education

Help Budding Students at Dandelion School

Happy_Eggplant — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0800

A year ago, we wrote about the Dandelion School in Daxing District. As the only officially recognized high school for children of migrant workers, Dandelion principal Hong Zheng and her dedicated staff have their work cut out for them. The school takes its mission of self-reliance seriously and doesn’t get by solely on donations, but every yuan helps considering Dandelion’s yearly running costs of RMB 3.5 million. Here are some ways you can help.

The Wolf Dad’s Guide to Parenting: Vicious or Reasonable?

dibeijing — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:00:33 +0800

While most Chinese parents are trying desperately to get their children into Tsinghua or Peking University (aka Beida) by emulating Western educational virtues such as creativity and the “whole child” approach, one Hong Kong father is on a quest to prove them wrong. He’s doing so by enforcing corporal punishment to make his children succeed in life. And in fact, Xiao’s three children have been accepted by Peking University, a school that most Chinese parents can only dream of.

Talk to Your Kids About Sex. Now.

Happy_Eggplant — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0800

Are you anxious about giving “the sex talk”? Experts say you don’t have to, as long as you start talking to your kids about the birds and the bees from an early age. If you wait until their early or even middle teens, it will have been too late.

Can Filial Piety be Enforced?

beijingkids — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0800

China's "Little Emperors/Empresses" may be a hackneyed topic, but it's very much grounded in reality - you don't need a degree in sociology to understand how news stories of spoiled rich kids behaving badly underscore the huge social dilemma posed by China's single-child policy and skyrocketing prosperity.

Overachievers Analyzed: Free Screening of "Race to Nowhere" at BCIS on Oct 15

beijingkids — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:00:03 +0800

Despite the hype in certain circles in the West surrounding the perceived merits of the highly competitive education systems found in China and other parts of Asia, some concerned parties in America have begun to question the consequences of high-pressure schooling in general.

Lauded as the one of the most popular documentaries in America in the past few years, " Race to Nowhere, directed by ex-Wall Street lawyer and mother-of-three Vicki Abeles and film editor and director Jessica Congdon, examines this issue and comes to the interesting, albeit controversial, conclusion that "schools and parental pressure" are adversely affecting students - in other words, placing such a heavy emphasis on scholastic and academic achievement is crushing our kids.

"Cramming for College": Long Reads Featured on TheBeijinger

beijingkids — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0800

Our sister site thebeijinger.com has a new column, To Savor for Later, featuring interesting China related long reads, including a couple on Chinese education:

“Cramming for College at Beijing's Second High” by April Rabkin
Fast Company
Fascinating, funny account of Chinese students – those who defend the gaokao and those who don’t. Written by a foreign reporter who returns to the Beijing high school where she was an exchange student. (3900 words)

Schools in the News: Cuththroat Competition, Sex Education and Why One Expat Chose a Chinese School for His Child

beijingkids — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0800

China Daily has an article describing the latest initiative to introduce sex education in local primary schools:

A bold initiative to introduce sex education in primary schools is being viewed as a sign of progress by many in a nation where traditionally the subject is taboo ... There are no specific sex education courses in Chinese public schools. Although a high school course called "physical hygiene" purports to educate youngsters about their reproductive organs, most students are simply left to read the textbooks on their own. But a dozen primary schools in Beijing, including the one affiliated to Beijing Medical University where Liu teaches, are trying to make breakthroughs in sex education.

There's No Place Like WAB

dibeijing — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:00:48 +0800

At the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), there is always something going on and there’s always something for everyone. Here I’ve highlighted the various long-term projects that WAB students are involved in this year.

Local schooling is getting pricey, too

admin — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0800

A few weeks ago we pointed out how average tuition at international schools in Beijing has risen to the equivalent of over USD 35,000 a year. But don't think that it's just expat schooling that's getting pricier in China's burgeoning capital -- local parents are shelling out big time as well.

In what amounts to be an openly accepted (but officially frowned upon) custom, local parents are now paying up to RMB 87,000 (USD 13,600) in "entrance fees" to place their children in selective middle schools outside their local schooling district.

Tsinghua International School Opening Ceremony

pandaroo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:00:15 +0800

On Friday August 19, Tsinghua International School (THIS) held a reception and opening ceremony for the 2011-2012 academic year. Students, parents and faculty joined together to listen to inspiring speeches by Principal Shi Ping, Vice Principal Maxine Klimasara, Director of the Secondary Division Martha Oriz, 12th Grade student Angela Sun, and keynote speaker Yong Zhao – the Presidential Chair and Associate Dean for Global Education, College of Education at the University of Oregon.