Valedictorian of 10th grade Literature major suffered “cyber violence” for writing a 21-page exam paper

Even the top-scoring student is a victim of… cyberbullying.

In the recent 10th grade entrance exam, after writing 21 pages of essays for the 10th grade Literature exam, NTBM (a 9th grade student from Phan Huy Chu Secondary School, Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province) excellently became the top-scoring student in Literature at Ha Tinh Specialized High School with a score of 53.5 (including 8.5 points in Mathematics; 9.75 points in Literature; 8.25 points in English and a score of 9 in the specialized subject).

NTBM's handwriting on her notebook. Image cropped from a video clip.

However, immediately after the news broke that the female student had written 21 pages of notes, a heated debate erupted on social media. Many people expressed admiration, praise, and even asked for her high grades.

However, many others argued that 150 minutes to write 21 pages was not enough time to write properly or well. Other opinions generally agreed that the student's essay was "empty and boastful."

Judgment turned into "cyberbullying" when an article by an elderly PhD holder and university lecturer about a 21-page exam targeting a top-scoring female student sparked a wave of attacks on social media.

In the published article, this doctor commented that the 21-page essay was written "as fast as an automatic typewriter." He also used many insulting words and assumptions about the female student, such as "brainless," "her hands faster than her brain," "born into the world of bragging," etc., and included a picture of the girl.

An article posted online by a PhD holder. Screenshot.

Notably, when this article was publicly posted on social media, it received thousands of likes, but the comments, which were sarcastic, critical, and personally attacking towards the 15-year-old girl, received much support, encouragement, and even "joining in" with various remarks and comments. Among them were older people who also participated in "literary criticism."

"Attacking a child on social media is a reprehensible act."

Mr. Tran Quang Dai, a teacher at Tran Phu High School (Duc Tho, Ha Tinh), expressed his outrage at the online attack on a student on social media.

Malicious and derogatory comments on social media. Screenshot.

"Personally, I think this is a very good student. The fact that the judges gave a near-perfect score to this essay means they considered it very carefully and had sufficient grounds to award that score."

"We must acknowledge the reality that many students today have a deeper, more insightful, and more creative way of thinking and expressing themselves than their teachers, even at a very young age. Therefore, the appearance of a perfect score of 10 in the Literature exam is normal and also very encouraging," shared teacher Tran Quang Dai.

Ms. Le Thi Nga, a literature teacher in Thanh Hoa, said that in her career as an educator, she has graded many exam papers with scores of 9 or higher. These are papers that demonstrate good thinking ability, creativity, uniqueness, and strong emotions.

"Writing concisely and comprehensively is excellent, but writing at length, avoiding repetition, and expressing ideas fluently and clearly is even better. There's no rule that requires essays to be long to get high marks. The important thing is that the teacher grading the exam has recognized the student's writing ability."

"Only those who have read the candidate's essay have the right to judge it. Only by reading it can you know its strengths and weaknesses. A student who scores highly does not deserve to be dragged into the online war of insults and abusive language," Ms. Nga shared.

It is known that NTBM, a female student, has won many awards and achievements in literary competitions.

In the 4th grade, the female student won first prize in the school's calligraphy and writing competition. In the 5th grade, she won first prize in the same competition at the district level. In July 2022, she participated in the 2022 Reading Culture Ambassador Competition organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Tinh province in coordination with the Department of Education and Training of the province.

In May 2023, BM was honored to receive a certificate of merit from Ms. Dang Thi Quynh Diep - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ha Tinh province - for winning first prize in Literature in the provincial excellent student selection exam for 9th graders in the 2022-2023 school year.

Nguyen Linh

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thu-khoa-chuyen-van-lop-10-bi-bao-luc-mang-vi-viet-bai-thi-21-trang-giay-post253182.html