One Child Left Behind: China's New Education Policy

After teaching in China for over a month now, I've come to regard the education system as something of an assembly line, producing identical little comrades. In comparison to the American education system (only based on my experience in public education, which I know was not the norm), I find the Chinese classroom to be a harsh world where only the strong survive. It is anything but a nurturing environment for children to learn and grow.

Chinese teachers are mean. Fellow students are mean. A few weeks ago, I had students translating sentences from English to Chinese - not an easy task. When I would call on students, and they gave incorrect answers, the entire class would laugh at them. When students don't understand or don't speak loudly enough, their teachers scold them in front of the rest of the class. Grades are posted at the front of the classroom for all to see. What good does this do? Does this push students to do better? Maybe it's different here. But I don't think there was any mistaking the looks that I saw on the faces of those kids: shame.

This isn't just the case in the classroom. Parents seem to be incredibly demanding as well. One of the students I tutor is accompanied by his mother at every session. Her English is quite good, while his is sorely lacking. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a learning disorder; every time he tries to read English, he jumbles the letters up - even simple words. She is extremely impatient with him as he struggles, calling out his every mistake and huffing loudly when he fails to read quickly enough.

For me, watching this unfold is disheartening. So many of my students are eager for attention. I am truly disturbed by the fact that I don't even know most of their names. I can literally remember three students' names. Is this their fault? No. Is this my fault? To a degree. But more than anything, I think the system is at fault. How can classes of 50-60 kids be conducive to learning? Everyone has to fight for their voice to be heard - many don't even try anymore. The Chinese solution to this problem is to simply have all of the children repeat the same thing in unison. I want so much more for them. I have many enthusiastic students. I have many others who I believe would be more enthusiastic with just a little encouragement. I think that if you're told every day how stupid you are, sooner or later, you'll probably start to believe it. To have kids believe they are stupid by the age of 12 is genuinely tragic.

It may be true that in the U.S. we baby kids too much these days, insulating them from harsh experiences and hurtful people. The "helicopter parents" are certainly out in full force. But maybe it is also true that the assembly line experience in the Chinese education system prevents students from realizing their true intellectual potential and squanders creativity.

Note: Many thanks to Jamie Battjes for the title of this post, a hybrid of the "No Child Left Behind" education policy espoused in the Bush era and China's "One Child Policy."