Compare and Contrast

So, Andy asked a good question. Goofy, but good. He asked if I was the tallest person here. Haha. Google Yao Ming. Anyway, I will interpret this question to mean, “Do the Chinese fit the stereotype?” Well, that depends… Today let me tell you about my visit to the Jingshan School.

Jingshan is a K-12 magnet school in the heart of Beijing. I sat through two classes today- one English class and one Chinese class. Here are some of the differences I noticed. For starters, the kids stay in the same room, and the teachers move from class to class. (Bingo! No tardies!) The rooms in this school were old, but clean. Paint was peeling off the walls, yet they all had Smart Boards (or the Chinese version, at least).

When the teacher was ready to start class, all the kids stood up. The teacher greeted the students, and then the students all greeted the teacher in unison. The kids raised their hands to speak, and when their teacher called them on, they stood up to answer. They did not chit chat in class. They all looked like they were paying attention- even if they weren’t. They get an hour’s free time on campus in the afternoon unsupervised (yes, unsupervised). Oh, and there is no detention. I asked the teacher about cell phones in class. She said, “They have them, but are not permitted to use them in class.” Ah, but do they? She said it is rare that she sees a kid texting in class, and when she does catch one, she just has to remind them that it is the school policy not to use them in class, and the kid puts it away. She said she doesn’t have repeat offenders. Hmmmm… I want some of you to think about that. She said they do not have to discipline many kids. When they do, their homeroom teacher acts as a guidance counselor and calls them in privately to discuss their behavior. If this doesn’t work, the school calls the parents and that stops the bad behavior. Because of this, they get very far with their studies. To be fair, she did say that not all Beijing schools are like this. Some schools do have behavior issues, and the students’ grades on the entrance exams reflect it.

To illustrate, check out this photo of the Chinese kids about 2 seconds after the teacher told them to read a passage in their book:


How are teenagers in China like American teenagers? Well, take a look at this kid’s desk in homeroom:



Also, they hate their uniforms. The teachers say the kids complain about them. A lot. They remind me of basketball warm-ups. (Which, btw, they are obsessed with the NBA here.) Look at them. Recognize those colors from anywhere? Despite the fact that they complain, they ALL wear the uniform, and the teachers have no problem getting the students to comply.

Speaking of basketball, look at this guy’s shoes. Number 23. Do you remember who was #23 in basketball? Michael Jordan.



For those curious readers who have been following my man bag story, I did ask Li (the Jingshan teacher I ate dinner with tonight) about them. She said that Chinese men are tender and show their affection by carrying their girlfriend’s purse. But then I asked her about all the guys who were not with girlfriends, yet still had the purse. Her reaction? “Men do that?!” My reaction? “Well, have you taken a look around lately?!” She said she would get back to me on that one. News at 11.

Also, I asked her about the crazy hair on all the guys. I don’t think I mentioned this in my blog before, but all the guys here have this bizarre, sticky uppy sort of hair. I can’t tell if it’s on purpose or just a really bad case of bed-head. Or a cowlick. I will post a picture after I get some good ones from Mrs. Brock. Anyway, Li’s explanation was that a few years ago Japanese and Korean TV shows became very popular with Chinese youth. This is a very popular haircut in Japan and Korea, and has since become popular here. I have a feeling I can get some really great hair pictures next week when I go to Japan.

Send me some more questions. I would love to answer them! Start thinking about questions for the kids and teachers in Japan. Students, by the time you read this again, that is where I will be. Teachers and family, send me questions anytime! (Oh, and Mrs. Long, wait until you see the photos I took of the biology lab at Jingshan!)

I want to end this post with a little reminder to all you out there in CHS cyber-space: MRS. KIDWELL IS READING THIS BLOG, TOO. If you don’t know what it means when someone types out all uppercase letters, go ask Coach Shaw.