Finding common ground

If only one side makes an effort, the other sides put pressure or lack mutual respect and understanding, it will be difficult to achieve the common goal of educating students to become good people.

The teacher must be the teacher, and the student must be the student.

Speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, teacher Nguyen Van Ngai, former Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that to maintain a respectful environment in schools, teachers must be teachers and students must be students.

An open class at Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) in the 2024-2025 school year with parents participating. This is a way to help parents understand and have a closer connection with the school.

Students respect their teachers. Teachers cannot think of themselves as teachers and say whatever they want to students. When talking to students, teachers must consider every word and gesture, and cannot insult or scold them. That is respect for students.

From the perspective of parents, Mr. Ngai said that relatives of students must also behave properly, respect the school, respect the teachers, not listen to their children come home from school and tell them about something at school, not knowing the truth, right or wrong, but go to school, insult teachers, even assault teachers, or write unverified negative information on social networks...

TRANSPARENCY IN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Mr. NV, a parent of a student in Binh Tan District (HCMC), believes that in order to create trust and cooperation from parents in the educational environment, to accompany the school in educational activities to help students develop, the school must publicize and be transparent with information. Publicize school programs, joint educational activities in the school... so that parents can understand the program their children study, how the lesson plans are, how effective they are, thereby making it convenient to register for their children. Publicize the quality of boarding meals, the meal provider, creating conditions for parents to coordinate with teachers in the school board, medical staff, service staff in ensuring food safety...

Recently, to publicly disclose the quality of education to parents, many public schools in Ho Chi Minh City have organized Open House days, inviting parents to visit the school facilities, study with their children, and eat with their children. This is also a way for parents to observe a working day of teachers and nannies, to gain more empathy for the hard work of teachers.

Ms. Thai Thi Kim Anh, whose child studies at the 19-5 City Kindergarten (HCMC), said that her child has only been studying for 2 months, but she and other parents have participated in many of their children's activities at school, observing how their children study, how they play, what their meal times are like... "My child's school does not have cameras in each classroom, but with the open environment, parents are all assured and have absolute trust in the school and teachers," said Ms. Kim Anh.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra My, a retired teacher whose grandchild attends the kindergarten class at the 19-5 City Kindergarten, said that when she was able to attend class with her granddaughter in the morning, she saw two things very clearly: One is that kindergarten teachers are very hard-working, having to teach and take care of children, feed them, soothe crying children, and be creative, applying modern information technology to bring interesting lessons to children. Two is the warmth of kindergarten teachers, the affection that children have for their teachers.

According to Ms. My, when education is transparent, giving parents many opportunities to study and play with their children, and better understanding the hard work of teachers and staff, parents will certainly have more sharing to better coordinate with the school in educating and caring for children.

A CHILD'S FIRST SCHOOL IS FAMILY

Mr. Nguyen Van Dai Thanh, former Principal of Ho Van Thanh Primary School (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City), believes that in order to create a healthy and happy school environment for both teachers and students, the role does not only fall on the shoulders of teachers. The responsibility of parents is necessary and very important.

"The family is the first educational environment for children, where they are taught and trained in morality and many other qualities from birth. In the family, grandparents and parents teach their children to be polite, to respect elders and juniors, and to be in harmony with siblings. Grandparents and parents must also set an example for their children to follow. From small behaviors on the street to other interactions in society. When children are set an example through these small things, they will gradually learn to be polite, filial, calm, and gentle, and when they go to school they will also know how to respect teachers," Mr. Thanh shared.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Huong, Principal of Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), said that currently, teachers have to try very hard just to teach knowledge. Teachers have to pay attention to their lessons, improve their professional knowledge, meet increasingly high requirements, and adapt to an era where artificial intelligence is developing strongly. In addition, teachers are also responsible for educating students in ethics. This is not simple in the context of each child having a different personality, some children are spoiled by their parents at home, and in class have inappropriate attitudes towards teachers and school staff...

Primary school teachers both teach students and take care of them and guide them in school activities.

According to Ms. Huong, the school and teachers really hope to have the companionship, sharing and understanding of parents in educating their children. Because family - school - society all share the same educational goal: to take care of children to become good people, to become useful citizens.

Besides, there are opinions that it is necessary to be fair in handling the statements and behaviors of parents of students, to bring about a safe and healthy educational environment.

A manager in District 7 (HCMC) said that when teachers and school staff violate issues in communication with parents, in professional ethics, etc., the education sector will handle those teachers, based on laws such as the Civil Servants Law, the Education Law, etc. As for parents who insult teachers, write or say untruths about teachers on social networks, in the end they delete the post or only say one or two words of apology, which is not satisfactory and not fair to teachers.

Training for teachers and school staff on how to communicate with parents

This is an activity that has taken place in many schools in Ho Chi Minh City recently. At the beginning of the school year, schools organize internal training sessions, with the support of education experts, so that administrators, teachers, and school staff know how to communicate with parents; know how to record feedback and contributions from parents, showing the school's receptiveness, respect, and willingness to listen. According to experts, this is a positive point of public schools in Ho Chi Minh City, so that schools - families - society have a common goal of educating children to become good people.

Not just pressure from "helicopter" parents

We teachers call parents who control, constantly remind and interfere with their children's learning and making friends at school and in life "helicopter parents". It is noteworthy that teachers today are not only under pressure from such parents, but also face many other pressures. That is, being overloaded with non-professional work such as urging students to pay, from tuition to health insurance, accident insurance...; being overloaded with industry movements...

In the countryside, after teaching hours, many of my colleagues have to go to the fields to take care of their vegetable beds and rice fields to earn extra income. When going to the market, teachers have to weigh and measure their daily meals. With their devotion to their profession, teachers try to bring joy and meaning to each lesson, but in our hearts, we still have many concerns.

I hope that every teacher has a truly happy working environment and a stable life, so that teachers themselves can be happy, before creating joy and happiness for students.

Le Tan Thoi (Teacher at Nguyen Dang Son Secondary School, Cho Moi District, An Giang )

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giao-vien-ap-luc-vi-phu-huynh-di-tim-tieng-noi-chung-185241205182201068.htm