Overcoming sadness

Exam scores and admission standards for 10th grade in public high schools have been announced in many localities. The 2024 high school graduation exam is currently in the grading phase. Admissions for 1st and 6th grade in high-quality schools and private schools, which require entrance exams or selection based on academic records, have mostly yielded results. The road ahead for everyone is still very long, as learning is a lifelong process. But right now, upon receiving the news that my child didn't get into their dream school, the sadness is overwhelming, my spirits hit rock bottom, and tears are uncontrollable.

On social media forums, many people rejoiced at their children's achievement of overcoming a memorable milestone and conquering a difficult goal. Congratulations, flowers, and celebratory photos were shared for the students who had worked hard to achieve good results. They deserved that joy.

In another quiet corner, students who were just a few points short, even as little as 0.25 points, of getting into their dream school, are now accepting second-choice options or seeking other avenues to move forward. The joys are diverse, but the sorrows are all the same.

A friend whose child is in 9th grade called me, her voice choked with emotion, asking, "My child failed all their first and second choice 10th-grade public school applications. What should we do now?" The shock stemmed from the fact that her child's exam score wasn't low, 36.5 points, but unexpectedly, the cut-off scores for both first and second choices were significantly higher than in previous years, leaving the family completely unprepared. Even when they learned the score, they were happy, thinking it would guarantee admission to their first choice. The day the cut-off scores were announced, they were devastated – only 36.75 points were needed to pass. They didn't dare scold their child, because while the parents were sad, the child was probably ten times sadder. All they could do was encourage her, telling her to be sad and cry if she wanted to, but not to give up. They told her that when one door closes, another opens. They are now inquiring about and searching for a good private school that suits her to continue her long journey ahead.

Another parent messaged me, sharing her regret for not confidently applying to a high-quality secondary school near home, instead choosing a different, even more prestigious and successful school further away. I honestly told her that my child didn't even qualify for either of those two schools, let alone be considered for admission. Getting into the other school was already a great achievement.

A parent who is a high school teacher recounted how she was mortified because her child failed the entrance exam to the school where she teaches. The reason was that the child's score in Literature – the subject she teaches – was too low, so even a 9.5 in Math couldn't compensate for the Literature score. She blamed herself for not closely monitoring her child and for compromising with her, allowing her child to focus on certain subjects. Despite her sadness, she worked with her child to understand this was a profound lesson: one cannot only focus on subjects they enjoy, but must also strive in areas they dislike or are not yet proficient in. Developing strengths and striving to improve in areas where they are weaker should be the long-term goal, not simply raising scores in a particular subject by guessing the right answers or predicting the exam questions.

There are so many stories and experiences shared during the admissions season that we hear and know every year. There's no room for "what ifs" or "if onlys," because everything is already determined by the clear scores and the acceptance letter, while others don't need a piece of paper saying "I failed," but everyone understands.

A single exam isn't enough to determine a person's entire life's success or failure. Falling down is also a lesson that everyone, to varying degrees, must experience on their journey to adulthood. What matters is whether one knows how to rise after failure or succumb to sadness. Never let any failure hold you back, because no matter how painful or despairing it may be, it's all in the past and present. Tomorrow will be a new day, bright with sunshine. Open your heart and look ahead with confidence and positive emotions to learn, innovate, and adapt to life's diverse world.

According to Dai Doan Ket newspaper

Source