Discussion Questions:
1.) What was most shocking to you about this article?
2.) If you were to be sent to a Chinese high school, do you think you could handle it?
3.) What are your thoughts about the "gaokao", the three-day test?
4.) What do you think a Chinese high schooler's opinion would be about the schools in the United States?
What I found most shocking in this article was that the students have after school "supplemental" classes which they must attend to catch up on work with teachers. The article stated that these classes were mandatory, especially for any student behind. My questions about this would be 'what happens if a student is too sick and misses a day?' Also, in an article I read on cnbc,com (http://www.cnbc.com/id/43877263/page/6), China has the world's fastest growing market in travel. How does this travelling coincide with schooling? Do students miss school? If not what are their breaks/holidays like?
ReplyDeleteIf I was going to a Chinese high school I think I could handle it if I was brought up used to the customs. If I had to transfer from a school in the U.S. to one in China I think I might go into culture shock. Although education is extremely important here I think Chinese culture has now adopted a school over everything outlook much different than schools here. The grades are the most important thing there whereas here the grades are important but learning life skills is also a heavily conducted part of education (By that I mean learning about relationships, family values, future, goals, becoming your own person etc.)
The gaokao test sounds like the SAT's on steroids. I believe it could be a good way to measure intelligence on a standardized test but that is all. Similar to my thoughts on the SAT's, ACT's and other standardized tests I believe scores should be given to individuals that way students can improve in areas they're weak in and be informed of their strong areas. I do not believe that the standardized tests like the gaokao can really gauge what a person is "worth", especially when they are students without experience int he real world yet.
China's opinion on the school's in the United States would probably revolve around the words lazy and fat. Lazy because we do not have as much schooling, pressure and homework. Fat because its America and everyone associates the word fat with our country... I bet the students in China would be much more interested in the schools here than the adult population though because they are the ones currently dealing with the struggle of being a Chinese high school student. By seeing that they could maintain a life outside of school and get an education I think Chinese students would admire our programs but feel reserved about the lack of schooling we provide compared to them.
It looks quite stressful to be in a Chinese high school. The most shocking part of the article to me was that the military-esque physical fitness class is one of the most favorited classes in schools. I think it is comical how teachers threaten to remove the class as a threat against students. I do not understand the entertainment such a class could bring, personally.
ReplyDeleteI think I would not be able to survive a Chinese high school. Not because of difficulty, more along the lines of how I need more downtime than the minimal comparison the Chinese students seem to acquire. I would not be able to focus long enough to do all of the homework that is assigned, nor would I be motivated in any way to do the majority of it simply because homework is gross.
I think the gaokao is ridiculous. In America there is no test that decides your future (though people would argue the SATs and ACTs do), especially not to the extent the silly gaokao does. The amount of time preparing for it could be used for something more important, such as actually preparing for one’s future. An article linked to the one this is a response to said the gaokao brings many students to suicide because of a lower than expected score. It is also apparently futile to do much with your future should you fail it in the first place (http://www.echinacities.com/expat-corner/Quantitative-in-the-Extreme-Chinas-Gaokao-Test). The gaokao brings shame to China’s education system.
I think the Chinese high schoolers would like the American education system. It is a lot less stressful and your destiny is not decided by one specific factor. There is an incredible amount of opportunities for all who partake in education, and the education we provide is not in the least subpar. All of this is proven by the amount of foreign people who come to our country distinctly for our education.
-Andrew Winter
What surprised me the most was the amount of school they go to. They spend 12 hours a day, six days a week for 3 years at school, which is kind of crazy. That's a ton of school! Our school days are half the amount of time and for only 5 days a week. However, we do go to school for a year longer. I wonder if the info that they teach in these schools has a heavy bias, because China is so censored.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the gaokao is kind of comparative to the SAT but kind of blown up.While the SATs last a few hours, the gaokao lasts three days which is an extrememly long time. The gaokao single handedly decides the future of these chinese high schoolers. In America, SATs aren’t the only deciding factor for colleges looking at students. It is regarded but not relied upon and other things are put into calculation. High school in China seems extremely rigorous and very serious. It doesn’t seem like they teach to the needs of every student though, just a lot of text books and incessant exercises. It seems like these chinese highschooler’s whole life is consumed by school and nothing else. I wonder if they have school sports there? I wouldnt think so, because so much is put into school.
