressures of life from all sides, and we no longer have much time to share and teach our children with love, and to teach them about love. It seems that, during meals and before bedtime, and after waking up each morning, we have forgotten to talk to our children about values, including the value of love, the value of discipline, and above all, the value of being a good person.

And it's not just a failure in educating our children. Many times I feel that we, as parents, are failing in educating ourselves.

A few years ago, at a vegetable shop, I witnessed two female parents discussing how to congratulate their teachers on Vietnamese Teachers' Day. One asked the other how they would congratulate their teacher this year, and the other casually replied, "Just go see her at school, give her a hundred dong, and that's it!" Is this what respect for teachers is all about? I quickly bought a bunch of vegetables and left the place as fast as I could. I was practically running, escaping that very important holiday.

The education sector and schools, obviously, cannot justify their failures. I know there are schools where people sometimes lack love, respect, and empathy for colleagues, and at times, even for students. The stories of principals humiliating and physically assaulting teachers still resonate. There can be no love in educational environments where there is only orders and more orders. Many teachers have complained that in their work environment, they are not motivated but only feel pressure. Dedication and creativity can only flourish in an environment where employees feel secure and happy with their work.

Of course, we can't just blame everything on the students. As someone working in education, I understand the pressures teachers face, and I understand their human nature, just like any human being: everyone gets angry sometimes, everyone loses control, and it's perfectly possible to behave inappropriately towards students. The important thing is, after scolding or slapping a student, what does the teacher think? The important thing is, before and after those actions that hurt the student, have the teacher ever adjusted the student's disheveled collar, or reminded the student to dress warmly when going outside...?

A small act, a simple but sincere word, can bridge all gaps and resolve all conflicts, especially among young people. That is the value of love. Furthermore, if a teacher doesn't truly love their profession and especially love the children they are entrusted with teaching, they should find another job. Because, quite simply, they probably only entered this profession to make a living.

The dangerous thing is that videos of school violence, including that "riot" clip, are circulating uncontrollably on social media. And what will be the extent of its spread? Can we be sure that similar incidents won't happen again?