Give a wish to my younger brother who is about to enter 10th grade

The atmosphere of studying is filled in Ms. Hanh's small house when her eldest son Duc Manh is preparing to pass the university entrance exam and her youngest son Quoc Tuan will take the 10th grade entrance exam. On his birthday, the older brother wished his younger brother good luck.

- What do you wish for on your 18th birthday, Manh? - I wish for you to get into the school you want, what else? What about Tuan? - Haha, good luck, I wish for you to get into university. Good luck to you, if I wish for myself too, you will lose everything. ... The mischievous youngest brother took advantage of the opportunity to talk non-stop and so the two brothers Duc Manh and Quoc Tuan burst into laughter in the small room. Quoc Tuan was in grade 9, Duc Manh was in grade 12, both preparing for an important exam in their student life. It seemed that the atmosphere in the family would be tense at this time because of the studies and plans of the two boys. But instead, the birthday party was still held together as usual every year and the house with 4 members was still filled with laughter.

- Having two students in the family means there are many things to worry about, isn't it, Ms. Hanh? - The only thing I worry about most is that my children are not happy, but if they are happy, I will be satisfied with the results. Ms. Hanh smiled. Raising two sons, the young mother is always proud because they are both gentle and obedient. Duc Manh is quiet, quiet, and always attentive to his mother. Quoc Tuan is a bit more mischievous and mischievous than his brother. Each has his own personality, but they have loved and been close to each other since childhood. Their birthdays are a week apart, and every year the two boys agree on a day to celebrate their new age together. In June of this year, the two brothers spent precious time together - studying for the advanced exam.

If you say you are not worried, it is not true. Ms. Hanh is like other mothers when seeing their children facing important milestones. Occasionally, her family gathers with both paternal and maternal sides, cooks and eats together so that the children in the house have a chance to talk. With a few years difference, one is a first-year university student, the other is in 8th or 9th grade... Stories about exams and study experiences are endless. Ms. Hanh said that studying is not a matter of a day or two. The children have worked hard for a long time, so at this sensitive time, she just wants the two of them to relax their minds. "Sometimes I read the newspaper, listen on social networks, and see that at this age of puberty, the children's psychology is also fragile. The saddest thing is the story of young people falling ill due to too much pressure," she said. So instead of forcing her children to study, Ms. Hanh chose to let them study on their own, sometimes the two brothers go out together, watch movies, and their mother also agreed.

Although he said his mother "let him go", Tuan still spends most of his time studying by himself. Currently, Quoc Tuan is in grade 9 at Vietnam International School (Ha Dong district). In this 10th grade entrance exam , Tuan plans to register for Dao Duy Tu High School and Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted. With his strength in English, he is also less stressed. During this time, Tuan focuses on reviewing for Math and Literature, two compulsory subjects that are not his forte. Ly Ngoc Phuc (Tuan's Math tutor) shared: "Compared to his classmates, Tuan is gentle and quite quiet. Every time he comes to class to practice, he will sit quietly, focusing on solving the problems. Only occasionally will he look up to join in on the stories of his friends". Ngoc Phuc is also Duc Manh's Math tutor. Interestingly, when asked about Manh, Phuc's answer did not change much.

Winning an English scholarship, Quoc Tuan had an easier choice for the 10th grade entrance exam. However, considering it a challenge for himself, Tuan asked his mother to let him register for two more high schools in Hanoi. Studying at an inter-level school, while his classmates were not thinking much and were still thinking about what to do for the upcoming summer vacation, the boy chose to enter the stressful days of exam preparation. Occasionally, close friends in the class sent him encouraging messages or came to his house to invite him to go out and have fun to relieve stress. Planning to take the exam for the top schools in the city, Tuan considered it a time for him to choose a challenge.

On the day Tuan went to school for the graduation ceremony, his mother and older brother went with him. At 5am, the three of them woke up early, got dressed, and waited for the school bus to pick them up. This is also the school where Duc Manh attended during his junior high school years. For Manh, this was both a visit to his old school and an opportunity to accompany his younger brother during his final days of high school. "The two brothers have quite similar personalities, but because he is the youngest, Tuan is a bit more childish than me. When I took the high school entrance exam, I also studied very hard, and then I passed Dao Duy Tu High School. This time, Tuan also chose to take the exam there," Duc Manh said. Manh studied well in all subjects, especially English. Tuan shared that his older brother has always been the example he wanted to follow in his studies. Choosing to take the high school entrance exam was also in his plan.

After each exam review or extra classes, Tuan and Manh would help their mother with housework like folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping the floor... Whenever they were too stressed, the two boys would go out together, sometimes playing billiards near their house, sometimes buying tickets to go to the cinema to watch a movie. "The two of them were very affectionate, sometimes they would just ride their bikes together and go out together, but when their mother came home from work and couldn't find them, I asked my father and he said they had gone for a walk together," Hanh laughed and recounted. Hanh is no stranger to families with two sons, who often have opposite personalities. However, Hanh's two boys get along so she is happy. Standing on the threshold of the 10th grade entrance exam, the youngest son, Quoc Tuan, received the affectionate attention of the whole family. Although busy studying for the university entrance exam, Manh still spent a lot of time encouraging and sharing with his younger brother. Or like Hanh, he will always be the rear for both sons to confidently rely on. In mid-May, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training announced the number of students registering for the 10th grade entrance exam at non-specialized and specialized public high schools for the 2023-2024 school year. Accordingly, the average competition rate for 10th grade admission to public high schools in Hanoi this year is about 1/1.79, the highest in the past three years. Ms. Hanh's family is well aware of this information. Sometimes the atmosphere in the house is tense because of the exam situation. However, from Tuan's side, every time he was asked about his mentality, the young man smiled and said: "I'm not under too much pressure. I just want to see how hard I can try. At home, my parents don't pressure me at all. My mother said, it doesn't matter which school I go to, as long as I'm happy. I hope not only me but all of you who are about to take the 10th grade entrance exam will maintain an optimistic spirit to successfully pass the exam."