Chinese Schools VS. U.S. Schools: Elementary, Middle, High School
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
- Mike Dan Yi talks about their experiences with Chinese school systems and the differences between that and U.S. school systems.
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My school schedule when I was in Hong Kong.
Wake up at 6:00. Get to school by 6:45. Practice with piano and violin for two hours after school ends at 3:00. Jazz or ballet or gymnastics until 7:00 Start working on homework at 7:15. Dinner is eaten while doing homework. Finish the quickest by 12:30. Get a bath and go to bed at one in the morning.
On Saturdays and Sundays, just tutoring all day. Holidays are just more lessons.
Dude, that's the reason why Hong Kong is no better than cities like ShangHai or Beijing anymore. Causes u are doing shit things nonetheless.
+Liu Zhuolun it probs varies. not every kid does extracurricular activities
Tiffany Chow So that might be the reason why Hong kong aces in the worldwide student academic capacity test in almost every year.
Tiffany Chow had to wake up at 5.45 i wonder how these systems work.we dont get enough sleep to listen to class
Simon mostly asians i heard singapore has one of the best students
oh god, if that was my schedule i'd cry and try to move
Haha me too XD
+pilotpig sadly, that actually was my schedule ;-;
Well, people bitch about how Asians are stealing our jobs, this is why...
move? where to? 😂😂😂
Budding Thomas yep, asians put in the effort and do the same if u wanna compete
I felt pressured everyday when I was in Chinese school, because of the teachers and environment.
Same !
Sameeeeee I still go!
From my parents' experience and some other friends, they say that university in China is much easier than high school/middle school/elementary school.
University is when many students are finally able to dress up, wear makeup, date, have fun, party, etc.
but in Canada/US, university is much harder than high school/middle school/elementary school.
Tru!!
+Olivia Li OLIVIA!!! I REMEMBER YOU FROM THE BUZZFEED VIDEO!!!!
please preach bc college made me look dumbfounded
+Olivia Li It's not easier, it's just that everyone is sooooooooooooooo serious about getting INTO a good uni (good uni = good job?) in China (which is why school before university is very tough), but once they are actually IN a good uni, they decide it's a time to relax, so everyone started to date and have fun. Yeah.
I feel like high school was a bit harder than college! Then again, I don't have to take difficult math or science classes, so I guess, that is why!
Well, I'm an American living in China.All of my schooling was done in America. I'm an English teacher and an investment manager. I've taught children and adults in school and business settings. The truth is, they are giving you a very friendly view of the Chinese education system. Testing, all year is VERY much important. Chinese students are ALWAYS scared to death of testing. It is a major problem in the Chinese school system. Children learn how to pass test, but not use the tools they are given in real life. Many of them will pass the English exams CET4/6 TEM8/12. Yet have NO real English ability what so ever. Between the constant self study for exams and the arts, and the one child policy; it has created a "me first" way of life. I've also had multiple parents/adults attempt to bribe me in order to pass failing students. In return, people think they can buy themselves a way out of everything and people in general have poor social skills. Lots of memorization, very little real life practical use. University levels in China are lower and the material is not as difficult as in America. Again, students are kept in isolation away from the other gender, to live in a room with usually 4-8 other people of the same gender; causing social issues again. Many Chinese (men especially) find a job where English or certain skills are required (thinking they passed the English exams so they will be okay) only to be forced into hard labor jobs even though they have an amazing "education". I love Chinese people, I love living in China. There are things that are much better than in America.. One of them though, is not education.
PrimePerception yes, i know! although i left china in the second grade i have always felt that the education system has had this problem. even still in america i feel the pressure of tests more than my friends
PrimePerception we have never really had hands on experience either to solve real life problems. my parents are always telling me to care about myself, and i feel that it is partially incorrect. this coming from an 11 year old tho.
You just described indian education system too. Its the samething. But, you see, both these countries are developing nations; towards the standards set by the west_things foreign to them and i think they are doing a pretty good job. However i have the same concerns as you have about this type of education which is pretty old school and irrelevant today. Im a product of it myself. Us asians struggle with critical thinking for the most part.
PrimePerception I was born in China, and I went to school there up to grade 6. The evaluation there is solely based on the mid-terms 30% and the finals 70%. The marks u get have no reflection on your learning abilities, or ur hard work. In grade 6, i remember clearly that I am the only person who have read "wuthering heights" in English, without encountering major problems. Yet I barely passed the finals because I did not use the correct verb tense for the paragraph I have to write.
PrimePerception yeah its true, at a university i know they teach english but don't assess speaking only writing, reading...
There actually is a reason why the school systems are so different. If you look at the history and culture of schooling in different countries then you can follow the progression it has taken. In Ancient China the whole examination system was a way for people to get from virtually nothing to becoming somebody that got a lot of respect and financial opportunities (Zhuang Yuan). Even the way the way teachers in China teach today can be traced back to how Chinese people think about education/studying and synthesizing knowledge. This topic is vastly interesting to me!
Ohmygod Chinese schools would be WAY too brutal for me. I stress out really easily and I have anxiety. I could barely handle American schooling, stress wise. I would not be able to survive Chinese schooling.
Kudos to Mike and Yi for being able to work through Chinese schooling.
Nicole Jeffries That's pretty much schooling in Asia in general. Rote memorization. Once in primary school year 6, we had to memorise like 50 poems from the list of 300 Tang Dynasty poems, and 10 from poems from the Song Dynasty and only 6 were actually tested. I almost puked blood doing that
Eiensakura Oh wow that sounds brutal. I've always complained about American Schooling because it's horrible in comparison to a lot of European countries. We still aren't that great education wise.
But I definitely feel still feel grateful. Compared to Asian schooling, American schooling seems like Heaven.
Eiensakura haha yeah but my parents made me memorise a bunch of poems when i was a little kid and i remember most of them, prob won't too hard since most kids have been memorising them since they were like 5 or 6. yue Fei's Man Jiang Hong is pretty badass
Yea I am the same.
