Pressure from entrance exams
With the goal of passing the 10th grade specialized Literature exam, Dinh Nhu Quynh - a 9A1 student at Nguyen Trai Secondary School (Tuyen Quang) determined to maintain serious study throughout the holiday. Quynh said that the characteristics of Literature require continuous reading and writing to train thinking.
Although the Tet holiday is long, she still consciously does her daily homework. In addition to the lesson plan in class, Quynh also has to face a large amount of homework from extra classes to prepare for the acceleration phase after Tet.
Also in 9th grade, the pressure for Hoang Nguyen Nhat Linh - a 9B1 student at Phenikaa Inter-level School (Hanoi), lies in having to systematize knowledge of subjects, especially natural science subjects that are not their strengths.
Nhat Linh spends Tet holiday time to self-examine knowledge gaps through survey sets. She determines that self-study at home during this occasion is an important opportunity to prepare the most solid psychology and knowledge before entering the upcoming official exams.
Exam pressure is also weighing heavily on 12th grade students as the high school graduation and university entrance exams are approaching. Truong Tue Linh - a 12A2 student at Phenikaa Inter-level School (Hanoi) said that she plans to spend most of the Tet holiday time on studying. Faced with the trend of top universities such as National Economics University or Foreign Trade University reducing transcript admission quotas, Tue Linh said that she will focus highly on preparing for IELTS and SAT exams to supplement her application. Linh shared: "I only rest on New Year's Eve, the rest of the time will be spent reviewing advanced knowledge. The competition for admission to major universities is currently very fierce, so I have to double my efforts to create opportunities for myself".
Balancing between review and rest
To ensure the effectiveness of reviewing without causing overload, teachers remind students to regulate their time reasonably. Ms. Dinh Thanh Nga - Homeroom teacher of class 9B1, Phenikaa Inter-level School (Hanoi), said that she has assigned at least 5 sets of Math questions for students to maintain their thinking rhythm at home.
However, Ms. Nga also advised students to maintain a comfortable mentality and pay attention to maintaining their health in unfavorable weather and air conditions, avoiding excessive pressure leading to exhaustion.
Parents are also encouraged to accompany their children by helping them maintain the correct rhythm of life, not staying up too late or sleeping too late. The combination of focused tutoring and resting at the right time will help students regenerate energy, ready for the all-out exam preparation phase after the Tet holiday.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Binh - Principal of Luong The Vinh Secondary & High School (Tan Trieu campus, Hanoi) said that each holiday, especially the long Tet holiday, is a time for students to rest and reunite with family and relatives. However, Mr. Binh noted that each student, especially final year students, needs to have a specific plan to avoid interrupted learning.
Students need to develop specific plans, spend time suitable for themselves, to both have fun with their families, but also have time to study and review so that learning is continuous and not interrupted" - teacher Binh advised.
