Posted by
Mighty
20 yrs ago
Why is it that even local chinese parents who have to make a great sacrifice, send their children to U.K. boarding schools? Is it because the local schools are so bad or is it because British schools are highly regarded? Are the teachers better or the environment? I welcome comments from teachers who have experience of both education system.
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But dont the results indicate differently? Local kids seem to do very well in Maths and Science? This may help them in future applications to university.
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The main reason for going to UK schools is to learn English. I went to boarding school despite being a native english speaker, basically because the UK education is much more diverse, and particularly in boarding schools you learn social skills and individual thinking that you don't get a local schools, nor even at HKU. HK schools have excellent exams results and the Uni's are some of the world's toughest to get into, but unfortunately they sacrifice many other aspects of life in order for the kids/students to look good on paper, which indeed they do, but simple tasks such as communication and integration are beyond many, and probably most.
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Well I agree to most of the above said. But I wonder why most of the parents choose Engliand but not Australia or other western countries. Isnt England too old fashioned and traditional? Arent other countries are modern and creative in their thinking? Any comments from Australian teachers?
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agreed .. having been most places EXCEPT Australia .. :-$ .. it seems the most well rounded schools are in America. Though it varies from state to state..
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You must be joking, the States. No thanks.
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My daughter goes to a local school and I had to transfer her after grade 2 because her name was written down by the president of the class for borrowing an eraser from her classmate.You are not allowed to talk at all. It was a half day all girls school, I had to pay for tuition fees and the school did not have computer lessons or expatriate teachers. You have to be extra silent or else...
When I transferred her to another local school at grade three it was a whole day class and government owned so I did not have to pay for tuition fees and she was happier and more alive. It had computer lessons and expatriate teachers and I could discuss my daughters achievements or any problems with the teacher at anytime. My daughter is much happier in school and so am I!!
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From an employers perspective the main issue I have with the local education system seems to be that it does not produce enquiring or questioning minds which I need from my local staff. Time and time again I see resumes from highly educated/qualified(on paper)candidates who let themseleves down at interview because they cannot show any signs of creative thinking or an ability to challenge accepted thinking. I have employed staff in Europe, USA and here in Asia and my Dutch and German employees probably had the best balance of education, social skills and world awareness. I was in the UK boarding system and whilst it has many good features some of the accepted behaviour by staff and senior pupils would be considered brutal and degrading by others and not necessarily conducive to turning out well rounded individuals.
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Freddy
I agree to what you say. I still remember in the old days when I was still in school, teachers always had a very high status and you HAD to believe everything they said and you were not allowed to challege them, not even a question. So I blame my teachers for taking away my creativity (^-^).
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tia
20 yrs ago
HK schools turn out cardboard kids. No individuality, no creative thought. NOT ALL kids in HK are like that, if they have helpful and supportive parents. HOWEVER..the system does not help. Standarized EVERYTHING..right down to the tests and the marking. God forbid you do something not on the scheme of work! Horror!
It is a tough call, because, if I were a parent, I would not want my 11 or 12 year old living away from me in a boarding school.However, do I want a kid whose ability to think for him/herself is limited to what he is told to think by the education system?
When marking my students writing assignments, I am not ALLOWED to give a mark higher than 78 with out first asking EACH AND EVERY English teacher if they agree with my mark of 79 or 80..or god forbid, 90! Sheesh
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tia and Casting Asparagus. Wow I did not realise it was quite as bad as you portray in the school system. It helps me to understand why my new staff are so quiet and timid, some still knock an open door to my office despite me saying many times that if it is not closed they can come in. The staff who have been here for a while say they are more relaxed now and relish the chance to say what they think and heaven forbid tell me when I have said/done something stupid or upset someone because of my lack of understanding of a local situation. I should say that it is not the kids themselves who cannot reason/problem solve etc. They are just as bright as any others as I have worked with and once they are given the platform/opportunity and encouraged to speak up they seem to enjoy the experience and make better employees.
I read recently that there is a going to be a major reform of education in HK with more emphasis placed on creativity. This is good news but until the five hours homework and focus on just exam success thinking is challenged I am afraid that there will be more cardboard kids and more teenage sucicides.
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I agree Gaffer, that is kind of what I meant. The whole mentality/culture for bringing up children seems to be driven towards them being "successful" in only very narrow terms ie Doctor, Lawyer etc.
