Comments on: Elementary Chinese

By: Kerri

Kerri — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:16:46 +0000

PS,the song is very beautiful.and you really did a good translation,i like it

By: Kerri

Kerri — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:08:43 +0000

Hi Tam,I’m here to see you.Hope you have a good time in China:)

By: Tam

Tam — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:03:43 +0000

Agree with you 100% Chip!

@Sean, To clarify, I meant the Chinese education system for the Chinese needs overhauling…. not in regards to me. I absolutely empathise with the Chinese students. Having taught here for 2½ years I can see things from both sides… I used to have a class with a single student who could only say “very good” in English whilst his classmates were reasonably fluent. It was a nightmare – and a moral dilemma. I offered him extra-curricular classes one-on-one with me but he wouldn’t do the work. I can only imagine how disillusioned he must have felt during my classes, not being able to understand a single word!

For his exam, I conducted it in Chinese and wrote him a letter in Chinese explaining I would pass him this semester, even though he didn’t deserve it. If I had failed him… what then ? I probably would have been required to re-exam and then pass him anyway…

I was working for the uni department where students who got very low marks on their entrance exam (gaokao) can pay an (extra) large sum of money to the uni in order to secure places. It seems ridiculous that someone with such a poor English level can be admitted onto a course as an English Major.

By: Chip

Chip — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:14:04 +0000

First step: Eliminate the Gaokao.

By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:30:15 +0000

If you are feeling down about the Chinese classes you are taking you should now have a new appreciation for the Chinese students that are all forced into one Oral English class regardless of level.

I agree it all needs to be overhauled, but i bet if you asked the Chinese admin they would say that we are treated great, even better than the Chinese students, and although sad, it’s true.

It all begs so many questions. where to begin?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:28:31 +0000

Again, I feel your pain, and it’s something that the administration seems a bit clueless about. They couldn’t understand why I was happy to stay in my Hanyu class but wanted to change my Kouyu class if my problem was not knowing how to read/write the vocabulary…

It took myself and another teacher to explain that it’s darn near impossible to speak a character from a book if you can’t read it – and reading it well tied into writing… so… Lvl1

By: Tam

Tam — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:23:40 +0000

Yes. Education here really, really needs an overhaul. Where would one start – this example is literally the tip of the iceberg.

@Ryan, I wanted to do that, but the way the classes are structured doesn’t really allow for it. It’s writing those pesky Chinese characters that’s my downfall!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:56:07 +0000

In regards to the cheating, I think it’s just that all sense of “right” and “wrong” has been beat out of the kids, only one thing matters – results. It’s a stupid, bass ackwards schooling system and needs to go the way of the Yangtze River Dolphin.

@Tam: I know EXACTLY how you feel in regards to choosing between the first level and the second level. I made the same decision just two short weeks ago. I’ve since moderated it a bit, dropping one of my classes to Level 1 and keeping the rest at Level 2. The Level 1 class is easy, but gives me a chance to fill in some blanks at a slower pace – the other classes keep me more than busy enough to make sure I’m not bored.

Best of luck!

By: G Laowai H

G Laowai H — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:25:21 +0000

Tam, Nice surprise to see your message and come here… and so gently it started… and then whamo. Is it the self deprication of the mentality that makes them do that ? or is it the competition… 2bn ppl is alot of chances to come second for a job etc… so they have to do whatever they can to win. Regardless ? Much love T x g