We have a good opportunity to visit one high school on Oct. 27 in bigger DC area.
The name of the school is McLean. It is a large high school with nearly 2000 students. The school is located in a wealthy neighborhood. Almost all the students don’t worry about the tuition fee of the colleges. But they still want to have part time jobs.
Originally I don’t favor they work during their academic learning. I told them Chinese students have to face severe competition for the higher education entrance examination. So they have to study nearly 20 hours a day especially the 12th grade students.
The German language teacher who is the hostess of the community event responded that the students here have to study and work for nearly 19 hours. They study while they have part time job. They need money for the stuff.
Through this conversation I found that though American and Chinese students face different environment, they both work hard. However, the attitude of the parents are different. Chinese parents can not permit their children working while studying. They even shoulder all the responsibilities on housework. Some students in China even have no ideas on how to wash their underwear.
The result is simple: Chinese students are good at examinations but are not familiar with the fundamental techniques. They have to depend on their parents for a long time. While on the other hand, Chinese parents really have the will to support their children as long as possible. Sometimes we use the word “spoil”.
I want to claim that Chinese students want to be as independent as their American peers. We have to blame the educational system. The system should give more space on the real life for the students. Let them know what is the real life is.
That’s true, most of my friends had part-time jobs. But interesting enough, my parents didn’t let me have a part-time job. I still studied entirely on my own and took care of myself but I wasn’t allowed to work. Most parents think a part-time job will help their kids value money. If the kids work over a certain amount, however, it’s no longer beneficial. Most of my friends worked food services or retail where if they studied during work hours they would be fired.
But I would definitely agree it’s about 19 hours a day for high school students…I would attend school for 7 hours, then go to 2 hours of sports and 2 hours of either dance or debate almost every day, plus homework and test preparation. I don’t like America’s education system but it is designed to be well-rounded.
After visiting the High School, I just wanna say that they are hardworking and visionary and want to make changes in their life. My country’s high schools are very underprivileged.
Alauddin