In all honesty, i dont know if i could handle going to a chinese school. Sometimes, i already feel overwhelmed by school now and i dont have nearly the amount of school that they have. If the chinese kids came to school in America, i think they would really like it. It would give them a lot more freedom and would let them learn in a lot of different ways. China’s ways for education actually do seem to be working. According to ABC News, in 2010 when China was first included in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Shanghai topped the charts for the world, coming in first in Math, Science and Reading.(http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/china-debuts-top-international-education-rankings/story?id=12336108)Their rigorous schooling does seem to be very hard, however I guess it seems to be working.
After what I had read about chinese high school customs and student lives, I don't think that I could handle all the pressure and amounts of homework. The one thing that shocked me the most was that all the students are required to attend a supplementary class to inform and demonstrate to the teacher that the students are on the same page with the class. Personally I am pretty laid back, which isn't too much of a good thing in some cases, but all the amount of homework and classes in a day would be overwhelming and I would just not want to do it. My grandparents hosted two chinese students two summers ago and I talked to them about school, and they said they do school, and school work for a total of about 16 hours. They even told me that there are so many students in the school that most classes have many kids in it and the schools tend to be 3 to 4 stories big. Maybe if I grew into the customs of the chinese school system I may be able to deal with the grueling 6 day week.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of the gaokao system to me seems a little excessive and unneeded. I don't think that kids should have this dream of getting into a career of their dream and not be able to get into it because of a score on a test. I think that this test is stressed on the students too much, and personally the test seems to be a little too long. 3 days? That's a little extreme, we at Souhegan have a week of testing but each day there is a different class to take an exam for, not a whole week of one test that can tell us we can either go into this profession or not. Yeah our grades kinda do the same, but if we don't get the needed requirements for a University, there always lower colleges and even community college that can help that one person get into the profession of their dreams.
The school system to me seems a little wacky, and "odd", but that's because the American School system is completely different from the system in China. So if a chinese student in high school were too read about American school systems they may think that it is odd because it is completely different from their system; but then they can compare the structure and strictness of the schools and conclude that maybe the unemployment percentage is so high because our schools might not push as hard and the structure isn't as 'great' as of theirs.
-Keeley
While reading this article all I could think about is "what happens to a kid if they miss a day? or are even so sick they miss almost a week?" I know when I'm sick I am not in the mood to do school work, I just want to sleep. From what I read just missing a day of school in China is the equivalent to about two or three days at Souhegan, or most schools in America for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't shocked when I read that many teens have committed suicide because of the immense pressure put on them to succeed. Having to attend school all day going into supplemental, mandatory classes to make sure students are caught up on all of the materials that are need at night. that right there would push me over the edge let alone the fact that "oh wait" you still have another 2 to 3 hours worth of home work from those boring text books. I don't know what I'd do I would seriously go mad.
Another thought I had while reading this article was from our perspective this seems literally like some form of torture, but to the students does it not seem as bad? Obviously they are stressed and I'm sure they wish things were a little more relaxed but on the other hand they have been going to school in China for there whole lives so to some degree they have to be used to this and have created a groove with the schedule.
All together though I have zero desire to attend school in China and I appreciate Souhegan so much more then I did 5minutes before I read that article. I got on my laptop thinking "ugh homework, this is going to suck after this I have a math paper" now I'm sitting in bed feeling like I won the lottery because all I have for homework is this blog post and a math paper.
-Sarah Riggins
I like how you asked yourself those questions in the first paragraph. I thought about the same thing. its crazy! -jordan
DeleteThe thing that shocked me the most about the article was the fact that the Chinese students had very little flexibility in their courses. Their courses are all academic and they don't have much or any opportunity for creative courses like art or band. Coming from a school like Souhegan, this is a hard reality to imagine.
