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Old Dog
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 564
Location: China
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 Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 1:47 pm Post subject: Progress and Regress |
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We are having a new building built here.
Last edited by Old Dog on Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:22 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Jolly
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 2:48 pm Post subject: Re: Progress and Regress |
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| Old Dog wrote: |
We are having a new building built here. Contrary to all previous explanations of its purpose, the new building is intended to permit a reduction in class sizes here. An additional 24 classrooms will permit class sizes to be reduced from approx. 53 to 37. Now there's progress for you. This is already an elite school to the extent that it is a key national level high school - but it plans to be more elite.
But the regression? Well, some time back, I saw the basketball courts being fenced in. "How kind," I thought. "A fence will not allow balls to escape so easily and the students won't have to go running after them." Curse my western mind!
An old student visited yesterday and he remarked on the new fence. I explained the purpose I imagined it served. "Why, then," he said, "does it possess only two small gates? What do you think their purpose might be? And why are they both wearing big locks?" Well, I did think two small gates an little inadequate for the number I have seen using the courts - and inside this bastille additional locks seemed hardly necessary. "That fence has nothing to do with escaped balls. It's to keep the students locked out of the courts except during offical sports periods. It's to keep them in the classroom doing exercises and away from the temptations of sport" - well, words to that effect anyway. Two small gates are easier to lock than four small gates. If there's to be locking, it may as well be simply done.
I don't know whether 1 progression and 1 regression leaves us where we were. But I suspect that, despite reduced class sizes, locking the students out of all out-of-class-hours recreational activity represents, overall, a move backward. |
They do that at middle schools in my neck of the woods as well, so it's not only happening at the schools in China.  |
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Chris_Crossley
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 1797
Location: Still in the centre of Furnace City, PRC, after eight years!!!
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| Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 4:43 am Post subject: A change in emphasis? |
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Considering that China is supposed to be run by the same kind of political party that used to promote sports like mad in the old Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe to almost feverish, nationalist levels before the end of the Cold War, this certainly appears to be a switch in emphasis, especially with Beijing hosting the Olympic Games in 2008!
Now, it is a matter of study and examinations taking precedence before all in a young person's life in China - these appear to be a kind of yardstick to measure the success of the entire country, not just of the individuals concerned.
This is just one reason why my Chinese wife wants our (now 12-month-old) daughter, who has British citizenship, to have a British education, not a Chinese one. |
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The Barbarian
Joined: 03 May 2005
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 2:57 am Post subject: |
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What the heck is OldDog moaning about? I taught two groups of '6th Formers' at a SHS, one group was excellent calibre and the other was a group resitting their matriculation english test (MET), so they were a year older.
Part of the problem with the older group was their tendency to dash off and play basketball insteadof developing their future skills.
Precautions which prevent goofing-off are well worthy of praise. Perhaps OldDog needs to work in a state system like the UK or Japan to see what real academic discipline is about and then he may be able to think more clearly. |
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