Teachers disillusioned with 'talent training' when opening private school

Teacher Nguyen Van Hoa once thought that education was about training talented, good students, but realized his mistake when he opened a private school, the initial students were all "bad and disruptive".

At the workshop on happy schools organized by the Ministry of Education and Training on October 20 and 21 in Hanoi, more than 500 teachers discussed and shared solutions to reduce pressure in schools and find ways to positively educate students. According to teacher Nguyen Van Hoa, founder of the Nguyen Binh Khiem Education System - Cau Giay, Hanoi, to reduce pressure on schools, it is necessary to first understand the correct goals of education.

"30 years ago, when I opened a private school, I wrote in the admissions leaflet that this school would train good students and help them become talented children. Later, I realized I was wrong," Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, 78 years old, recalled.

Mr. Hoa said that at that time (1993), he was very pleased with the content written on the flyer, thinking that hearing such "calling" would make many parents send their children to the school. However, in the first year, Nguyen Binh Khiem school recruited about 100 students, "all of whom were poor students, disruptive, and often fought."

Even though he is 50 years old, he still has to deal with student fights and parent complaints. Many families even come to the school to scold and threaten the principal because they think the teachers are too strict. Meanwhile, many students say they entered the school because they failed the public high school entrance exam, hoping that the teachers will not look at them with a judgmental eye based on their scores.

"I understand that the idea of training talented people and good students is really fading away," said Mr. Hoa, realizing that we must find a way to change and find a new direction for the school to "escape this headache and pressure." The school's goal must be to teach students to "become good people."

Teacher Nguyen Van Hoa shares at the seminar on happy schools, morning of October 20. Photo: Thanh Hang — Teacher Nguyen Van Hoa at the workshop on happy schools, morning of October 20. Photo: *Thanh Hang*

The first thing that Mr. Hoa thought of was how to "untie" the students, not applying too many rules and harsh discipline, requiring teachers not to be harsh when students get bad grades. The reason is that studying is only one of many human abilities, not everyone among the more than 22 million students is a talented learner.

When students are no longer pressured by grades or achievements, Mr. Hoa finds that students have a more positive attitude. They learn what they like, and from there strive to pursue their goals. Teachers are also more comfortable and have more energy in teaching.

"By changing perspective and thinking more multi-dimensionally, teachers will find many ways to solve problems and student behavior. It is not necessary to scold or discipline students for deviating from the rules," he said.

Looking back after 30 years of opening a private school, the 78-year-old teacher found that although many of Nguyen Binh Khiem's students still met the standards of the Ministry of Education and Training, 90% of them were not considered talented. However, he was happy every time he saw them again or heard news about them.

"There are people who are running the business well, people who are managing the sound and lighting systems of this very conference," Mr. Hoa shared.

Nguyen Binh Khiem School is currently one of two high-quality private high schools in Hanoi . The school's entrance exam score for grade 10 in Hanoi is about 39/50 points, equivalent to many public schools in the inner city.

With more than 20 years of teaching at Hanoi Pedagogical College (now Capital University) and 30 years of managing Nguyen Binh Khiem School, Mr. Hoa believes that schools have not found a positive educational method to reduce pressure on students, partly because they do not understand the true goal of education. Education first of all needs to improve people's knowledge.

Second, many places put all student behavior into two levels of evaluation: right or wrong. According to Mr. Hoa, we cannot insist on the view that good students are good and right, and bad students are stupid and lazy. This view shows the lack of flexibility and thoughtfulness of educators, because there are things that are "neither right nor wrong".

"The goal of education must be for the progress of students. Only by determining the goal can we choose the path and way to operate a happy school," said Mr. Hoa.

Thanh Hang

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