JimboParadox they're all in old Chinese so it's extremely difficult to memorize even when there's only six lines. Because in my Chinese school "memorizing" is writing every single word down. It's not like English where you can sound words out. You have to memorize every word, how it looks, how it's used, etc.
i want every american kid who complains about school to watch this video. you have it easy here in america I'm american and i regret complaining about school after watching this.
***** we all have our problems and it's ok to complain (it's healthy and normal) but keep in mind there are people who have it worse then we do
Tbh my schedule is 7:00 Wakeup 8:00 leave 8:50 school ³:45 leave school 4:00 snack 4:20 Homework 6:30 Dinner 7:00 Study and more homework 9:00 Play with kitten so it doesn't whine all night 9:30 Study 10:00 Bed
i wish i was pushed more in school. i was stuck with all the idiots in the easy classes cuz i was just lazy. now i plan on returning to academics with a stronger drive. gotta do what you can while you're still young!
I'm an Asian my schedule is 4:00 Wake up 4:30 eat 5:00 Study,Change and Fix my stuff,6:00 Leaves for school 6:20 arrives at school 6:40 Assembly,7:00 classes starts,2:20 class ends,3:00 Extra curricular,4:30 ends,5:00 Eats,5:10 Does homework,5:30 studies,7:00 eats dinner,8:00 studies again,10:00 sleeps
*our school is Sunday to Thursday On Friday I have extra curricular so as Saturday then my parents make me study even if it's vacation*
Sam G God damn, may I ask which country you are currently going to school in?
AP tests in the U.S. have changed so that you can't memorize to pass the test, you have to UNDERSTAND and think of ways to apply formulas, concepts, and outside knowledge and manipulate them to the question. Memorizing all the formulas and terms in the textbook is of no help if you can't twist and manipulate formulas and definitions into applicable forms to answer tests.
+Anh Le Wait, I thought it was always like that in US, we asian always been through tests that way
+Anh Le Are you sure? I look the psychology ap 2 years ago and it's basically memorize vocabulary. not sure about other subjects though
+Anh Le I take AP chem and most of the time i do have to memorize the review questions my teacher gives us. But at the same time we also have to understand it cause my teacher also changes the questions to match the concept but then have to explain how we got the answer.
I also take AP US history and for that its all memorizing :/
+Kunchok Lhamo it depends on the class and how well your teacher teaches. I have crappy teachers :/
+Kunchok Lhamo Common core has only hit Math and English in the U.S. as of now, and is doing its job in enforcing critical thinking. Whether or not it will reach the science or history department, time can only tell. In the end, though, critical thinking can only truly be employed by teachers who will do anything to whip their kids into shape.
I know what you mean... I moved to China with my family when I was 14 and started studying in an "international school". I study Mandarin instead of English, and I am the only foreigner in my school. The education system in the U.S seems too easy to me compared to all the work I have to put into my schooling here in China. I am glad that I learned how to work hard, and grasp onto my learning. I wouldn't change it for anything. Getting up at 5 AM every morning and getting home at 7:30 at night from a day of straight studying is hard, but if you are given the opportunity to learn, grasp onto it with both hands. I have learned to love this country, and the education system. It has taught me so much, especially when it comes to passing exams ;) however, I think that China could learn from the states when it comes to creative thinking, and the states could learn hard worth ethic from China. Balance is a hard thing to find though....
OMG! Going to school in China is no joke!
Before moving to the USA, I attended [primary] school in Jamaica, from Kindergarten to 4th Grade. Back then (I don't know what it's like now), if you did poorly in class, you'd be physically punished by the teacher in front of the entire class. Performing "poorly" could be anything from getting a bad score on a quiz/test; or not doing your homework; or simply not answering a question correctly when called upon in class. And if you had a bad report card, then you were sent to see the principal. And NO ONE wanted to go the principal's office; they hit harder than the teachers. So basically, being threatened with the thought of physical punishment was the incentive to study and do better. But to be fair, it all depended upon who a student had as a teacher. Some were angels (who never hit and tried to help you), and some were devils (who would ridicule and embarrass you in front of anyone; zero compassion).
I spent kindergarten to 2nd grade in a public school, and then spent 3rd and 4th in a private primary school.
The private school was intense! You couldn't be late to school. The school had a big iron gate, and once it closed, you couldn't get in [as a child] without the accompaniment of an adult. The adult had to explain why you were late. Students could take public transportation to school, but the school offered private school buses (at a ridiculous rate) to make sure students would never be late. My parents ended up paying for this service since we lived so far away from the school.
On my first day of that private school, I remember meeting the principal for the first (unfortunately, it was in the middle of her beating two little boys' asses), and I was scared shitless. She hung her big leather belts, that she used for punishments, on the wall for everyone to see. Her overbearing personality and military background made her worse than the public school principals.
The curriculum for this school was a lot harder. 3rd grade was rough! Besides having a devil teacher, I remember doing a lot of reading, and writing many reports, that had to be perfect (because the teacher had a certain writing standard that each student had to meet...or else... _SLAP!_). Penmanship class was the worse of all. Does anyone knows what it's like to be hit if your cursive capital *G*, *Q* or *Z* isn't written correctly? You'd have to write letters and words over and over again until it was considered perfect. To this very day, my penmanship is on point. And lastly, I remember having to memorize large amounts of information, for homework, in one night (such as, 1 to 12 times table). And you had to be ready to answer those questions by the next day.
4th grade was more comfortable (because the teacher wasn't a cold hearted bitch), but the difficulty level didn't decrease. 4th graders were able to participate in after school study sessions (which you had to pay for). It wasn't mandatory, but parents knew it made their child look good in the eyes of the principal, the teachers, and in its own way, to other students who couldn't afford it (like a social class jab). In the beginning, I didn't join, but when the school announced that it would start tutoring students to prepare for the country's "Common Entrance Exams", my parents signed me up right away. Common Entrance Exams (CEE) is the equivalent of the SATs to get into *high school*...not college. Every child attending any school had to eventually take this exam to get into a high school. If you failed, you weren't going to high school. If you passed, your name and school would be published in the newspaper. That CEE study session was sooo hard. As a 4th grader preparing for high school, that was many years away, I felt overwhelmed. There were so many lessons I hadn't even learned yet in my regular classes that I had to know for the study session class. So I was doing my regular class' homework on top of the study session class' homework. I hated it!
