The case of a student pressing down on and knocking down a teacher: What is the cause?

(Dan Tri) - Education cannot only teach students to be good people, but must first teach them to be good people. And that responsibility cannot be placed solely on the shoulders of teachers or schools, according to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam.

The incident of a 7th grade student at Dai Kim Secondary School (Dinh Cong Ward, Hanoi ) grabbing the hair and holding down the head of the homeroom teacher just to snatch back the toy that the teacher confiscated happened on the afternoon of September 16. At noon on September 19, the clip recording this image was posted on social media, shocking public opinion.

Dinh Cong Ward People's Committee determined that this is a serious incident, affecting the safety, honor, reputation of teachers and impacting the educational environment.

According to the latest report from this ward, immediately after the incident occurred, the Board of Directors of Dai Kim Secondary School organized for the offending student to directly admit his mistake and publicly apologize to the teacher in front of the whole class.

The school also invited parents to work together to agree on educational measures, create conditions for students to correct mistakes and practice behavior; and asked the family to take B. for a medical examination and psychological check-up.

Image of male student grabbing teacher's hair and holding her head down in classroom (Photo taken from clip).

On the afternoon of September 19, at a working session with the Standing Committee of the Ward Party Committee, the school reported that at the time of the incident, the male student showed signs of psychological instability.

However, after going to the doctor, until the evening of September 19, the family still had not been able to provide the school with the results of this student's health check.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Ho Tuan Anh - Principal of Quynh Phuong Secondary School, Nghe An - said that one of the current difficulties for schools is the situation of students with psychological problems, behavioral hyperactivity, and violent tendencies... but do not have a disability record.

Therefore, the school still has to accept students but lacks specific regulations for management.

From there, the principal proposed some solutions such as the school needs to clearly understand the list of students with special behavior in order to have educational and preventive measures.

In particular, the school needs to inform homeroom teachers, subject teachers, and students in the same class to have appropriate support solutions, avoid creating agitation, and at the same time prevent and promptly stop unusual behaviors.

He also emphasized the need for coordination between schools, teachers and families. Teachers need to regularly communicate with parents about students’ health. If the behavior becomes more serious and cannot ensure the safety of other students, the school needs to ask the family to take the student to see a doctor and get treatment.

From the perspective of the teacher-student relationship, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam - Vice Principal of the University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi - commented that the incident at Dai Kim Secondary School was not just a single act of violence. It was a manifestation of the breakdown in the teacher-student relationship, of the lack of moral education and life skills, and of the delay in building a safe, humane education system with clear rules of the game.

"We have talked a lot about the causes, but incidents like this make it even clearer that the causes are not limited to individual behavior," Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam affirmed.

According to him, experts have warned that the social capacity and life skills, including emotional control, of the young generation are increasingly poor when living in a world of technology and AI.

Especially for adolescents, their patience and ability to delay behavior are not good, they are easily agitated, especially when they feel their rights are violated or fall into an uncomfortable situation.

In addition, the communication gap between children and their caregivers is widening. Students lack role models for respectful and socially acceptable behavior in public places. Meanwhile, they receive fewer lessons and teachings on gratitude and respect for parents and teachers - things that are the foundation of traditional morality.

The selfish and individualistic mentality of students is formed early because they are exposed to excessive sources of free and democratic ideas from online content. They dare to act violently towards adults, even teachers, partly due to their constant exposure to violent content in this virtual space.

Regarding the school and teachers, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam acknowledged that teachers have not handled many situations well.

"The confiscation of dangerous toys was correct, but the teacher's method may not have been sensitive or considerate enough. Her tone of voice and non-verbal behavior may have triggered negative emotions in the students," Mr. Tran Thanh Nam explained.

As for the other students in the class, he said the incident also showed a sense of helplessness and lack of skills. They did not know how to speak up or intervene, were afraid, confused… they could only stand and watch and pull the curtain to cover up the incident to avoid being “embarrassed” at that time.

Along with that, it is necessary to propose a systematic solution. Schools need to educate emotional management skills in a practical and effective way. Specific contents such as emotional control and conflict resolution must be included in the second session curriculum; group activities must be increased to practice cooperation skills and task coordination.

At the same time, teachers and parents also need to build a culture of collective protection so that all students who witness violent incidents can speak up and intervene promptly instead of dealing with it by covering it up.

"Teachers need to be trained in handling situations of contact with parents and students in angry, out-of-control situations.

Schools must have a process for school psychologists to respond quickly and support teachers, students and witnesses after an incident occurs," Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam stated his opinion.

Mr. Tran Thanh Nam also emphasized the need for clear educational strategies in the context of the new circular on student discipline that will take effect from October 31. Accordingly, the highest form of disciplinary action is writing a self-criticism, completely eliminating suspension or expulsion from school.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/vu-hoc-sinh-de-dau-quat-nga-co-giao-nguyen-nhan-tu-dau-20250919212936293.htm