Students have to rehearse for the opening ceremony in the hot sun, parents are upset

Parents are upset because every year their children have to practice for several days for the opening ceremony.

Having just had the September 2nd holiday, Ms. Dinh Mai Linh, a parent with a child in Hanoi, said: "According to the plan, the whole family would have left the countryside on September 3rd, but because the child had to go to practice for the opening day, we had to leave earlier than planned.

I find that rehearsing for the opening ceremony makes teachers and students tired, especially when the weather is hot, but every year we rehearse for a few days like this. The children are tired, and then when the official opening day comes, there is no more joy and excitement."

This is also the mood of many parents before the opening day of school. According to the school's plan, from August 28 to September 4, rehearsals will be held to welcome the new school year. Not only the students in the art and ceremonial teams but all students of the whole school must seriously participate in the rehearsals.

"My child came home saying that the rehearsal was just to clap and listen to the principal and the delegates' speeches. In this hot weather, adults are afraid to go out, let alone children. I agree to let the students rehearse for the opening day, but only one session is enough. But my child said that he had to sit in the hot sun to practice for several days, so I don't think it's right," said another parent, Ly Thi Mai.

On social media, many parents were also upset when their children had to attend the opening ceremony rehearsal for 2 days. Photo: CMH

"Put yourself in the student's shoes"

Expressing his opinion on this issue, Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Chairman of theEducation Council of Dinh Tien Hoang High School, Hanoi, said: "It is good that schools prepare carefully and thoroughly, but they should not focus too much on formalities, which can easily make students bored and parents feel pressured. Especially in hot weather like today, practicing the content of the opening day program over and over again is not advisable. Put yourself in the students' shoes, the opening day takes place in hot weather, they have to gather in the school yard to listen to speeches that are tens of minutes long, they cannot be happy."

According to Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, the opening ceremony must be a festival for students. Students must be the central characters with cultural, artistic, sports activities or games and competitions for students. Only then will the opening ceremony be truly joyful and meaningful, creating a joyful and excited atmosphere and helping students have the best mindset to enter the new school year.

Students of a school rehearsing for the opening day. Photo: CMH

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Nam, Vice Principal of the University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said: "For me, the opening ceremony in the past was truly a festival for students, where everyone felt welcomed back to a new school year with meaningful moments with friends and teachers. The opening ceremony is now more grand, more beautiful, more colorful with flags and flowers, and more expensive. But perhaps in the eyes of students, this is an opening ceremony activity for adults, for school leaders. The speech at the opening ceremony is also a report, showing parents, for leaders to attend, for the school's reputation rather than an activity for students, students - the main subject, welcoming students back to school.

Students have to come to school very early, practice performing arts, line up in teams, and are required to stand, sit, sing, and clap on command to serve the opening ceremony so meticulously that for many days, many students feel like they are serving the opening ceremony rather than being welcomed back.

With the development of the economy and society, the organization of events is also prepared more elaborately with regulations and rituals. The opening ceremony is not only the first day to welcome students back to school as its inherent nature, but also becomes a communication event, building and affirming the school's brand, a way to attract the attention of the community and potential students.

However, it cannot be said that all schools today are formal, ostentatious, and do not bring the real meaning of education. There are still opening ceremonies of schools that are both beautiful in form, attractive in content, and the students who attend are still happy.

The question is, are we really focusing on the whole learner?

Do we pay attention to children's rights and needs, put their needs for connection, respect, and self-expression at the center of the ceremony, and find ways to satisfy them ?

Source: https://danviet.vn/hoc-sinh-phai-tap-duot-khai-giang-duoi-troi-nang-nong-phu-huynh-buc-xuc-20240904092908256.htm