'I'm studying hard for exams, my parents don't have the mood to go out'

Ms. Tuyet (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) put aside her plan to go back to her hometown and travel to stay home to take care of her 12th grade daughter who is studying for her university entrance exam. Currently studying at a prestigious high school in Hanoi, choosing block A01 (including Math, Physics, English), she aims to enter the Business Analysis department at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Although her daughter has a 9.0 GPA for three years of high school, her IELTS score is only 6.0 and the predicted results of the recent thinking assessment test at the University of Science and Technology are not as expected, the whole family is worried that she will not be admitted to the desired school.

“My child’s study schedule is very tight. In addition to studying and tutoring for exam preparation subjects at school, every week my child has 2 extra Math classes, 2 Physics classes, 2 IELTS practice sessions at the center, plus a home tutor. At night, when he comes home from extra classes, sometimes it’s 10pm, he only has time to eat, shower, and go to sleep, and wakes up at 3am to study,” said Ms. Tuyet.

She was worried but did not dare to show it much to avoid putting pressure on her child: “During this holiday, I just stay home to cook and urge my child to go to bed early, but I cannot help my child study like when he was young. I am afraid that if my child studies too much, he will be stressed and get sick, which will be miserable,” she shared.

Her eldest daughter took the graduation exam 2 years ago, Ms. Tuyet admitted that "this time the level of anxiety and stress was many times higher": "The older sister had an IELTS score of 8.0 when she was in 12th grade, and before taking the high school graduation exam, she knew the results of the early admission to Law School, Diplomatic Academy... As for this girl, her academic ability is not as certain, now she still has to strain herself to take care of many subjects, improve her IELTS score, while this year there were many close-up changes in the exam regulations and admission methods that surprised both her and her parents", Ms. Tuyet said.

The mother said that before the big exam, her whole family was stressed, so they were more likely to "cause trouble" with each other. During this holiday, they planned to organize a 2-3 day vacation near the capital for the whole family to relax, but her child refused to go because "the center allowed extra time off from school, and she still had a lot of homework to do and practice questions."

“A few days ago, my child took a thinking test and said, ‘As I finished the test, tears and snot streamed down my face because the test was so difficult.’ Hearing that, my heart ached and I felt sorry for my child. I just wanted to say, ‘No need to take the test, come home and I’ll take care of it,’ but I had to hold back and encourage my child, ‘If you lose this round, we can try another round,” Tuyet shared.

Not only families with children taking university entrance exams are "holding their breath", many parents with children preparing for the 10th grade entrance exam are also going through a stressful period when the opportunity to enter a public school is a narrow door ahead.

Ms. Truong Hong Lien (Hoang Mai district, Hanoi) has a daughter in grade 9, wishing to enter Viet Duc High School. Her daughter's recent test scores are quite high (Math 9, Literature 8, English 9.25) but she is still not sure of a place, because according to her calculations, the standard score to enter Viet Duc could be 8.5-9 for each subject.

“My mother told me to 'turn around' to Tran Phu school for safety, but I didn't listen. My second choice is Truong Dinh school, which also has a high competition rate. At this point, the family has no choice but to add a private school like Ta Quang Buu so that if the two choices are not met, my child still has a place to go, but my parents have to 'work' harder," said Ms. Lien.

She said that currently, in addition to studying and receiving free tutoring from teachers at school, her child also takes online classes 4 times a week in Math and 1 time in Literature. “There are many nights when my child does not sleep until almost 1am. My child is so skinny, I look at him with pity and urge him to go to bed early, but he says, ‘I have to try to finish all my homework, if I don’t finish, neither the teacher nor the center will let me into class,’” the mother shared.

She said she always tries to be a strong supporter, understanding and encouraging her child, and absolutely does not try to force her child into public school at all costs to avoid creating more pressure.

Teachers and parents: Helping your children through the 'sprint' stage

Mr. Minh Duc, a long-time math tutor in Hanoi, said that his teaching schedule during the holidays is still full. Students in grades 9 and 12 almost never miss a day because many parents worry that "their children will lose the rhythm of learning and have difficulty getting back into the groove."

He said that parents whose children take the 10th grade entrance exam at mid-ranking schools in Hanoi are the most stressed group. “Students who choose top schools often have good academic performance, solid test-taking ability, and are self-disciplined. Students who choose top 2 schools are not confident in their test-taking skills, rarely solve difficult questions, and the maximum score is usually 8.5-9, so just a small mistake will put them in a state of ‘uncertainty’. Not to mention, the benchmark scores of mid-ranking schools are often less stable and change easily over the years. In general, for this group of students, if the child worries one thing, the parents worry ten things,” he analyzed.

For students, Mr. Duc advises that during this final stage, they need to stay calm, develop a clear study plan, and arrange reasonable sleeping time to ensure health, maintain alertness, and focus.

For parents, according to the teacher, at this stage, the most important thing is to try to encourage their children, continue to practice being proactive in studying and create conditions for their children to rest properly.

As a 12th grade Literature teacher, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha (Quynh Luu 4 High School, Nghe An) said: “This year, both students and parents are more stressed. The curriculum has changed, many students and teachers cannot fully apply the experiences of previous years.”

Ms. Ha noticed the stress clearly shown on each student's face, the most obvious manifestation being that many students had acne, and looked pale and tired when they came to class.

Ms. Ha emphasized that although the new program is a necessary change, first-time students will have difficulty adapting, so parents need to pay more attention, support their children, and coordinate with teachers to help them overcome difficulties. Ms. Ha cited that important decisions such as students changing subjects or exam groups at the last minute require close support from both the family and the school. "All support at this time is mainly spiritual, because in reality, it is the students who have to face and overcome challenges," the teacher shared.

Mother struggles before writing 'green application' for her child's 10th grade entrance exam In the heat of the 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (Hanoi) has been struggling for many days, "putting down her pen and then putting it down" before deciding to register her child's school of choice.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhung-phu-huynh-truc-chien-cung-con-on-thi-trong-ky-nghi-le-2396915.html