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Recently, a video of an outstanding graduate jokingly calling the school "cows and horses" in his speech at the graduation ceremony attracted attention and became a hot topic.

According to reports, the student said: "This is the striving 'Niuma No. 1 Middle School', which is slowly blooming its glory in the sun. Do you know why I just said 'Niuma No. 1 Middle School'? I know you all hate this school very much, but you have to understand that this is where we have shed three years of sweat. Do you want to leave here?"

Afterwards, the principal came on stage and angrily rebuked the student for not being qualified to say that "Niushou No. 1 Middle School" was a "school for oxen and horses". He then drove him off the stage and took away his certificate of outstanding graduation. The principal also said that the school had produced six students from Tsinghua University and Peking University, who came to express gratitude to the school a few days ago. The student involved was very immature and had no right to make fun of the school.

According to media verification, Niushou No. 1 Middle School is a junior high school in Fancheng District, Xiangyang, Hubei. In response to this incident, a staff member of the school responded that the student has graduated, the school has communicated with him and his parents, and "it's all right."

The student has already graduated, so the school can’t do anything about it. As for the school staff saying “it’s all right”, I don’t know if it’s because the student apologized to the school for his remarks, or because the principal took back what he said and kept the student’s excellent graduation certificate, “making peace”.

It should be noted that this is not a "private incident" but has become public, and it concerns how a principal and a school should treat their students. In response to public concerns, the school should make a clearer response as soon as possible.

In particular, the principal's speech, as well as his decision to drive the student off the stage and confiscate his certificate in front of all the students in the school, was extremely inappropriate. It was disrespectful to the students and made a mockery of awarding the certificate of excellence. Obviously, this is not the behavior of an educator.

Judging from the student's speech, he was actually very sincere. Although he called the school "Niu Ma No. 1 Middle School", he also expressed his reluctance to leave the school in his speech. He was named an outstanding graduate and spoke on behalf of the graduates, which also shows that he is a leader among students.

Perhaps the principal thought that calling "Niushou No. 1 Middle School" "Niuma No. 1 Middle School" reflected students' dissatisfaction with the overly strict school management and heavy academic burden, which damaged the school's image. However, whether it was calling the students "naive" and "unqualified" or driving them off the stage and taking back their certificates on the spot, the principal overreacted.

In fact, the student may just want to make his speech more lighthearted and humorous, and cleverly used the school name "Niu Shou" to play with the popular "cow and horse" joke. Compared with the serious and boring speeches of the representatives, the school should also tolerate such humorous jokes from students.

To put it another way, even if the student's speech revealed the true situation of the school, the principal should feel guilty. An outstanding graduate gave such an evaluation of the school. The school should think about how to reduce the academic burden in the future and let students grow up healthily. This is also very valuable for the future development of the school.

A good principal especially needs to learn to listen to students' voices and respond from the perspective of an educator, including thanking the student for his speech, understanding the students' thoughts, etc. He should also use a light-hearted and humorous way to resolve awkwardness on the spot and provide positive guidance.

In addition, schools should not respond based on how many students are admitted to Tsinghua University or Peking University, but should start from the healthy physical and mental growth of students and look at where they are not doing well.

I hope that the final outcome of this matter will fully reflect the attitude and demeanor of an educator that a principal and a school should have.

Written by Xiong Bingqi (education scholar)

Editor/ Chi Daohua

Proofreading/ Lucy