On March 29, Cau Giay Secondary School (Yen Hoa ward, Hanoi) organized the program "Conquering specialized schools with children", with the participation of principals of some specialized high schools of universities and the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.
The program was also attended by representatives of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, a large number of parents of 9th grade students, and some parents with children studying in grades 6, 7, 8 of Cau Giay Secondary School.
Some students submit up to 7 applications, but do not know how to choose a direction
At the program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu - Principal of the High School for the Gifted in Social Sciences and Humanities - shared many practical experiences, helping parents orient their children on the journey to conquer specialized schools.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu, the first thing parents need to do is to carefully study the school's enrollment plan that their children are aiming for in the past 5 years. Changes in benchmark scores, admission conditions or exam subject structure are all important factors.
If we don't grasp it, we are like swimming in the sea without a compass," Mr. Lieu likened.
In addition, the study of exam formats over the years was also emphasized by him as a key factor.
Citing evidence from his own school, Mr. Nguyen Quang Lieu said that the Literature specialized exam has changed when the materials are no longer taken from textbooks as before, requiring candidates to adapt and have more flexible thinking.
Only choose 1–2 targets to avoid dispersing energy
A common mistake of many parents, according to Mr. Lieu, is to register their children for too many specialized schools.
Some students submitted up to 7 applications but did not know the direction, did not have a clear direction" - Mr. Lieu said.
The principal recommends only focusing on 1-2 suitable goals. Identifying the right goals will help students invest in depth, avoiding dispersing their energy.
Along with that, parents should carefully learn about the teaching staff, the difficulty of the exam questions of each school to have a suitable review strategy. Each specialized school has its own characteristics, from the way it sets questions to the requirements for assessing competence.
Another important factor is the role of experts and teachers in orienting.
According to Mr. Lieu, parents should take their children to meet directly with education experts for advice, inspiration and to clearly define goals.
A good doctor is a doctor who diagnoses diseases and prescribes medicine, while parents of students are just people who spend money to buy medicine. We are good doctors, we can take the pulse to diagnose what diseases, how to treat them," he said.
The principal also reminded parents and students not to choose schools just because of superficial factors such as facilities or extracurricular activities. The most important thing is still the suitability with students' abilities and future orientation.
Closing the sharing part, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu emphasized the role of specialized schools in discovering and nurturing talents for the country.
Each student entering a specialized school is a seed sown on good land. If properly cared for, it will surely bear "sweet fruits" in the future," said the Principal of the High School for Social Sciences and Humanities.
School choice must be associated with long-term career orientation
At the program, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep - Principal of Chu Van An High School (Hanoi) - also gave many important notes in orienting the choice of specialized schools for students.
According to Ms. Nhiep, getting into a specialized school is an important goal, but the more fundamental thing is to choose a learning environment that is suitable for students' future career orientation.
In the context that the 2018 General Education Program has many changes, especially with the system of chosen subjects, parents need to consider carefully before deciding.
Ms. Nhiep cited that if students are oriented towards medicine, want to become doctors but do not organize Biology teaching at school, do not have a Biology - Chemistry combination, they will encounter great difficulties on the journey to pursue their goals.
Therefore, thoroughly understanding the subject combinations that each school is implementing is a decisive factor.
Parents need to proactively find information on the websites of schools, and also refer to previous generations of students to understand the training program. This is an important foundation to help orient a sustainable and long-term future for their children," emphasized the Principal of Chu Van An High School.
In fact, many parents still put a heavy emphasis on the goal of "passing first, calculating later" without paying due attention to the learning content after being admitted. According to Ms. Nhiep, this approach contains many risks and may directly affect students' career orientation in the future.
Registering aspirations reasonably helps increase opportunities and confidence
In addition, the female principal also recommended that parents maximize their enrollment aspirations. Specifically, for the public system with 3 aspirations and the specialized system with 2 aspirations, candidates should use them fully, and should not miss any opportunities.
According to her, reasonable registration not only helps increase the chances of admission but also creates confidence for students.
When children can pass both public and specialized schools, it will be a great motivation, helping them to be more confident on the path of learning ahead," Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep shared.