Luckily, my attendance of the study session didn't last long; maybe two weeks, tops. I had to move to the USA. :) But after coming to the U.S., I realized how easy the curriculum were in the states. I quickly and easily excelled in my classes. Despite not taking the CEE in Jamaica, I still ended up taking an entrance exam for a high school I wanted to attend in my state; and passed. Attending that high school was a lot more challenging, and it prepared me well for college.
All and all, even though going to school in Jamaica was really tough and scary for me, it later made me appreciate it more after moving to the USA.
Omo Omo CocoMomo how do you have this much time
Who actually read this
TLDR
When my mom was in first grade there was a boy who peed on him self because the teacher Said he didnt need to use the bathroom and hit him so hard
@@bees2729 That's heartbreaking. Some "teachers" can be so cruel.
Damned, why are your videos so interesting??
I should be studying right now but I keep seeing your videos.
iniminimoshimo Studying? It's like end of school now..summer vacation.
Michael Tsang My exams are in June.
iniminimoshimo Oh okay. I'm done with final exams already.
Michael Tsang REALLY? Where do you live? Here in Belgium schools haven't even begun yet.
iniminimoshimo Here in glorious America.
born and raised in america, went to school here my whole life. I can tell you it was a joke. I dont actually ever remember studying for any exams, took pop quizzes like it was my job, rarely turned in my homework...and I passed with highest honors. You just need to know how to take exams pretty much.
University, on the other hand, i actually had to make an effort to get the grade. Not too bad in my opinion, but a bit more challenging than what I was used to hahah
Because i was raised in Canada, my parents say American schools are way too easy and still we're lazy to do homework. In China, they get homework like everyday due like everdayxD and they have to wake up so early and they come home late:/
sometimes i'm glad i was raised here but sad that my math now sucks after middle school because i didn't like how my teachers taught it
igot7-lu thanks for understanding us asian ahahahahahah
I'm not asian nor did go to a school in China or something (and i'm not American or Canadian or something) but i have to wake up everyday at 6 am, than go to school which is starting at 8:15, than i have lessons until 4 or 5 pm (like everyday) and than i have to make homework at home and study for around 10 pm but because i always procrastinate i won't have finished it until 12pm or 1am and this everyday and i got in the whole day only 1 hour break (so for lunch and fruits and drinks) but i don't think it's hard or something if you just study you'll be able to get high marks
ExoPanda hahaha true tho
Kai Kim lol im asian tooxD
ExoPanda where are u form?
i think its mainly australia or america where the system is easier than other countries
not sure about south america
I love it if Yi is in the video.
Agreed. She's awesome. ^^
The Newbierus of TriCore I agree, Yi is my favourite
***** She tries too hard, her conversations feel
so awkward.
Me too, she is my fav
Hi guys! Schools in China actually changed a lot. We do have different kinds of sports team at school and competitions between schools. We also have different kinds of clubs such as multi-cultural clubs, film clubs, cosplay clubs and so on. And the province I come from we got mandatory classes and elective classes in high school. I had dance, brief architectural history, film and video making and poetry appreciation before, which were very fun! To be honest, I miss my old school in China a lot except all the homework! lol
I attended British schooling system. Went to US for a 6 months exchange. It was really easy, when i returned i had to do a lot of catching up. US schooling system is quite easy in comparison, but u get to learn a lot less compared many other countries. I received a graduate scholarship to study in a top university in Japan which would not have been possible if I attended US schooling system.
Universities in Japan aren't anything special... most of the top ten universities in the world including the top one (MIT) are in the US...
Japan is a leader in Technological advancements. That reflects on the quality of education here. MIT has more than 3000 international student, most of which are in graduate school. There is also a large proportion of students who are from immigrant families. The remainder are made of American students who have been in the Us for more than 3 generations. In most Eastern countries majority students are local. There are some brilliant students in US in comparison but the number are small in comparison to a lot of other countries.
Ashneel Singh And what exactly are the statistics you are basing your biased opinion on? "But the number are small in comparison to a lot of other countries." first of all you made a typo which I guess means Japanese universities don't teach you to read one of the top business languages in the world. Second of all you have absolutely no way of measuring how good the students in every country are and therefor you are showing the fact that you are ignorant, also not a trademark of the highly educated...
TheBsdinnan Lol She's just stating her opinion. Fact seems to be most people who study in a different country's school system seem to find American schools relatively easy-but then again, a majority of these students are thrown into neighborhood public or charter schools (maybe if they were placed into a different kind of school their opinions may be different but I can't be sure). I'm also not sure if "easy" is the exact term they want to use, maybe they're trying to say American schools have a much more relaxed environment as opposed to other countries. I've been to more than ten schools (I'd have to count) between nursery to secondary school, and I've found the American system to be more lax than any other school system I've been in. It's not a bad or good thing, it's just a difference in the way students are taught as well as a cultural thing. American students (I've found) seem to be pushed towards independence, which can mean their decision to focus on their school work is entirely up to them, while in other countries parents continue to be very involved in their children's education (sometimes to a fault). I'm not replying your comment to be confrontational, I'm just offering a different view to what I feel like people might be misinterpreting. But by the way, If you're American, is there a reason as to why you people seem to get offended when people label American schools as easy? I'm just curious :/
@TheBsdinnan
You made typos too, though...
First of all, you made a typo, which I guess means Japanese universities doesn't teach you to read one of the top business languages in the world. Second of all, you have absolutely no way of measuring how good the students in every country are, therefor you are showing the fact that YOU are ignorant. Not, a trademark of the highly educated...
