Education depending on location: Chinese Education

Chinese Education is the largest education system in the whole world. Education in China has a very long history of being successful & Chinese students value their education greatly.  The majority of Chinese students strive for perfection and look to furthering their education after high school. I chose this topic because my pen pal Liu Chenghong told me how his mother worked full time so that he and his brother could get the best education possible. He expanded on about how grateful he is to have his mother. It is interesting to me that he makes school one of his main priorities. Although many students in the U.S. value their education I think we often take for granted the opportunities that we have to learn. Although American and Chinese students have the same amount of organized time for classes, they both spend it completely different. The amount of time American students are engaged in class is dramatically less than in China.

Chinese education is vastly different from U.S. education. In China, schools do not segregate high achieving students from low achieving students through tracking levels unlike the U.S. In the U.S, we have classes offered labeled as “Honors.” This is the idea of taking the same class everyone else is required to take but at a more advanced level. This is an option not a requirement. In a way, I believe that this is a smart thing to do. I believe it gives the students in the school who take their education seriously a chance to expand their knowledge in a specific subject. In China, they do not practice this method. They believe that causes students to feel uncomfortable and makes some students look like they are better than the ones who decide not to do this.

In China, students attend classes five to six days a week. Many schools in China require students to attend school on Saturdays regarding math and science, which are the two subjects that they feel are the most important. Just like in the U.S., they offer many of the same subjects we do including history, literature, English, and physical education. In the U.S., we take tests throughout the year to examine our knowledge and how much we have learned in class. In China, each student must take a test at the end of the year in order to pass into the next grade. I am not positive on the grading system they use or what type of scoring guide but it seems like it would be tough.

In my opinion, I think that it is awesome how much students in China look forward to the chance to learn. I wish that I had the motivation and consistency to pay attention all the time in my classes. I also think that I would like being in the same classes with everyone in my grade rather than singling individuals out. It seems like a smart idea and looks like it works out really well for them.     Although that method works in China just by attending Parkview I think having honors classes is a good idea. Not everyone is great at every subject in school so I think challenging yourself where you feel you can is a good thing. 

 Sources:
 Van Schaack, Tara L. "Comparing U.S. and Chinese Public School Systems: Strengths and Weaknesses of Both Systems." Comparing U.S. and Chinese Public School Systems: Strengths and Weaknesses of Both Systems. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Secondary Source Link

"What Is Education Like in China?" About. Lauren Mack, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

Secondary Source Link

Primary Source- Liu Chenghong. "Whenever never, giving up. One thing I learned from my mother" Letter to Ashtyn Smith. October 29th. Qingdao, China.