Western students enjoy a seemingly relaxed educational experience.This,however,is not the case for students in Asia,who face crushing workloads and are often very disciplined.In the first part of her Globalist.
China has a long history of standardized tests,beginning with the ancient imperial exams initiated during the Sui Dynasty.Shelly Chen is at the top of the class at the Shanghai foreign language school,one of the city’s best middle schools.Already near fluent in English,she is studying German and ranks among the highest in her grade in physics.Her goal is to get a full scholarship to Harvard to study biochemistry.It is not only Western expatriates that grow anxious when hearing about students like Shelly.
Throughout England,politicians,parents and pundits worry that the industriousness and discipline of kids in the East are leaving relatively relaxed Westerners trailing behind.Though there is some debate surrounding the statistics,it is widely believed that North America is failing to produce sufficient graduates in sciences and engineering.
Chinese students are taught that all questions have but one right answer and there is little room for debate.North American education needs to move away from an emphasis on fun,flexibility and individual learning styles.Instead,it has to shift towards a more strict,disciplined teaching environment that math and science,in particular,seem to demand.This shift can be discerned even in Canada,where there are no college entrance exams,and where,standardized testing,memorization and rote learning have long been frowned upon.
還有American and Chinese culture in the responses for a hostess are at polar opposites.An American hostess,complimented for her culinary skills,is likely to say,“Oh,I’m so glad you liked it,I cooked it especially for you.” Not so a Chinese host or hostess(often the husband does the fancy cooking),who will instead apologize profusely for give you “nothing” even slightly edible honor by providing proper dishes.
The same rules hold true with regard to children.American parents speak proudly of their children’s accomplishments,telling how Johnny made the school team or Jane made the honor well.Not so Chinese parents,whose children ,even if at the top of their class in school,are always so “naughty”,never studying ,never listening to their elders,and so forth.
The last and also the most distinctive difference between American culture and Chinese culture is the Chinese take pride in “modesty”; the Americans in “straight forwardness”.That modesty has left many a Chinese hungry at an American table,for Chinese politeness calls for three refusals before one accepts an offer,and the American hosts take a “no” to mean “no”,whether it’s the first,second,or third time.