Whoa I kinda feel grateful now. I'm studying in Singapore and I usually complain a lot about the amount of homework and the standard of exams here. Hell, I didn't know this about China before!
Shelby Hopkins Same, but I have to go for GEP.
I wanna study politics.
But anyways, I'm Filipino and school wasn't as hard as it is in China, but being an Asian school, it's still hard.
I used to wake up at 6 am and go to school 7:30 and go home 4:30 pm. But every Wednesday we have what is called "Shortened School Day" where we go home at 2:30/3:30 pm.
The hard thing is that I went to a CHINESE CHRISTIAN school, so we were given a Chinese and English scripture every Monday, then we had to memorize it and say it to the teacher at Friday.
And if you were bad at Chinese, you have to get tutoring every Sunday, like I did when I was in grade 1.
The exams were the hardest. We had what is known as longtests (composed of all our quizzes) every few weeks and then exams (all of our longtests) for 5 school days for all our subjects.
The hardest part was the Chinese. Every year the number of Chinese characters/sentences you had to learn increases, like in the high school they had to memorize 400 characters and the English definitions. TBH it was completely fine and relatable if you got only 22 out of 400 right.
But one other thing is that the discipline was REAL, 50 kids in one class and one teacher and everyone was scared of the teacher. In kindergarten, she would throw chalk at us.
We would even cry over not solving a math problem, but it was okay cuz everyone understands the feeling. It was still a blessed school experience because of how nice everyone is because of the strict discipline they were give. American schools are too easy and kids are given too much freedom so there's so many bullies. (I know because I went to an American school.
With much research about college life in east Asia, I've heard many people say that although their elementary, middle, and high schools are much harder than ours in America, once you get into a college there, it's easy to graduate. While in America, it gets more difficult in college and is looked at as advancing to a harder working level, rather than almost a "break" before life in the real world, which is what I've heard it is in Asia....
My parents never wanted to subject my sister and I to the "testing robot" education system of China so we've always studied in the U.S. They wanted us to have more freedom and creativity, but they've been mad ever since Common Core for the U.S. education system was announced. ~sigh~ I realize it's no where as bad as it is in China, but seeing it go that way is awful.
My sister's teachers are incredibly angry about it and a lot only teach the minimal from CC then teach what they feel is actually important and helpful for students.
I hope they change it or completely ditch it soon, it's been terrible for students.
Amy He i heard about common core from some people i used to work with who have children learning it now. from what i heard, it sounds awful and incredibly stupid and pointless.
Amy He honestly common core is one of the dumbest things that has ever happened to this country. So glad i'm not in school anymore. Just google search "common core worksheets" and look at the images to see how incredibly stupid it is.
Amy He I'm currently in college studying to be a teacher and common core is one of the things we have discussed. The idea behind common core isn't to replace curriculum. Curriculum is still determined by the schools/boards. Some instances the states. (Like Arizona's discriminatory practice,ect) The idea behind common core is that students no matter the area will have the same over arching ideas available in all schools. This is good for students who change schools, the idea being that they won't encounter a gap of missing information.
Now my subject area is arts so I have a lot less to worry about with core standards keep that in mind. I graduated from high school before common core and my art teachers never taught art history, why art is important or should be made, they never connected it culturally, they never talked about current art. All of these things are now expected with common core standard (Edit: Mind you they are not yet universal standards for arts but the idea that students should know why they are using a subject and the critical thinking behind it are among the goals for the core standards). The teacher are not allowed to over look these any more. Another thing is my area is not tested but that doesn't mean I am not subjected to testing standards. You can see this as a good thing or a bad thing, whatever you want. The standards dictate that I must teach some math and English pretty much for testing reasons and the common core. Yes this holds me accountable for my schools math and english scores even though I don't teach that. Yes that is a negative. However I do believe that these skills have a place in art. Math is needed for properly framing and hanging art work. English is needed for proposals and many other skills in art. These are also things that I was not taught in art but should have been.
I don't know about other subjects and the effects of common core but I don't believe the system itself is inherently bad even if it has a focus on testing.
they had to somehow “raise” all these rotten schools up with some central control...but that wont really work if any idiot can become and stay a teacher. why don’t we stop protecting the “rights” of the teachers who fail our students and start giving our children the best education from the best teachers who deserve it. unions huh. i remember when a terrible english teacher was formally criticized in a signed petition in my high school. so she called up her union lawyer and then...all students who had signed had all their scholarships and college attendings revoked and basically all future academic careers destroyed. she still teaches...what a joke. she didnt prepare them for the ap tests and then does that cuz they complained that she didnt do what shes paid to do. my children will not be taught by these clowns. in all my public schooling id consider only 4 teachers to have really done their job well. i remember them fondly. the rest were insignificant or just plain bad. nothing drives you like a paycheck or the chance to lose it to the young teacher...but when you can do just about nothing, well...
Wow, and I thought my schools were torture!
I went to school in China for a few years before coming to America. But our school ends at 6:20-45pm (don't remember the exact time) and we don't have "voluntary" self study sessions or Saturday school. We can choose to eat in school or go out for both breakfast and lunch. (I still miss my school's lunch, they were pretty good). My school experiences were very different from Mike and Yi's.
+Elva Chen Yeah, I born and study in a small town in china, we also don't have extra day or voluntary session in elementary school and middle school ,but in high school ,most of them you have to class after 6pm,that is called 'voluntary self-study session'.
What school and where in China did you attend?
Stumbled across your channel and now I can't stop watching your videos❣️
ahhh love this video so much!!! It is sooooo true!
I finished high school in China (and I even had GaoKao, which is like the most stressful thing to any Chinese student) before I came here for my undergrad. I tried to explain to my white friends my experience but no one understood - Just like Dan in this video lol. People say that I experienced the "worst" of both systems (Chinese elementary&seoncdary + North America post-secondary)
This was fascinating, can't wait for the next one!
I feel like if you go to Elementary, Middle School and Highschool in China. College in America would be easier because they're already making you do the best in everything
Desperately waiting for part 2. Omg, this discussion is too interesting.
