Tet no homework

My son, who is in 6th grade, excitedly announced the good news: “I don’t have to do homework this Tet holiday.” Having a Tet holiday without having to worry about homework is certainly not only a joy for him but also for parents like me. During the Tet holiday, both my son and I struggled for nearly 2 days to complete the homework that the elementary school teacher gave him to do at home during the Tet holiday. During those days off, my son was always worried about not being able to complete his homework on time.

Talking about Tet homework, I remember the “special” promise of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang, Principal of Marie Curie School (Hanoi). This year’s Giap Thin Tet marks 12 years since he kept his promise not to assign homework during Tet so that students can enjoy a comfortable and warm Tet holiday with their families.

If we don’t give homework during Tet, will students forget all their knowledge and be confused when they return to school after Tet? Surely many parents are wondering about this because their children have 12 days off for Tet.

Tet holiday is always a time for students to look forward to. This is an occasion for reunion, parents and children to have fun activities, and celebrate Tet warmly. This is also the time for children to be close to their relatives, build bonds and love in the family. In particular, this holiday is also an opportunity for children to learn useful cultural and historical lessons about the traditional Tet of the nation. I really agree with the way Vo Truong Toan Primary School in Can Tho City does it: instead of giving homework to students, teachers give homework to parents. Parents are assigned to teach their children how to clean the house, wrap Chung cakes, learn about Tet customs, etc. This way of doing things will help children reduce pressure after a whole semester of active study. Parents also have the opportunity to get closer to and understand their children better.

Students have spent the whole year studying, so 12 days of homework will not help them improve much. On the contrary, if teachers assign too much homework, it will put pressure on them and they will be reluctant to return to school after Tet. Study pressure has a significant impact on students' psychology. A survey of 1,000 students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education conducted last month showed that more than 60% of students said they felt stressed and tired when doing homework during Tet. On social networking sites recently, many students have also expressed their desire to enjoy a complete Tet holiday without homework with many status lines such as: "A lot of lucky money is not as fun as Tet without homework" or "Hope for Tet without homework"...

Many schools in Hai Duong have just announced that they will not assign homework for Tet holiday. This is good news for both students and many parents before Tet.

In order for students to have a Tet holiday without homework but still be excited to return to study after Tet and not forget the knowledge, teachers' support is needed. After Tet, schools spend the first week consolidating and reviewing knowledge. With the efforts of both teachers and students, we believe that the Tet holiday without homework will not affect students' learning results too much in the second semester.