ReplyDeleteIf I was sent to a Chinese high school, I don't know if I would be able to handle it. That is mostly because of the amount of time Chinese students dedicate to their studies. Spending 12 hours or more per day on school work seems like it would be very grueling. Considering that in America we have 6 hour school days, spending double the amount of time on school seems like it would be very challenging. So handling the Chinese school system wouldn't be impossible, just difficult.
As for the Gaokao, I feel that the test is over the top. It is bad enough that the test lasts three days. But we have long periods of testing such as finals week in the U.S. However the fact that the test pretty much determines what your future will be is absurd. It should be your entire body of work during your schooling that determines what higher education you can get, not just one test. Even though we have important testing like the SATs, there is not nearly as much of an importance put on them as far as your future success.
I think that a Chinese student who saw a U.S. school would be amazed at how relaxed it is in comparison to their schools. A Chinese student would probably love that the amount of time required of them for school is much less. This would allow them to spend more time on extracurricular activities. Overall, I think that a Chinese student would enjoy the American school system.
-Alex Girard
What I found most shocking about this article was the amount of time the Chinese students spend at school. 12 hours a day, six days a week for three years sounds absolutely torturous. I found this shocking because Kids must never have time for work or sports. It seems as if the Chinese students have to make their entire life encompassed around school. I agree with Sarah when she said the “supplement” classes were shocking because I can barely comprehend a child learning for that long in one day. I do not think I could handle going to a Chinese high school, but I feel this way only because I am coming from an American High School. I found the idea of the Gaokao as excruciating. In another article I read off Global Post, It stated that a student described her experience taking the Gaokao as “tiring but special time for me." I believe that because the Chinese students are accustomed to the schools they thrive and are used to its strict demeanor. On the other hand, if you picked me up and put me in a Chinese High school I would struggle greatly because it is not what I am accustomed to. I am judging their school and my opinion is that it sounds like a jail with forced learning. But, I think if a Chinese high school student saw Souhegan, he would think we are lazy, rude and dumb. Just the fact that we call our teachers by their first name would stir controversy in China.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of the Gaokao, I think a three day long test would make my brain implode. I thought the SAT’s were bad but China makes them sound like a walk in the park.
If you want to see more about the Gaokao I suggest you look at this article http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-gaokao-exam
-Courtney Kenny
To me, the most shocking thing about this article was how incredibly demanding their school work is. I thought what I had to do was a lot, but having to work as hard as they do would be terrible. There is no way I’d be able to handle being sent to a Chinese school. I guess that growing up in that environment makes it easier to deal with, but I can imagine how stressful it must be to have to go to school for almost your entire day, and not even have the weekend to wind down. The gaokao seems like such a stressful time. With your entire life riding on whether or not you do well on this test, it’s no wonder they spend so much time in school. According to (http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemcclenathan/2012/07/05/think-the-sat-is-tough-at-least-its-not-chinas-college-entrance-exam/), many Chinese students go outside mainland China in order to take the SATs so they can go to college outside of China. When people are purposefully going out of the country just to take a test to avoid the test that would normally be brought right to them, you’ve got to realize something’s wrong with the gaokao. I think if a Chinese student were to see how a school like Souhegan was run, they’d be amazed by the amount of free time we get. Overall I think it would become quickly apparently how much healthier the way our schools are run is.
ReplyDelete-Brendan Sileo
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI thought the article was very insightful about the differences and similarities between school in america vs china. The most shocking part was the gaokao, or 3 day long test. It struck me as unfair and i am glad there are different opportunities to determine your future rather than 1 test.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think i could handle being in a chinese high school, as i don't speak chinese. I also would not like to spend my life preparing for one test.
I think it is ridiculous that 1 test determines your entire future. American systems are much more poised towards the students needs.
