My Eyes on Chinese Education

●吳小梅

Last year, our school made an exchange with a Canadian school. The Canadian school pointed that Chinese education put more em原phasis on exams which makes our children un原der great pressure. But when they join in uni原versity, their motivation for knowledge will dis原appear with the release of stress. It shocks me because it reveals the current problems of Chi原nese education. We keep eyes on scores that children can get instead of their creativity, cu原riosity and ability of exploring in their life at the beginning.

Changes must be made. In fact, except for teachers, the whole society, especially the gov原ernment, the parents and the students them原selves, should help to change the situation.

1. The government is responsible for the tendency of Chinese education.

The government’s policy leads the tenden原cy of Chinese education. The traditional idea of checking a student by exams still exists in our minds. It seems like we care less about what we should know about the students, what kind of talents can satisfy our society’needs. The ge原nius selected by exams may not be able to ful原fill their dreams, to get on well with their part原ners, and to be adapted to our society. The false checking way—examinations, makes students become a machine of doing homework. They are occupied by endless homework and have no chance to enlarge their interests. So the govern原ment should solve the problem through positive policy effectively.

2. Teachers are responsible for reform鄄ing the Chinese education.

Complaints are useless. As a teacher, we should change our traditional pattern of teach原ing. An attractive class should be the paradise of children, in which they can taste the smell of new knowledge, enjoy a happy adventure of science. Besides, all the Chinese teachers are under great pressure. We work hard everyday,and only care about students’scores; we also have to face the scores we can get from school.So we must do something to release ourselves from it. And I think our best chance for finding good ideas is to have many groups to try as many things as possible. The future doesn’t unfold on some preordained track; things change because we can figure out something that is possibly right now and pushes to make it happen.

3. Parents are helpful for changing the Chinese education.

Nowadays Chinese parents should pay more attention to their child’s interests, attitudes and their personalities. But they haven’t realized that because all their care about is to how to let their kids be good at exams and then enter into a good university. Before they send their kids to primary,they begin to worry about their study. They are willing to pay a lot for the after-school classes and never consider whether it’s useful or not. In my opinion, personality, curiosity, a creative mind and the bravery to overcome difficulties are more im原portant than scores.

4. Students take chance to get more prac鄄tice rather than remember knowledge.

As far as students concerned, they are the victims of Chinese education. They are drowned in exercise books, exams. So they have no time to ac原complish their own dreams. And the classes they have seem like a place to check if they have a good memory, not a place to show their talents.They are forced to concentrate on their scores.Some of them lost the interests and confidence to study further. Even the top students who pass the entrance examination to the university have no practice skills. Maybe that’s why only a few Chi原nese can accomplish the Nobel Prize.

Nowadays Chinese education is in a hard sit原uation. It is just like an air castle which has no foundation. We need courage to face those obsta原cles, setbacks and failures. I’m sure they are all solvable as long as we have faith and actual movements. That means every one of us is respon原sible for the reform of Chinese education.