I really enjoyed this video and I can't wait for part 2. I went to school (elementary, high school & college) overseas and I am currently going through graduate school here in the US. This video had me thinking of the difference between my early schooling and now and it is definitely fascinating.
Same in Korea.
Getting into a good university is harder, yet once you're in, it's all smooth sailing from there. Most places, people work WAY harder to sustain a good letter grade.
Bora W then there are idols trying to pry their way into the good universities via their idol status..like if you sucked at school,you don't really have the right to be admitted into top schools what so ever.
I went to elementary school in the Philippines and I found the school I went to so much better than in America for two reasons: the competitiveness and the community. (Note that this system isn't necessarily used in _all_ schools.)
Regarding the former, we were split into sections (how much sections would depend on how large the school population is), with the smartest students being placed in section 1, and the students more likely to drop out being placed in section 9 or something. This runs counter to America's "no child left behind" policy (or the belief that kids shouldn't be labeled like this), but the advantage to this is being able to construct an accelerated program for the section 1 students (we were already learning algebra in 3rd grade), and in theory they'd be able to give better focus to the students with learning deficiencies (however it doesn't really work out that way).
To make it more competitive, within your own sections, you're split into rows 1-4. "Row 4" is actually a term that's synonymous with the troublemakers and slackers. Row 1 is where you'll find the smartest students. And then within that row, students are placed in seat order, with naturally, Seat 1 belonging to the top student in the class (which takes into consideration not just academic grades, but behavior, leadership, etc.). So it really says something when you're Row 1 Seat 1 in Section 1.
And lastly, the community aspect was great too. They trust students to handle tasks within the school like gardening, cleaning, and serving food--and we get Home Ec classes as early as elementary so that we know how to do these things at an early age.
You learn to be proud of your school and you sincerely want to do your best to keep it clean and make it better, so the teachers really put a lot of trust in the students, which is empowering.
They can't do that here in America because a lot of students would be more likely to tag the school than clean it up if they are asked to do so after school. That's if parents hadn't already protested against it.
To everyone saying that Chinese schooling system is brutal and limits students creation, imagination and teaches them only to obey.. Isn't that a more individual stuff? I mean if you have independent thinking yourself then you won't be manipulated by whatever the teacher say, you still question and doubt. If you don't have the mind just don't blame that on your Chinese teachers I guess.
*teachers
By your logic, that means if my friend pushed me into the lake,it's my fault if I drown because I should have known how to swim, since swimming is "individual stuff" that I should have learned.
Amanda Liu yes
But with the amount of stress and work that was showered on them, it was practically impossible to do 'individual development'. I remember many times where I continued doing homework until midnight and when I finally got some rest it was only about five to six hours. Then to wake up again at around six to head to school. It was a constant stress cycle. If there was even time for individual development they'd be absolutely exhausted. If they did go against the teacher it's likely for them to be expelled.
If you still wish to stand your point then go ahead. I personally think that the Chinese education system is flawed as it forces knowledge onto the students.
This is so interesting. I love your channel!
YAY new video!!
A weird fact is that Wikipedia has been proven to be as reliable as any other Encyclopedia out there, including encyclopedia Britannica.
interesting topic can't wait the second part of the video
Hi OTGW! I really enjoy watching you guys especially when Yi joins in! I have been making this request for the longest time. Can you guys consider doing a video comparing East Asian and south Asian cultures? Btw you guys are awesome
I LOVE this subject! When he said that they had to memorize the book word for word I almost cried!
We had these voluntary self study sessions in Canada too. We called them detention. There was no studying or the opening of books. Just sitting there for an hour.
I just came from China to America, and I think it's pointless for a person that went to school like twenty years ago to talk about Chinese education. We don't memorize books now, teachers are illegal to beat students, and we do have sports team. I think they really don't know the truth, at least not for Chinese schools now.
I actually that's not true. The kindergarten I grew up next to (luckily never attended), would beat the kids up for not taking their noon nap. My younger cousin still suffers from similar types of education. Every day that I attended school in China, I had to at least memorize something. Either a poem (you weren't allowed in the classroom without being able to recite it), a English essay or a Chinese text (which you'd also get in trouble for not doing). Also no one in my school actually took sports seriously. They hated it.
As much as it is different from what they talked about, some parts of are still the same.
Sorry but not strictly true, Chinese teachers still hit kids, students work stupid long hours and boring lessons being shouted at. ?Teachers openly smoke here and break all the rules. You are still taught to memorize books not learn the meaning or critical thinking!
Ashley Ritchie how do u know what Chinese schools look like? There are still few schools do that but mostly not, if I was beaten by the teachers through my 15 years of study in China, would I speak for them?
I work here! have done for three years that is how I know! I never mentioned "beating" I said hitting.... smoking and rule breaking is all here now today. Students openly buying results and getting firms to do essays etc!
PS it is illegal to smoke too but teachers openly smoke here in every school I have worked at, today I saw 3 teachers smoking in the food hall! Legal and illegal have no meaning in China, no one cares!
How the school works where I'm a foreign teacher in Thailand.
Students get to school for 8:00am for assembly. The national anthem of Thailand is played as a student rises the flag of Thailand, they sing the school song and then pray with a local monk.
Classes then start at 8:30 at about 50minutes until 4:30pm but alternate times are given to classes for them to have their free period for lunch and self-study.
Students are allowed to leave to school to go buy food from local stores etc but we have a school store, cafeteria and little huts that are much cheaper.
Their grades are (for the topic I teach) determined by attendance to class, ability of speaking and participation in class and homework.
The public and private schools for the non-wealthy in China are what like what these guys describe--regimentation, long class hours, no choice about missing "voluntary" evening classes, and tests that are 100% of the grade. These schools teach children to pass the gaokao to attend Chinese universities. These schools also churn out good test takers and memorizers, but that's about it. This type of schooling crushes initiative, creativity and independent thinking. Many Western companies in China find hiring entry-level workers who come from Chinese schools frustrating because they're generally really immature (because they never properly socialized in middle and high schools) and require that you explain everything to them, otherwise they won't do the work. These workers also generally take very little initiative and are not independent or risk-taking at all. It makes Western education look very good by comparison--though Western education is easier, it also teaches students to be more creative, independent and entrepreneurial.