The one thing I struggle to reconcile is where did all the highly successful HK entrepeneurs get educated. Surely not all were educated abroad and I hear often of Hong Kongers "can do" attitude, so where does that come from?.
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Maybe the average HK parent associate exam success with the chances of financial success in which they will by tradition share in. Maybe they think the competion for jobs is so tough only the well qualified will succeed. I do not know the answer Gaffer but I agree the worship of money and narrow mindedness are not traits that would not encourage the whole child education theory to prosper.
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i just wanted to add my 2 cents worth. a couple of the staff at my office who are parents only take leave to help their kids with their exams (age 6 upwards). when its time to take a real holiday they can't cause of the cost as they have mortgages to pay. they live in housing blocks with no space to run and spend so much time doing homework their kids are rotund to say the least. where is the balance huh?
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I have two yonger sisters about teenage(Shanghai).One of them is struggling to get admitted to a key high school while another one is always prepairing for the senior matriculation in the years coming.I do pity them for they don't even have time enjoying life during their youth.and it's obvious that the courses are getting more and more demanding.Looking back my school years,things were just the same,and the difference might be that the competition is becoming much more fierce now....I totally agree with Gaffer,the education system serve the society system.The standard of value,the type of characteristic who fits the society,even the opinion of the those supervisors in charge of education system ....are among the factors which influence the way of education in shanghai,Hongkong,even Asia,I think. It's rather a problem of our culture than a problem of the way of teaching in a certain place. And meanwhile,family education is another important part. Parents above show so much care about who their children are rather than what their children are gonna to be?That's really moving,and those children are so lucky.Whilst many other parents take the same standard as the society does to their child,maybe for the child's future sake.No one should be blame for all these,it's a result of culture,way of thingking,even the governmental guide....I'm always pleased to make some expat friends,with whom I find out life can be just like that.Do whatever YOURSELF would like to do and ENJOY LIFE.I just remember one thing,I used to be in charge of recruiting expatriate teachers in one school.One day after class was dismissed,I went to ask the teacher I recruited if she liked to teach there,She was a half-Chinese,half-USA.she shrugged and said:"of course I like it,or I won't take the job". that might because expatriates are marketable in job market,yet I do believe that is the way of thinking since she was brought up.Just thinking how many years later we are able to live just like that,or to say,more and more people be aware that they should live just like that? Until then, I think the education system will no longer be accepted if it doesn't make any change.
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HI,Freddy,Gaffer,I think both of you just said it.acctually,even if parents don't plan to be burden to their child.the society just do the same.especially for the one-child family.so another case might be the payment system in China.unlike western country,blue collars don't earn that much and have no society status either.Only those who with a shining education background can be easily accepted by higher layers of society.So that's it. everybody has to struggle for the entrance for bright future,or to say,easy future life.
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tia
20 yrs ago
It's true that parents complain if kids do not get enough homework. Local schools hire a NET to give variety and to show students that learning another language need not be an ardous task. However, we are expected, nay, DEMANDED, to follow the same rote memorisation techniques as the local teachers. I hate giving seeen dictations and rote memory exercises but then the parents complained that their kids are not getting the same as all the other kids. Nope. They are not. There *WERE* getting better forms of listening and dictations...but if this is the way we do the cookie-cutting, who am I to rock the boat?
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cd
20 yrs ago
I know of some one who switched from a local school to an international in p3, and the first thing she said to her mum at the end of the first day was, mum do you know, we're allowed to ask questions.
To livefree, whenever I've asked somebody the Why question, in a shop, bank or whatever, I've always been met with a blank look, or "because thats what we were told. I don't know much about the local system, but after nearly 8 years in HK i've noticed a definate lack of commonsense or lateral thinking among locals. There is no grey, only black and white. Take engineering, if something goes wrong according to the books, great if it doesn't they don't seem to have the ability to work it out. That must come from having to learn by rote and not being taught how to find the answers out for yourself.
And maybe they are great at maths and science but theres more to life than academic subjects. Why can't people be given the chance to excel at sports if thats what they're good at instead of maths. No wonder HK does so bad in sports.
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nick
20 yrs ago
Getting back to the main topic of why are British/overseas schools are better I note comments about the amount of homework given to students in local schools. I see today in the UK Daily Telegraph that one school has abandoned homework altogether - allowing children to take care of their own learning. Can this be better than having a more regimented regime of homework?
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