Chinese High School

Now I never really liked English corner that much. I just don't know what to say when everyone is all grouped up around me and looking at me. But one of the few interesting topics that comes up from time to time is what high school was like for Chinese students. I always see the college here as so restrictive with so many mandatory activities and a set bedtime but compared to what they all go through in high school I see why they think it is so liberal. Not every year of their education is as bad as the last few but by the time they get closer to taking the college entrance test, which is basically the only thing that determines what college they go to, high school is basically a 24/7 thing. The stories differ a little from person to person but the basic times and outline is pretty consistent. They usually wake up some time between 5-6 am, i.e. just when the sun is coming up, to start their first classes. The first class period or two actually takes place before breakfast. Sometimes this is a real class sometimes it's essentially a study period. After that is breakfast which is about 30 minutes long at most. Then the morning classes begin which are a series of classes held in the same room with the same group of students where the teachers just rotate.

These also aren't the worlds most engaging classes as they are almost all just lectures where the students take endless notes. After morning classes there is lunch time. Lunch time lasts about two hours but most of that time is spent napping since they barely got any sleep last night. After nap time are the afternoon classes which go until about five or six at night following the same format as the morning classes. Next is dinner time. Some students who live close to the school, a lot live in the school dorms, go home for their meals but it means they have less time for napping. After lunch are evening classes. These either go to about eight and then the students have a bunch of homework, or they go until ten or eleven in which case there was some time during the day to do homework. When they get back to the dorms they have between half an hour and an hour to get ready for bed. Then it's lights off. Not only are they made to go to bed but people walk around and make sure they're sleeping and not talking. So basically during the last two years or so of high school every single hour that's not spent in school is spent eating or sleeping. They also have either only one day off a week or none at all. Some high schools actually only give about one day off a month. When I first heard all this my reaction was that I'd never have made it. I think it would be better to take up a life of crime. What are they going to do after all execute you, at least that doesn't take 16 hours a day every day.