Teachers of secondary schools said that educators do not pay appropriate attention to taking care of secondary school’s students who experience complicated psychological changes.

The student is nodding in the class

The mother said that her daughter, an obedient 8^th class student, suddenly was discovered stealing money to purchase a mobile phone. After the mother scolded the daughter for her behaviour, the daughter became dissatisfied with the parents.

Doctor of Psychology Truong Bich Ha, Director of Khanh Ha Psychology Counseling Company, related that the 14-year-old girl came to her office together with her sister after she was persuaded by the sister. The talk between the girl and the consultant took one hour. Ha told the girl to write down on paper what she wanted to do. And the girl wrote “I want a mobile phone.” When Ha asked about the mobile phone, the girl said that she needs one to send messages to friends. “We have secrets that we cannot talk about when we are in class. Ten classmates of mine have mobile phones,” she said.

It was clear that the eagerness for mobile phones prompted the girl to steal her mother’s money. Ha said that if parents well understand the causes of children’s behaviour, they will have suitable treatments for the children.

A woman from Kham Thien Street in Hanoi related that her daughter, a secondary school student, has fallen in love with a man who works as a hair stylist. As parents have forbidden the daughter’s love, the daughter has left home without a trace.

Another woman cried when she said to the consultants that her daughter and friends of the same group threaten to commit suicide if they ‘are not respected by adults.’

And the story at a school

The teacher of a 9^th class of Dong Da Secondary School in Hanoi related that a student of hers spoke ill of her mother ruthlessly on her blog after she was scolded by her mother. The behaviour of the student caused shock even to the teachers of the school, who could not give normal teaching lessons during the day.

The teacher said that she and her colleagues find it more difficult to straighten and teach students. The lessons given by teachers considered as imposing will and standards on students prove to be unsuitable to students.

A lot of regrettable cases relating to pre-teens have been reported in local newspapers recently. Schoolgirls in Buon Ma Thuot City, Hai Duong province and Hanoi committed mass suicide because their opinions cannot be ‘spoken out, shared and respected by parents.’ A lot of parents have become surprised when they unexpectedly heard their children complaining that they are sad, later finding sex pictures and video clips in the children’s computers.

Pre-teens are now really lacking a ‘friendly hand’ which can serve as the moral support, helping them choose the right way to go. Hoang Lien Minh, who has been well known for converting naughty students at Dinh Tien Hoang School in Hanoi said that the key to do is understanding students, their conditions, habits, and their strong and weak points. If pre-teens get appropriate care, they will be able to grow into useful members of the society, and vice versa.

Doctor Ha also said that it is easy to ‘shape’ children at the ages of 12-15, though the children of the age always have major psychological changes.

Ha said that it is now necessary for secondary schools to employ education psychology teachers who can help students go on the right track.

VietNamNet/TT