Hi Yi I met you at subway station today!!! love your video!
Thanks for all this valuable insight and information! These are great for cultural soundbites for students learning Chinese :)
I've scrolled through the comments for a while looking for a European point of view and since i didn't find a single one, I'm gonna share mine:
I went to school in Germany and I'd say it's a mix of studying and creative thinking to solve problems leaning more on the ladder side. School was from 7:45 to 15:15, there was no such thing as lunch time, we had a break for half an hour after 1 1/2 hours of lecture, so four subjects a day. In contrast to American schools our schedule isn't the same every day but rather every week. We have less options to choose from (mostly not choosing at all, because most classes are obligatory) leading to well-rounded knowledge. We don't have sports teams, orchestra or drama class in school, our city provides them and you choose to do them in your freetime. It's not perfect but i think it's a healthy mix of studying and pursueing hobbies. I played the piano and the guitar and learned a third foreign language (two are obligatory in school) over my school years.
And similar to the US university takes the difficultity level up quite a bit. Also physical violence by teachers is legally forbidden as it should be!
I heard from my Chinese friends that college in China is easier than in the U.S but the schools before college are much tougher.
Wow, very enlightening gang!
I'm Malaysian,also a Chinese.My school at Malaysia ends at about 3o'clock but we have tuition like almost every day,sometimes it's already 10o'clock when tuition is over.The school also takes our results really seriously.
Chinese schools are hard, boring, stressful, and the ultimate nerd factory. But than again nerds are the people who rule the world.
u will see who rules the world in NEXT 30 YEARS. So, study mandarin right now!
That's not true the A students work for the C students
+Cool Kid05 very true
Cool Kid05 nope. it's true some of the most rich or important people weren't A students, but most C students obviously are never gonna be like that xd on a daily basis yes, C students work for A students
+Cool Kid05 Sure, some C students (extremely rare) are actually really smart but it they don't want to participate in school, which gave them C's, but they can't grow up and find a good job at a good company, they either gotta be a celebrity or a CEO of his own company, but that is the rare cases. If you are not a genius and you thought you can end up with the same fate being a C student, than you won't have anyone do your work
My holiday schedule:
Math class, violin, homework(most Asian schools have a lot of homework made to be done in the holidays), more classes, more homework, reading textbooks all day long, preparing for test, lots of tutoring, and having a k-pop idol sleep schedule.
Im Egyptian and public schools in Egypt have morning and evening sessions too .. its like you wake up at 5:30 am have a snack and go to school .. and you SHOULD be there before 7 am or you will be kicked off *you only have 3 chances of doing it*
then you have a break at 11 am *for 30 mins only* and go back home at exactly 2:30 pm .. have your lunch with family or nap .. and you should also go to school again at 5:30 pm untill 10 😃
if china isn't an exact copy of Egypt i dont know which country will be 😂😂
Good discussion!
OH MY GOSH SHE'S BACKKKKK!! YAY
I only went to preschool hahaha
Damn... Dan looks great in a polo shirt....
The Amazing Show Got a crush...? 😼😽
I remembered memorizing famous literature works. I hated it because I have bad memory, but That was actually really necessary because they became so helpful when you're writing your own essays. You already have all the quotes you need memorized. It makes writing so much easier.
China is huge and schools are very different in different areas. I was in China until I graduated from college. The schools I attended were super nice. No weekend class ever, no mandatory evening study session, short hours (school ended at 3:15pm), bunch of elective classes for personal interests and a lot of extra curricular activities like sports, art and science clubs. The work load was pretty serious but I never felt a lack of freedom to do what I want. In case you wonder if that's because I attended low tier schools, no. I attended the best ones from elementary school to college in Beijing. I just want people to know that some schools in China are actually great. I miss those days. Grad school in the US was like hell. I was ten minutes from the beach in SoCal, but only had the time to visit once a year. Had to stay in the lab and work my ass off!
It's precisely because you went to the best schools in Beijing that you had all the freedom and extra curricular activities, which is very fortunate, and I'm happy for you. Great schools cost a lot these days, and of course you also need to be a good student to begin with. For most of the students in China (not only Beijing) though, it's still like what is described in the video.
I can relate so much to this!
hearing about memorizing the book and then writing sentences out of it for a test makes so much sense why my Professor tested this way and expected us to know word for by word what he had talked about. that class was just pure note taking and then the tested us on random things he talked about and you had to know it word by word and give the same example he have or else he would mark it wrong. Now it makes sense, my teacher often talked about growing up in China so this the way he learned in school.
I went to middle school in China, we go to school at around 7:30-7:45, and school ends sometimes at 3:40pm, sometimes 4:30. No more school after or on weekend. The high schools in my school district also have similar schedule. (Public schools)So I think it's also depend on which city are you in and things like that.
I was born in China and moved to New Zealand with my family when I was 9. Elementary schools in my place (ShenZhen) were okay compare to Mike and Yi's school. We finishes school at 4.30 to 5pm and some people would've go to tutor classes outside the school for math/english/writings etc so they can get good grades (Apparently I didn't go to any... except for piano). It's SOOOO HARD to get into college/universities in China but once you get in, you're free.
Team Dan! Same here, I only studied one semester of yr 1 in China and then grew up in Sydney. :)
welcome to the under 301 club, how tough are ya?
Naru Sekiya How tough am I? HOW TOUGH AM I!!! I had a bowl of nails for breakfast this morning.....without any milk.
~Spongebob quotes of the day
Naru Sekiya who me? i can actually draw on myself with marker!