I think the chinese would be amazed at the freedoms and oportunities that american schools have to offer
The most shocking thing to me from this article was that students attend 12 hours of school in a day, for six days a week, and for three years. Wow, that is a heck of a lot of education! Although that may result in about the same amount of time students attend school in the U.S. The difference is that they are at school for almost twice the amount we are every day.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to be sent to a Chinese school, I know I would not be able to handle it. With these 6-hour school days, and the amount of homework I already have, I find myself stressed. If I were put in another country’s education system where I spent twice as much time at school every day and had way more homework on top of that, I would have a breakdown.
I see gaokao as China’s version of our SATs but much more stressful, difficult, and important. The test doesn’t take a few hours like the SATs, rather it lasts three days. Unlike the SATs, gaokao decides your future; if your grade isn’t high enough, you will not get in to the profession you want. Whereas in the U.S. you can go to a lower-level college and still obtain knowledge to be able to succeed in that profession.
I believe that if Chinese students were to witness an American school, they would love it. They would view it as an opportunity to have a more involved life outside of school. They would experience freedom they never knew: being able to do more extracurricular activities, be with friends more often, and just be able to relax more and enjoy life. I feel as though they would learn more lessons about life and be able to experience new things that they wouldn't have been able to in China.
The most shocking part of this article to me was that one test, the Gaokao, decides your whole future. The Chinese high schoolers go to school to study for this test for three years, six days a week, twelve hours a day to review and study for the three day test. There is no logical explanation to making kids do this. Not only does it put tremendous amounts of pressure on the kid to do well, but if you don’t do well, your whole future is written out after the test. In the U.S. we have the SATS, but this test makes them seem easy, but the best part about the SATS is that you can retake them as many times at you want. What if a kid is having a terrible off week and does very poorly on the test and now his whole future could be ruined.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I could fit in at a Chinese high school at all. I like to express my opinions and I could not handle twelve hours of school six hours a day. Not only because that a lot of class time, but there is no time for a social life or sports. I think that the Chinese people view education differently than the US because the US definitely promotes extra circular activities and club and just getting involved to meet other people. In China, it seems like the students have to go home right after their night class, do their homework, go to bed and them repeat the exact same thing the next day. Also, the work they are doing seems so unstimulating, “I found that they generally work through the infamous stacks of books that can always be seen towering over a high school students desk here in China.”, according to Katie Burkhardt of eChinacities. The students would probably find the U.S. schools much more stimulating and exciting.
In another article I was reading from the GazetteXtra, by Frank Schultz, because of China’s rising economy, many Chinese parents are opting to send their children to school in the United States. “The Chinese already make up 25 percent of all international students and U.S. colleges, and their numbering are growing. Nearly 24,000 high-school-age Chinese were studying in the United states in 2010-11, up from almost non five years ago.” Maybe the Chinese are sick of their way of schooling and the Gaokao test and are seeking better education opportunities in the U.S.
The most shocking thing to me is how long the school day is. Chinese students are in school for 12 hours a day for 6 days a week. Their days are much longer than ours, but their years aren’t. According to The Center for Public Education: The average school year in China is 35 weeks, while the average school year in America is 36 weeks. (http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Time-in-school-How-does-the-US-compare)
ReplyDeleteI would not be able to go to a Chinese school. The days are way too long and rigorous for me. I would not enjoy having to go to school for half of the entire day and then have up to three hours of homework each night, for 6 days a week. This leaves almost no room for sports and other things that I would like to do.
I believe that the gaokao is not fair for the Chinese students. They have to study for roughly three years for one test that decides if they are able to go to college. Some students could be excellent during their entire school career and be bad test takers, therefore not being to be able to go to college. This test is immensely hard, according to The Global Post: the test consists of math, Chinese, science and English. (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-gaokao-exam)
Chinese students would most likely love to go to school in America. It is far less stressful, due to the less strenuous days. I’d assume most students would love the fact of not having just one test to determine their college career.
