Where knowledge meets love

Teachers and students at Kindergarten 27-2 during class time.

Inspired by UNESCO's Happy School model, the Happy School initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training since 2019, comprises six standards (school facilities and landscape; safe educational environment; teaching and learning activities; holistic education; defining the school's mission, vision, and core values; and building relationships within and outside the school) and three core criteria (love, safety, and respect). These serve as a guiding principle for educational institutions to reflect upon and adapt their teaching methods and mindset to meet new requirements.

At Kindergarten 27-2 (Hac Thanh Ward), the concept of a happy school begins with creating joy in each child's daily commute to school.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, the school principal, shared: “A happy school is a journey of love and creativity in the educational environment. We strive to start from the smallest things, such as decorating classrooms to be warm and friendly to children; educating children in communication and behavior. Children are cared for and developed comprehensively in intellect, physical health, spirit, and life skills so that every time they come to school, they always feel joy, safety, and are valued. In addition, when implementing the happy school initiative, teachers also have many opportunities to innovate and promote positive and creative teaching methods. The school also proactively connects closely with parents, thereby creating a bond and cooperation between families, the school, and society in caring for and educating children.”

Building a happy school, according to the Board of Directors of Thieu Khanh Primary School, Dong Tien Ward, first and foremost requires creating a safe school environment where students are loved, respected, cared for, and empowered to confidently express themselves. The management team must be attentive, supportive, and able to resolve difficulties so that teachers can work with peace of mind and dedicate themselves to their work...

The principal of Thieu Khanh Primary School, Le Thi Thiet, shared: “The school always focuses on innovating educational activities towards developing qualities and competencies, organizing many STEM activities with diverse themes to help students acquire more skills and awaken joy and happiness when coming to school. In addition, the school also builds a friendly working environment with care, sharing, and listening, helping teachers feel happy to contribute and transmit positive energy to the students.”

To build happy schools, the Thanh Hoa Education Union, in coordination with educational units and institutions, organized a workshop titled "Building Happy Schools" with the theme "Principals Change, Teachers Innovate - Towards Happy Schools." The workshop emphasized the role and importance of building a happy school model, with the main criterion being a school free from teacher misconduct. This aims to create a fundamental shift in the awareness and actions of staff, teachers, and workers, striving for ethical conduct and avoiding violations of industry regulations. This is also one of the contents aimed at concretizing Joint Plan No. 242/KHLT-SGDĐT-CĐN of the Department of Education and Training and the Education Sector Trade Union on improving pedagogical conduct and ethics of teachers and employees in the period 2021-2025. Through this, each individual working in the education sector and in each school will change their awareness and behavior to do their job better with responsibility, love, understanding, empathy, and sharing, gradually building a happy educational environment where every student and every teacher feels joy and happiness when coming to school.

Creating happy schools has been and continues to be a crucial driving force helping educational institutions strongly spread humanistic values, thereby sustainably improving the quality of education.

Text and photos: Linh Huong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/noi-tri-thuc-gap-yeu-thuong-273394.htm