Very true what you are saying, it is exactly like that, especially in the counties / smaller cities. Long hours going to school, forced evening studies and Saturday studies. It may be more relaxed in the bigger cities. I personally saw teachers disciplining kids in junior school and kindergarten schools and that was in Zhengzhou and Tianjin. Chinese students study very hard and have a lot of pressure from parents and teachers. Great show guys!
Love this
Yi!
Nice video!
Hurrah Yi is back!! OTGW isn't complete without her :)
i live in Malaysia, schools here are more or less like that but less schooling hours and no Saturday school unless you're in private Chinese school. Here, we have mid-terms and finals, my school has 4 exams per year. Schools in Malaysia are very examination based. We have academics to run (which is extremely important) and co-curricular activities. School usually end about 1 or 2 pm but then again we have to "stay in school" till about 4 or 5pm for extra co-curricular activity. Fun fact: we only have about 20 - 30 minutes break time at 9am or so. This is more or less for my school (government school) but its kinda different for private and international schools here in Malaysia.
I feel like both American and Chinese school is worlds away from Norwegian. In Norway Elementary school is seven years, and the days are rather short (we always started at 8.30 a.m. and went home between 12.15 and 13.30, depending on the day). We had recess between every class.
Middle school is three years (I'm currently finishing 10th grade now), and we always start at 8.30 and go home at 2 p.m. We still have recess between every class, and we always start the day with half an hour of "base" with basically is thirty minutes of doing nothing.
High school is the longest. The one I've applied for has a really varied schedule, but at the latest they start is 10 a.m. and the earliest 8 a.m. I think. They end at 12.15 sometimes and the latest they go home is 3.30 p.m. You can't get kicked out of school or get detention. Worst case is that you're expelled for three days. We're graded from 1-6 (6 is the best), and you get a 4 if you only have 50% right. We don't have to memorize anything else than English/Norwegian/whatever-optional-language-you-chose grammar and most things are based on long answers in own words (meaning: just write the same thing in four different ways and you're halfway there).
We get 'marks' if we do something bad or forget our homework, which impacts our "order and behavior"-grade. Though they are debating about removing homework because according to the law, it isn't required and is therefore technically optional.
I feel like we have it very easy in comparison to you.
You guys are hilarious, subscribing!
Wake up at 5 am go to school 630 off from schoo 4-530 pm. I was actually shocked when I came here in U.S. And said woah? Really?homework assignments? This much of percentage? It's really tempting to slack off. Way back on my country we have midterms and finals, finals coverage is from beginning to end topic of the semester.. 2 lates = 1 absent, 3 absents = drop from class.. A lot of sleepless nights, one of my classmate before he stayed up til morning for the finals and he took a nap before going to school that day and he fell asleep really long and was not able to attend the finals,,
Actually it's not exactly like that. I grow up in China and came here to America for college. Things you guys described are basically what I've been through in MIDDLE school and most HIGH school as well (I don't really know about high school because I went to an international school offers IB class). As in primary school, most school don't have the evening study session. But most Chinese children were forced to some after-school class for their "interest" that they don't even like...
I always hate school in saturday but everytime we do a protest toward the teachers about that the teachers will just say : "do you want to study at school until night? we make u go to school at saturday too to reduce ur study time from monday to friday." uh.
just say we already do that
Actually as I read all the comments, I have to tell how happy I am to have had my education in Germany! I would always wake up at 6:15, have breakfast, go to the bus which didn't cost a lot of money (1,20€ for every ride) and then go to class from 8-13:00. Once or Twice a week, school would end at 16:00 for further studies like sports etc.
It was a perfect mix between remembering stuff and thinking by yourself. From the 1-4th Grade, every kid goes to the same school, but afterwards one could decide to which of three schools you would want to go. The school for the "stupid" = Hauptschule would provide you with a "Quali" with which you could directly work. The school for the ones that weren't ready or tough yet or just wanted to make a training at a company and work afterwards go to the "realschule". That was where I would go, because I cried a lot as a kid when I felt pressure in school and teachers knew that I was smart, but that I just needed more time to develop my personality. This school was awesome, it was more memorizing, but we had awesome and compassionate teachers who would always try and find the best answer to any situation. THey would always help you! Then, after the 10th Grade you get the "Mittlere Reife" certificate. After that I went to Gymnasium, which usually people go from the 5th to 12th class, to reach their "Abitur" with which one could go to University. I joined the 10th class and it was hard for me. My first marks were 4-6, whereas in the Realschule my marks were always between 1-2. But my teachers helped me and consoled me and told me how I had to study, not just to remember it, but to understand it properly and to be able to transfer the knowledge to other problems. After half a year I excelled and knew how I had to learn. I still was sometimes disappointed at myself, because I studied so much and didn't get 1 too often. But still I finished with 2,2 which gave me the ability to study Biologiy at a University in Bavaria! Mostly, Bavarian education system is much harder than that from the other Bundesländer, so education here is a little more valued.
Every University has more or less the same status, we only pay between 100-300 € per semester.
To sum it all up, the education system in Germany is very cheap (but we have high tax rates), university is cheap and the education is high valued all over the world. For me, it was sometimes very hard, because it was so much to learn, but it was rarely "stupid memorizing".
You wake up ate 5:20? I leave at 5:20. A lot schools here at the Philippines start REALLY early. then it ends around 5:00. Then you don't have to go to classroom to classroom because the teacher goes to you. There is a test every month and you have the test to your subject AT THE SAME TIME within the span of 3 days. There are no lockers in my school so you have to cary ALL your books with you EVERY SINGLE DAY. Why does my classroom have to be on the top floor of a 6 level building T~T
im from hong kong and the only thing i can relate to are finals
projects,homework doesnt matter (i mean they do but exams are more important but teachers won't beat you,you wouldn't get kick out)in hk they only count for like 2% (overall)but its not as brutal as china (mainland)
I love your channel! I just recently discovered it and I'm learning so much about asian culture. I realized I had so many stereotypes regarding it and I'm glad I'm finally knowing the truth about the eastern ways :D
What an exciting topic! This brings back all the memories I had schooling in a chinese school. It would be interesting if you could include the topic of disciplinary actions taken by the teachers *(compare America and China plus your opinion)* if you screwed up. I remember a lot of getting caned, weird squatting punishments and of course yelled by teachers in my days. I wasn't even a bad kid! Perhaps it's the fact that I was one of two non-chinese student in the entire class but I refused to believe it's entirely racism. How do they discipline students in the U.S?