-Jackson Pollio
What shocks me is that how long that the Chinese kids are in school. They are in school for 6 days a week for 12 hours a week. I always thought going to school as often as we do was grueling but being able to go through all of that, i must go crazy.Getting into school at 730am and staying there until about 8pm or so would just make me want to pass out when i get home. There isnt any free time to themselves or time to get a job, just time to prepare for gaokao.
ReplyDeleteClearly as i have stated before, i would not be able to handle a 12 hour school day six days a week. It's just to long and grueling of a day to go through 12 hours of learning. Even if there is a 45 minute nap in the middle of the day. Maybe if i was brought up in China i would be able to develop into living that sort of life and getting used to it, but right now, if i had to transfer to China for school, there would be no way i would be able to handle everything.
Gaokao is very different than the SAT's in America. It seems like it is taken way more seriously than it is in the U.S. regarding that if you fail this test that you have prepared for about three years and fail it, there is almost no chance to be able to retake the test again. If you do bad, nothing will really bail you out from that low test score, not even a high GPA can do that. Although that it is taken more seriously in China tham the SAT's are in the US. You could clearly see why, you have one shot to determine your future and you have to use it.
A chinese student may think that our school is a walkthrough. You don't have to go into school as much going less hours of the day and less days as well. The tests aren't really that big and aren't the sole purpose of learning, meaning that we don't spend several years every single day putting our whole school day into getting ready for a certain standerized test. No doubt it would be very different for them, they may seem to enjoy it more depending on what they specifically do and what they have to offer in China for classes, but having a wide variety of classes to choose at Souhegan. Chinese students may like the U.S. schools better than the Chinese Schools
-Alex McNally
I found this article to be short but very interesting. I knew that high school in China was completely different then here in the US, but I never knew the details that were provided from this article. What shocked me the most is either the gaoko test or the fact that Chinese students have committed suicide because of the high pressures that school creates for them. The gaoko test, in my opinion, is ridiculous. I think it is a HUGE stressor and for it to be 12 hours, 6 days a week, for 3 years, is very strict and difficult. When the article said, “Their score on this test almost singlehandedly determines their future,” I was astounded by the large role this test plays in the students life. I cannot imagine it. Having a test like that is such a huge stressor and life consuming event that either makes it or breaks it for your life! That is a huge responsibility. What if the teachers aren’t that great at teaching? And you are unable to process the information as perfectly as need be to get into the best university? There is plenty pros and cons. If I was there, I do not think I could handle it. It is just too much too process, where I would have no choice but to focus on school and preparation for school 24/7. Lastly, I believe that the Chinese students view school in America as FAR MORE relaxed. No doubt. After viewing their school system, I am grateful at how relaxed we have it. Of course, everything that we do in school is a determining factor for college, but we have more room for error and mistakes in school then the Chinese students do. Although, I believe that in China the students must be extremely proud of themselves when it all pays off. Therefore, some students wouldn't trade it for our school system in the states, and others, like the friends of those who have committed suicide, would probably prefer our 180 days, 6 hours a day, 5 days a week school lifestyle.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Catanuso
The part of this article that was most shocking to me was the imminence pressure put on these young teenagers to do well and that failure is not an option. in the Concluding remarks section there are two boys that committed suicide after failing to complete a paper. I find it incredible that with all the criticism that the Chinese educational system has gotten and these direct effects upon Chinese students that still little to nothing has changed. After reading this article and seeing how much time is spent at school I would have to say no I could not handle it. I already find school in the United States to be tough enough with everything else going on in my life, I couldn't even imagine going to highschool in China.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the Gaokao test. Working for three years straight to take one assessment that determines your entire future sounds very wrong to me. There is so much pressure to do well in highschool for Chinese students which all leads up to one huge assessment. I think a better option would be having a test at the end of every year for the three years that the students are in highschool. I think Chinese students would be shocked to find out that we go to school for 6 and a half hours for just 5 days a week. I agree with Jordan, although I think they would be shocked to find out how highschool is in the united states I think they would much rather attend highschool in the United States.
-Sean Fay