Study Hard and Play.....Wait...What's Play?

I was not sure what to expect when I got my job at Xiamen Aston.  This was first real job in China teaching children.

I remember when I first started doing my classes, I did a lot of  "getting to know my students" talking, especially with the higher levels who had a better base of English.

One thing I learned, and still bothers me to this day is the serious lack of letting children be children.

When asked what they do in their spare time, it is generally with the response "I did my homework".

We are not talking about an hour of homework either, they have hours of multiple subjects, and that is primary school!  Every.  Day.

The school days start earlier and finish later compared to schools in Canada.  Some students don't even go home, they stay at the school, some will go home on weekends.  The lucky ones will go home everyday.

They don't have other hobbies.  If they do, it's usually something that will help them to get into better schools later on.  They don't go out very often just to hang out with friends.

We had an American briefly come through Xiamen to get her visa done to go to another Aston location.  I remember her posting on her Facebook about a student in primary school who tried to commit suicide due to the overwhelming pressure of schoolwork.

Reading that broke my heart.  This is primary school we are talking about.

I always try to make my classes fun and not so serious, while still learning for my students as much as possible.  I adore most of the students I teach, and I feel for them being so burdened with studying and doing well in school.

The pressure these children receive to do well in school at a very young age so they can get into the best universities, which inturn will get them a good job.

Once they hit school, it's study, study, study.   No chance to be a carefree child.  Then once they finish university, it's off to join the workforce.

What China fails to realize is that a lot of social skills are developed at a young age.  These are not being nurtured.  And with the one child policy in China, there is a lot of "me first" attitude, which is common among only child families.  Now there is a whole country full of that thought process that haven't changed who are now adults.  This attitude can be considered rude among westerners who don't understand Chinese culture.

I really notice this attitude when taking the bus, when at the stop and getting on the bus, chivalry is very much dead.  It's "me first", regardless of gender or age.

Its also apparent when playing games with my students, and they end up losing.  They are sore losers. Its very apparent they get their way at home.

I truly believe that more social interaction that is on a fun level would change a lot of this attitude.

As I was told once, China is still a developing country, not necessarily due to technology, but also to their views and traditional beliefs.

Thousands of years of beliefs and traditions can not be changed overnight.  It takes time, to change a mindset.

But how much of China's mindset do I really want changed??  That is a good question.  Part of the reason I fell in love with China in the first place was because its so very different from my own culture.

I think to truly enjoy China, is to understand this IS China, things are different, people think different...... you can go back home if you don't like it.