Job Discussion Forums

[Songbird]

Hey all,
Writing a short paper for my PGCEi and wanted to know if, like in my school, your primary/ elementary students here in China go up each year with the same students and teacher, or do they change their teacher and peers each year like we tend to in Australia (at least).

Thanks for the replies in advance

[johntpartee]

Usually the same classmates; same teacher maybe, maybe not. Bear in mind that even primary school students will have several teachers at each level (subject specialists).

[kev7161]

I followed one group of kids from 1st to 6th grade, with a couple of semester breaks in between (after 3rd grade, I begged off this class and wanted a go at a new group, but their new teacher left at mid-year due to health issues, so I was corralled back to them - - the year after that I took one semester off to go back to the USA, but the teacher that took them in 5th grade ALSO didn't work out so I had to take them up again upon my return).

The school tries to get teachers to follow the kids, and one other teacher in my school has also completed a 1st-6th grade cycle and has now started over with a new 1st grade class. However, most teachers don't hang around more than a year or two, so it doesn't really work out all that well.

They usually get the same Chinese head teacher all 6 years as well, unless something happens (like a teacher leaves the school) and I believe they get the same music teacher, but not sure about PE or Chinese Math.

As to their classmates: Yes, the same group stay with each other, save for a few comings and goings over the years. I have tried to get them to change this as I feel students become comfortable in their "roles": the quiet one, the naughty one, the smart one, the silly one, etc. If they'd mix them up year after year, it might keep them a little more on their toes, at least for part of the school term. But the school has yet to take my suggestion about this.