P. S: I'm glad I found this amazing channel that I can relate to most of the topics! You guys are AWESOME! Don't ever stop making videos!
I used to do this extra class in the weekends and it was run by a Korean family. I was Chinese myself and I was pretty good in school. I remember in grade 3 and 4 we did algebra.
I came to England from when I was 9 and I was really surprised at how easy everything was so I aced almost every maths test that I did until I was 13/14. Unfortunately, I took my new freedom for granted and I ended up with Bs and Cs for my final tests in high school because I wasted most of my time playing video games with my friends. I recently went back to China after 9 years to find that most of my childhood friends are smarter and much more experienced than I am because they grow up in a tough but rewarding environment. If I could start again then I would definitely stayed in China.
When i was in middle school of china，the school starts at 7 AM，and it ends at 6 PM（sometimes later）
I'm so happy I was born in America and went to school and am currently living here!!!!
My schedule is :
Get up at 6:00, get to school at 6:45, gather with all the other students single file style in the hall, recite our daily Chinese proverbs and poems, get to class, study, recess, more studying, then extra tuition school makes mandatory, then extra activities like Orchestra, Choir, Scouts... Then get out of school by 4:00. Get home, shower, eat dinner, go for extra tuition at 8:00-10:45, get back at 11:30, bathe, brush teeth, do homework until 1 or 2 and sleep at 3. Repeat that all over every single weekday.
Then on weekends I have extra activities from school at 6:00am - 11:30am, and tuition from 2:00 - 6:00 its tuition.
When I was visiting family in China last summer, I had the opportunity to visit a school in Tianjin. They had a punching bag room and a stress- relief- therapy type room. BUT the students didn't even know it was there D: My cousins go to school for 10-14hrs/ day depending on which school and where they live...and here I am with 6hrs/day... They were so shocked haha
I had kindergarten and 1st grade in Japan then my 2nd to 4th grade was in China then I went back to Japan for 5th to 9th grade then I did my 10 the and 11th grades in London then we moved back to Japan to finish my senior year. But I went to college in the US!!
Hey guys :-) I really enjoy your show! Have been watching you since two or three years (when I started to learn Chinese). Could you do some videos (maybe one once a month) in Chinese? I guess there are many people who want to learn more about Chinese culture and language who watch your show and would love videos in Chinese. Just your awesome regular stuff, but in Chinese instead of English :-) Best wishes from Austria, Europe
I Love this channel.......
Come to Singapore where kindergarten kids go for tuition and take exams too.
It seems like fun to live at a school like Yi. I'd just absorb all the education that would constantly surround me! But if be sad to be away from family.
Love it
What I want to say is all the education pressure of Chinese come from huge population and relatively limited resources. We need to study from 7:00 to 22:00 during the middle and high school to compete with million of our peers to earn the opportunity to enter the university; and afterwards, millions of us also would take the national exam to compete for some "remaining positions" (the ones not possessed by the officiallings) in government.
We have something called "5-minute", "10-minute", "15-minute" and "45-minute" tests here in Vietnam in addition to mid-term and final exams. 5-minute tests are done individually (not whole class) and randomly, as in "the teacher throws a chalk piece onto the class list, whomever the chalk lands on takes the test", however some teachers accept volunteers, so we usually take five guys who had been conveniently prepared as sacrifices to save the whole class (which typically has 49 students); 10-minute tests are generally not forewarned and are done whole-class, so they are technically massacres unless you always memorise the four last lessons. The thing that makes the tests hellish is they almost invariably consecutive, so you may get 4 tests (or worse, 5) of all types in one single 5-period day; the worst thing happens when that occurs in Saturday (starting from 6th-grade, we get 6-day school week).
I taught English in Mainland China-- Guangzhou and Shanghai-- for 6 years, both in public and private schools. Despite how awful they make it seem in this video, the kids have fun in school. They were not prisons of misery. Kids laughed and joked around and seemed happy. They actually seemed happier than American kids in school. They know nothing else but a very rigorous education, so they-- generally-- are OK. Maybe the two people in this video have their opinions of Chinese school because they got a taste of less rigorous education in the USA.
in Indonesia the normal school start from 7AM'
but I remember when I were middle schooler bcs I'm in "special class" there's trial for 1 year ,we start the class at 6:15 usually just a lecture from headmaster or teacher sometime legit study and I ditch that class so many times even my school is just 5 minutes walk from home
This is how my school day works: in the UK (this would vary from school to school)
Wakeup at 6am
Leave the house at 7:10 am
Arrive at school 7:45 am
Lesson starts at 8:00 am
School finishes at 4:00 pm
Exra curricular activities finish at 5:10 pm (some people may not go to clubs or things like that)
Get home at 5:50 pm
Put my things away 6:00pm
Start my homework finished around 7:30pm
Eat my dinner and finish at 8:00pm
And then have free time
And sleep at 10:30
I have two types of days it's very weird this is week A but week B is completely diffrent. ❤❤
Doing research for my TEFL exam and so glad I stopped here. Crucial info, kinda troubling but y'all cracked me up too.
Very interesting.
I can totally relate to this. But it's not so bad if you're with ur friends : )
Having study sessions in school would sound nice. I come back 2 hours later after school ends so it doesn't give me much time to study
you will have no free time
Hey, do one on Singapore education systems too. We have the basic primary education followed by different "levels" of education for secondary education and then based of the results, you will either go for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or Polytechnics or Junior College then it will be work or University. But the challenges faced in each category is rather different. Maybe you can find some similarity and differences between the U.S. / China education and the Singapore education.