The journey of sowing positive habits
Teacher Vu Van Ben shared that he graduated from the Primary Education Department of Hanoi National University of Education in 2001. In the first days of teaching, as a young teacher just graduated from school, he could not help but feel confused about how to behave and communicate with students, as well as how to choose effective teaching methods.
Gradually, teachers learn to listen to students more, put themselves in their shoes to understand, and change their teaching methods to be more approachable, helping students absorb lessons better.
Talking about standing at the school gate every morning to greet students with a handshake, Mr. Ben said that since his first years of teaching, he has often greeted students every morning.
At first, it was just a handshake greeting students when it was the homeroom teacher's turn to be on duty, or sometimes he stood at the door to welcome his students. But then, seeing that the students were happy and excited when being greeted, he took the initiative to do it more often.
Abandon the supervisor, welcome students with a smile and a handshake
In 2017, Mr. Ben was appointed as Vice Principal of Loc An Primary School (Truong Thi ward, Ninh Binh province).
“At that time, I was very happy - not because I was a manager, but because in that position, I had the opportunity to start a 'small revolution' right in the school. In my new position, I proposed to remove the invigilators, not to deduct points for late students, not to scold students for wearing the wrong uniform... to move towards creating a more friendly and open environment for students. That proposal was very much supported by the school principal and teachers,” he shared.
From then on, Mr. Ben started to regularly stand at the school gate every morning, welcoming students with a friendly handshake.
Two years later, when Mr. Ben transferred to Tran Nhan Tong Primary School, the special way of welcoming students was still maintained.
With the view that "children come to school to be welcomed, not to be scrutinized or criticized", Mr. Ben not only starts each morning with a greeting and a handshake, but also gradually spreads that spirit into a cultural trait throughout the school.
At the school he has been working at for the past 6 years, there has never been a red star standing at the gate to mark students who are late or violate school rules. Instead, there are two rows of students on duty standing solemnly, smiling and welcoming other students into class.
“Every week, a class takes turns doing the task, which means that during the school year, every student gets to experience being the greeter. From there, they will understand that when they take the initiative to greet others, they will be greeted back, which is the first lesson in kindness and fairness,” Mr. Ben shared.
According to Mr. Ben, positive behavior repeated every day will become a habit, and gradually form the child's character and personality. Especially for primary school students, who cannot absorb everything through words, the most effective way to teach them is to be persistent and persistent from adults in every small action.
Therefore, for the past 8 years, Mr. Ben has maintained standing at the school gate to welcome students in the morning with a smile and a handshake as a way to sow the seeds of kindness and confidence in them.
Teacher like a great friend
To be able to pick up students outside the school gate in the morning, Mr. Ben has to start a new day at 4:30. After exercising and preparing breakfast for his family, he is at school at 6:15 to clean his office.
“The general principle of the school is that teachers clean and beautify their own work areas for students to follow.
Every morning when I get to school, I clean my office, I tidy up my clothes, and at exactly 6:45 am I stand at the school gate to pick up my children. However, due to my busy work schedule and occasional business trips, I cannot do this all week, but I always try to pick up my students at least 3 mornings a week,” Mr. Ben shared.
When welcoming students, Mr. Ben not only proactively shakes hands but also subtly initiates conversations, encouraging them to share about their interests and desires.
There are students who are shy and reluctant to communicate, but thanks to the teacher's proactive questioning and concern, they gradually become more open. Now, every time they come to school, they proactively step forward to shake hands and smile to greet the teacher. Many students even boldly tell the teacher that they want to be greeted in a "special way".
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“Some students like to be lifted up, some like to turn away and wait for me to pat them on the shoulder, some just nod and smile. I respect the differences between the students and try to remember their preferences so they don’t get upset,” Mr. Ben shared.
It is this delicate care that makes students see him as a great friend, extremely close, intimate and trustworthy. Many students see him and smile and say loudly: "Hello, handsome teacher Ben".
Quang Long (5A4 grade student, Tran Nhan Tong Primary School) shared: “In the morning when I go to school and see Mr. Ben standing at the gate, I will run to shake his hand to recharge my energy for the new day. Every day at school is fun, so I really like going to school.”
Thanks to that special bond, every recess, Mr. Ben's office always has students coming to chat, read books and share innocent stories.
However, the teacher clearly stated that students were only allowed to enter the room when there were two or more people, male or female. For him, this was a small lesson for students about transparency, respecting boundaries and protecting each other.
Ms. Tran Thi Khanh Linh (parent) shared: “I really support the way of educating students of Mr. Ben as well as the teachers in the school. Seeing my child eager to come to class every day, I feel very happy. The words of encouragement and welcoming handshakes of Mr. Ben make my child feel cared for and loved. Thanks to that, I see my child is much more confident and bold.”
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/thay-hieu-pho-va-cuoc-cach-mang-nho-bo-giam-thi-don-hoc-tro-bang-cai-bat-tay-2459783.html
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