Tired of school?

“What a long day“ “I have so much homework?” and “Because the teacher said so” all have new meanings after spending a morning in a local high school last week. Let me explain my perceptions…

What a long day… Things like school sports teams, extra-curricular activities, and part-time jobs just aren’t even on the radar! It was pretty depressing to me that students arrive by 7:00 AM and don’t finish until after the sun goes down, around 6. And after school many students go to evening school where they study 2-3 more hours until 9 or 10, at which time they begin their homework. High school students commonly stay up well into the wee hours, only squeezing in a few hours of sleep before they have to start it all over again. Often at least 6 days a week!

I have so much homework: That’s life! When I asked a current college student, who often have much more free time than in high school, what her memories were of high school, she visibly did not want to think about it. Then, she simply said “fear”. Fear of not living up to her family’s reputation or not getting into good enough of a university (based upon a big test at the end of high school).

Because the teacher says so: Whenever a student thinks they have the answer to a question they promptly stand up in front of the class of about 50 students and recite the answer. If they are lucky, they might get a “very smart” from their teacher. If they’re wrong usually its “Come on!” or “Sit down!” Not the most edifying environment I’ve ever been in. Furthermore, in the English class that I attended, where there’s often more than one right answer, the only acceptable response was the one the teacher thought was best.

And we wonder why they are able to learn the thousands of words (pictographic characters) in their language? I was told yesterday, it takes them 7 years to learn the most commonly used 2,000 words. Though its much more strict environment than we are used to, with little room for error, they sure do create a lot of very bright, disciplined, and ambitious students. Students who are ready and determined to be the future business leaders of our world.

So, the next time someone you know complains about their unbearable time at school, now you can teach them a little bit about what life is like for the first 12 years of a children’s life in this country. Is this the way children should be taught? Do we need more of this kind of environment in American schools? Ultimately, it all comes back to a society’s values…