Special teaching hours of the principal of the specialized school

Right after the first day of school, 19 students of grade 10 at Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Hanoi, had their first classes taught by the principal herself, with lessons on career orientation and how to set goals for three years of high school.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep in a lesson with 10th grade students before the new school year - Photo: DANH KHANG

For many years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep, principal of Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, has maintained first-grade classes with 10th grade students to discuss and develop study plans and goals.

And after three years of studying, she continued to have her final lessons with 12th graders to finalize what she had planned, preparing for the "passing the gate".

Accompanying students and parents

Sharing with Tuoi Tre, the enthusiastic principal said: "When I was principal at other schools, I also maintained this practice. In addition to meeting with all parents of grade 10 students at the beginning of the year and grade 12 students at the end of the year, I have teaching sessions for students, divided into different shifts."

In the first class of the year, in addition to information about the school, teachers, and various regulations that students must follow, the principal briefly discussed with students using easy-to-understand diagrams so that they could better visualize the 2018 General Education Program at the high school level, regulations on assessment and testing, regulations on high school graduation exams, changes in university admissions, and preparing documents for studying abroad...

In particular, determining a direction to choose a combination of subjects, corresponding to choosing the exam subjects for the next three years, is an issue that the principal pays special attention to with students.

"All of my school's elective subject combinations include physics and chemistry. To have enough physics and chemistry teachers for 100% of the school's students next school year, we have to contract three more teachers.

The decision to combine subjects like this also comes from the experience of closely following students for 3-4 years of implementing the new program and seeing that physics and chemistry are necessary subjects for students in general, not just students with career orientation in engineering and technology.

Currently, most schools are still only arranging subject combinations according to their own conditions. But if they really think about the students, schools can still have the most convenient subject combination arrangements, closest to the students' needs and especially have to overcome the difficulties from the school side to implement what is required and necessary for students in the current trend of choosing a training school and choosing a career and in the next 4-5 years," said Ms. Nhiep.

According to her, choosing a field, choosing a career first, then choosing a major, and then choosing a school is something she always reminds 10th graders to do. And in the meeting with 10th grade parents, the story of early career guidance for students is also something she spends a lot of time sharing.

"Every day while going out or eating together, you can talk to your children about future careers. Starting from traditional family careers to careers that are of interest to society, careers that suit your children's personalities and qualities.

Don't be upset if your child likes this job today and another job tomorrow. Although their interests are not certain, they show that they are interested. You can write down with your child the jobs you are interested in, and that list can change during the three years of study.

Even if your children don't like anything, you can try writing down with them the jobs they hate, for example, as a way to have a basis to research information and find opportunities to experience with them. That is the journey we take to help our children nurture their dreams," Ms. Nhiep discussed with parents and said that this is something that should accompany children for a long time instead of thinking about it close to the exam or admission period.

10th grade students of Chu Van An High School for the Gifted overcome their confusion and discuss with their teacher their thoughts on the issues she raised - Photo: DANH KHANG

Time Management Matrix

In her lessons with grade 10 students majoring in literature and math, Ms. Nhiep emphasized time management skills because she believed that this was the most difficult thing, but if done well, students would shorten the time it took to reach their goals.

She gave students a chart to try to organize their tasks into two groups: important and unimportant. Within these two groups, she separated the tasks into "urgent" and "non-urgent". Her request was for students to prioritize their tasks in order. Most students put the urgent and important tasks first (for example, homework that is due tomorrow).

But some students choose to put important but not urgent tasks at number 1 (such as doing homework for each subject, learning a foreign language, exercising...). The student who chose this option said that non-urgent but important tasks will be those that need to be proactively calculated for every day. For example, exercising will have to be regular, and it is necessary to prioritize and schedule appropriate time according to a fixed time frame every day to be able to do it.

The principal agrees with this view, the reason being "if you know how to arrange your time scientifically and appropriately, you can solve important tasks during the week without having to wait until an "urgent" situation to do it".

Another thing that students shared in class was also a point that they discussed. In the group of unimportant tasks, the teacher listed things like going to the movies, receiving mail, attending birthday parties (urgent) and going home (not urgent). Many students chose to prioritize watching movies, receiving mail, and birthday parties because they thought that these were timely tasks that could not be delayed. However, some students said that they wanted to prioritize "going home" because it was a responsibility to their family instead of just serving themselves.

With just one data table, the exchange between teachers and students becomes more open and also shows the different thoughts and perspectives of students. That shows that each student can proactively build a "time matrix" that suits them and can adjust it flexibly.

Believing in oneself, how to set long-term and short-term goals, and how to implement them are things that Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep discussed with students based on the experiences of many previous students.

Let's choose the right path

Helping students identify goals and implementation plans is not only a matter of timing, but it is the first basis for teachers to accompany them for three years of study. During that time, students and their parents may find it necessary to change their goals and choose a new direction. That is also a good thing because only when they are proactive and positive with the support of adults will students know which direction is suitable for them and how to invest in their studies.

Ms. NGUYEN THI NHIEP

Trust and listen to me

At the meeting with parents of the 10th grade class next school year, answering the question "How to accompany your child?", Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep shared: "Understand your child's strengths and weaknesses to encourage and help your child overcome their weaknesses. Each child is suitable for a different way of learning, so don't force your child to follow a stereotype. Always show trust and listen to your child's thoughts and feelings.

Study with your child, build goals and study plans. Do not complain about common difficulties. Do not put pressure on your child about grades. Encourage your child to participate in many experiential activities in the spirit of studying hard and playing hard. Be there when your child stumbles.

VINH HA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-gio-day-dac-biet-cua-co-hieu-truong-truong-chuyen-20250806091514218.htm