My time living and teaching here has made me think about the differences between education here and in America. Truly I'm just starting to see them so there is no way I can do an analysis, review or big thesis type paper with references at this point. What I can do is use some of my own experiences growing up through the public and private school system in America, suburban and urban, as well as some of the time spent in classrooms in China both as a student and teacher to put forward some questions that I've been thinking about since I've gotten here.
One of the strongest things I've seen is that especially among urban families, which I've happened to have the most contact with, education is the most important part of a child's life. Unlike middle-class American parents who spend hours shuttling their children to and from Little League, soccer matches and taekwondo competitions after school, it seems that Chinese parents from similar economic backgrounds eagerly wait outside of schools seven days of the week to pick their children up from special afterschool or weekend classes. From pre-school age they practice English, painting or an instrument to gain entrance into highly selective schools, and start studying for entrance examinations to middle school and then finally to college at around 12.
Now does this have to do because of a culture that has deep roots in test taking and education since the times of 孔子 or is it, because of the influence of the intensely competitive job market that all white-collar Chinese must face, to prepare at increasingly younger ages for standardized tests that steer only the tippy-top percentages of a population of more than a billion to higher education and a supposedly better future, as nowadays not even a college or masters degree guarantees a great job?
I'm sure it's a bit of both. China's education system is an incredibly test heavy system but many of the friends that I have from places with a population that more than fills the needs for any sort of job, such as Pakistan, Korea, Hong Kong... say that they also have such tests that function to limit an overcrowding of college graduates that can't find jobs. If you look at China historically such tests have been going on since the start of the civil service exams centuries ago. So from that time what was the goal of education? Was it to explore truths and debate (as is the Western ideal) or was knowledge to be used as a way to get ahead in the world through the memorization of classics?
I don't have the resources or time to delve too deeply here so I just suggest that this should be looked at when thinking about Chinese education. What are its sources? Clearly it has been an essential part of China's culture for centuries in a way that's more deeply intertwined with the country's people and society than nearly any other place in the world, but what were the goals of gaining that knowledge. If from the beginning such study was used to prepare for tests that could determine your lot in life, why are people so suprised that it is this philosophy instead of one of exploration and dialogue that guides today's education policy.
Personally I think American teachers would give an arm and a leg to be able to teach in an environment where parents are expected to grade their childrens' homework, talk with them daily about test scores and methods of attaining greater success. But American students would be terrified by the huge amount of pressure placed on them.
Is Chinese education more a product of it's long culture or because of the influence of an economy that only can support a limited number of jobs in the higher sectors? I think the best answer is "Yes".
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