How students balance the storm of pressure

Instead of giving up or giving up, many outstanding students in Ho Chi Minh City have found ways to cope because "without pressure, there are no diamonds."

RELAXING ENTERTAINMENT, PLAYING YOUR FAVORITE SPORT

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, a 12th-grade student specializing in Literature at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City, who recently won third prize in the national excellent student competition in Literature, shared that she is a perfectionist and doesn't dare to dedicate all her time to preparing for the national Literature team competition while neglecting other subjects. Ngoc often feels very stressed trying to balance everything. Especially this year, she also has to prepare for the high school graduation exam and university entrance exam.

Senior high school students balance academics with extracurricular activities.

"There were times when I was very worried, or only got a few hours of sleep each night, and sometimes the pressure was so overwhelming that I cried. But luckily, I have close friends, parents, and a younger sister to confide in, so I was able to overcome the stress," the female student, who consistently has an average grade above 9 in all subjects, with a 9.7 in Literature in both 10th and 11th grade, confided. At the same time, Ngoc believes that light entertainment, within a reasonable timeframe, is a way for stressed students to overcome the "mountains" of homework, assignments, and deadlines. Ngoc, for example, chooses to watch her favorite TV shows.

As an active student with excellent academic achievements and participation in many extracurricular activities, Tong Nguyen Thanh Van, an 8th-grade student at An Phu Dong Secondary School, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, shared that she is not afraid of pressure, "because pressure creates diamonds."

Thanh Vân's way of maintaining balance is to manage her time effectively and play her favorite sports . Vân has been an outstanding student for many years, ranking first in grade 7 academically; winning second prize in the district-level Reading Culture Ambassador competition; participating in the city-level Youth and Children's Innovation competition; competing in the district-level Team Leader competition; and the city-level Water Rocket competition… Vân doesn't attend excessive extra classes, only taking extra lessons in English and volleyball. "There were times when I always felt I didn't have enough time to do my homework, but thinking back, I realize that I didn't know how to make the most of my time," said the female student who participated in the project "using saltwater to generate electricity," which won an award at the city-level Youth and Children's Innovation competition in the 2022-2023 school year.

"Every day I review the assignments for the next day. If there's a lot of homework, I try to finish early, completing it quickly before spending time on leisure. Personally, I think it's not a good idea to attend extra classes indiscriminately; it wastes time and money and doesn't bring many benefits. Instead, you should learn life skills, subjects you're really weak in, or advanced courses – not just follow the school curriculum," Van said.

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc (left) and Tong Nguyen Thanh Van share tips on maintaining balance in their studies.

C. HEALING "ALWAYS FEELING THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME"

Tran Mai Anh, a student in class 11A5 at Tran Van Giau High School, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, representing the FoAD group - won second prize in the 2023 High School-Student Entrepreneurship Ideas Competition with the project "Toxic Productivity - Helping High School Students Overcome Toxic Productivity with a Study Handbook Combined with Self-Defense Challenges" - offers several explanations for the situation where students "always feel they don't have enough time".

"Many students, especially high school students, are constantly overwhelmed and stressed, always feeling 'not enough'; or they work without a plan, leading to interruptions and delays in their work, creating a time loop. Or students spend too much time on entertainment, neglecting their studies and revision. A particularly noteworthy but often overlooked reason is that many students dedicate too much time to unnecessary and unimportant activities. As a result, they don't make progress in their studies, and their quality of life significantly declines," Mai Anh said.

The 11th-grade student said that five members of FoAD – students with outstanding academic achievements and extracurricular activities – had also been victims of work-life imbalance and being overwhelmed with homework…

How did everyone regain balance? Mai Anh shared: "We allocated our leisure time wisely and effectively. Everyone planned the tasks they needed to do within a certain timeframe, setting realistic and achievable goals. At the same time, we made to-do lists in order of priority and importance. In particular, my friends and I always maintained a positive attitude and constantly told ourselves, 'I can do it.' Believing in ourselves helped us avoid feeling overwhelmed."

SHARING THE PRESSURES I'M FACING

According to Mr. Le Van Nam, a chemistry teacher at Tran Van Giau High School in Ho Chi Minh City, since joining the school, he has observed many students achieving significant academic success and participating in various school-organized activities. Notably, many high school students face periods of psychological crisis. Mr. Nam has asked many students, "What is your secret to balancing everything?" "Surprisingly, the answers I received were all 'face it.' Successful students are those who know how to face pressure and problems, and always set achievable goals for themselves. In addition, they allocate their time wisely between studying, playing, and participating in other activities. At the same time, I realized that these high-achieving students are also those who frequently share with their families and close friends about their studies, their joys, and the difficulties they face. Sharing is an incredibly important catalyst in life," shared Master Le Van Nam.

Keep your faith alive.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dinh Quan, Head of the Biofuel and Biomass Laboratory at the University of Technology (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), shared with Thanh Nien newspaper that in his laboratory, many students are highly effective in their studies, achieving high grades, yet still calmly enjoying their youth with dreams of challenging themselves. They overcome the pressure of studying and exams, venturing into scientific research, business activities, entrepreneurship, or pursuing their artistic passions…

However, he also observed that some young people lacked purpose in their lives, easily losing their way. As a result, they lacked the right effort, falling behind their peers. Gradually, they became discouraged, gave up, and spiraled downwards...

"As someone who has gone through the difficulties, challenges, and stresses that students face, I hope that we will always maintain our faith. True values ​​will always be affirmed. Our true value lies in our efforts, continuous learning, and the confidence that we can overcome any difficulty. We are all on a journey through life that is not easy, but by remaining steadfast on the path we choose, that faith is the strength that will help us reach our destination faster," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dinh Quan shared.

"Without pressure, there is nothing."

Tran Mai Anh, an 11th-grade student at Tran Van Giau High School, said: "Many young people are familiar with the inspiring saying 'Without pressure, there are no diamonds.' But I think that without pressure, there is nothing at all. Academic achievements stagnate and cannot develop further. However, facing pressure is not easy for high school students in their final year. Therefore, students need perseverance, to confront all difficulties, and not to keep those pressures to themselves; they should share them so they can be heard."

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/cach-hoc-sinh-can-bang-giua-bao-ap-luc-185240201184246709.htm