Day 283 China's gaokao

June 7 & 8th marks the annual Gaokao in all of China.

Gaokao means 'super test' which is exactly what it is.  Gaokao is the college entrance exam to beat all exams.  Students have been preparing themselves for 'their one and only chance at life' for many years.  Their entire future and livelihood depends upon their test scores.  If they score high, they are granted admission at China's elite universities and have a very bright future ahead of them.  If they score poorly, they will attend a second rate provincial college or trade school at best.  If they do poorly, their life's occupations are decided for them, most likely as doing manual, menial labor.  No pressure there, right?  Unlike the SAT, there are no 'do overs' to gaokao.  I guess when you have 9 million + kids taking the annual gaokao, the government has decided there has to be some means of sorting out the 'brain trust' of their country, to insure a balanced labor force and working economy in the coming years.  The Chinese don't like it, but they accept it.

The kids I teach at BNDS do not sit the gaokao.  They come from wealthy families, and when coupled with their high test scores, these kids re accepted into a private, room & board international program for their high school years. Completing the rigorous curricula of an international diploma sets them up for going to a college or university abroad.  The overwhelming majority of students here at BNDS are high ability, high achieving kids. Here, they prepare for the SATs, and do they ever prepare! TOEFL and SAT classes are standard to their 9 period day, every day, for all four years of high school. Though they inappropriately place all of those seldom-used SAT vocabulary words, their vocabulary is sadly, bigger than mine. As for my kids' preparation for the SAT, it was me giving the credit card number to pay for the application I filled out, and then they listened to lots of nagging the week of the exam.  It was me doing the napping; trying to prod them in to taking just one practice test at least the night before the exam.

But make no mistake, the pressure for our BNDS kids also ratchets up several notches, as they are expected to gain acceptance to the most elite universities the world has to offer. The kids here are under tremendous pressure to perform every single day, because their parents and grandparents have made a huge financial investment in their future.  Overall, universities on my home front love Asian students, as they do not pose a discipline problem at school, and their parents pay cash for full tuition, room and board UP FRONT for their one child to attend the best of the best.  No pressure there for an 18 year old shell-shocked kid landing in Cambridge, right?

Sadly, the reality is that colleges and universities are BIG business the world over. Interestingly, there is a huge downside to all of this pressure to excel, and that is the temptation to engage in academic dishonesty.  It's an issue we deal with at BNDS, plagiarism of written work, occasional cheating on exams, using technology to download previous exams.  But given the lack of religion in their culture, and that 'copying' is also the fabric of their culture (name brand clothing, textbooks, CD's, movies, artwork, anything and everything- just about), they do not perceive academic dishonesty as a moral or ethical issue.  You are the stupid one if you cannot figure out how to get ahead of 1.3 billion others, or at the very least 9 million other graduating seniors. Here in China, it is all about being 'the top' (insert whatever) IN EVERYTHING.  Anything less than being #1 (in anything), is simply not good enough. This message is also part of the fabric and the dialogues within their culture.  Did someone score higher than you? Then you didn't study enough.  Did someone get into a higher ranked school than you?  Then you didn't do good enough.  After 18 years of hearing the adults in your life hammer this message of "not enough" into your very pores, the message eventually morphs in to "I am not good enough." Therein, lies the biggest stressor and pressure of all, not feeling good enough. Quite frankly, that scares the bejesus out of me for these kids.

Anyhow, during the two days of gaokao, 'the China' comes to a screeching halt.  It is as if the whole country is holding its breath for two days.  The usual 24 hour around the clock construction does not occur on these two days so that students can rest comfortably at night, and have a quiet atmosphere during testing the following day.  Even the poorest of families will pay for oxygen treatments, massages and acupuncture to help their son or daughter to perform better on the gaokao.  Parents will rent a hotel room near the testing site so their child is not stressed by morning traffic getting to the test location. Grandparents and parents prepare unique foods believed to increase their brain power like sea cucumbers and deer antlers. The more traditional folks will go to their ancestor's graves for prayer, or go to temple and burn incense. Some parents will even pick the best location in their homes for feng shui, and burn incense there during the time their child is actually taking the test.   Gaokao a very big affair, to say the least.

On Sunday, June 7th, kids across the nation were taking their math and Chinese exams.  On Monday, if you hope to get a BA degree, you test in Chinese and World History, Geography and Politics.  If you hope to obtain a BS degree, you take Biology, Chemistry, and Physics exams.  It's no easy shakes.  For more photos of the gaokao madness follow this link: photos of gaokao

At BNDS on Monday, June 8th, it was also a hush-hush atmosphere.  There wasn't the usual horn honking madness on the way to school.  I swear, even the neighborhood dogs weren't barking.  The morning music didn't play over the loudspeaker at the preschool in the neighborhood. Even our PE teachers were asked to keep the kids inside today, as the National kids were testing.

At the end of the school day, there was more than the usual crowd of parents and grandparents gathered at the school's gates to greet their teens- many were holding signs, or carrying flowers and balloons.  You would have thought their child was returning from a long lost trip.  In some ways, maybe they felt lost from their child in the year's of preparation and study leading up to gaokao.  By the same token, the teens may have felt like the welcome committee of signs, balloons and flowers was like a return to their 'childhood' that they have been missing for so long.

In the midst of the madness, and the stressors and pressure that comes with gaokao, things can get a little bat s**t crazy in student's efforts to simply "get an edge over the 9 million others."  Follow this link for the latest cheating methods. All I can say is a crazy test has resulted in some crazy-making behavior.  See: crazy test

Here's a little more about Asians making the news with regards to the elite universities....harvard admissions  But what these parents, these teachers, and these kids fail to realize (or accept) is getting IN to the university is not the end at all.  It is NOT the time to celebrate and breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, I would go so far as to say that STAYING IN and getting out with a diploma is the most challenging part of all. No one seems to even consider this notion- the work that must be done for the next four years.  Filling out college applications, writing essays, (or "getting an agent" to do all of this work for you) and getting a letter of acceptance was the easiest part.  If that "getting an agent" comment intrigued you, follow this article that was reported in 2011:  Chinese students use agents

Though the BNDS International program is only eight years old, I find it curious that no one is keeping longitudinal data as to how these kids actually do in the United States.  How many of them fail?  How many withdraw?  How many carry a GPA below a 2.0?  How many are now on academic probation?  How many of them are dealing with mental health issues? (Asians lead in the pack among college students for severe problems with depression, eating disorders, anxiety, addictions, and suicide attempts AND completions).

My experience here this year has taught me that these kids really are brilliant test takers.  They are insanely disciplined in their studies, and I have no doubt they could memorize the phone book.  My biggest concern for them, in my observation, is their grades are not an accurate reflection of their speaking and writing ability.  Those two skills alone rank far higher in their contribution to college success over being an incredible test taker.  How many papers did I have to write in college?  How many oral presentations did I have to give over the years? How many group projects was I assigned to working toward my college degrees?  I WANT to see some longitudinal data.  I want to believe people when I am told, "Oh, they'll be just fine in the U.S."  I have heard this phrase too many times this year.  The former high school guidance counselor in me, the former college instructor in me, the ex-pat in me living in "unfamiliar" familiar shoes, and the momma bear in me who worries for her little ones, has had a nagging suspicion that all is not "as fine with the Asian kids in the US" as I have been told.

Finally, just last week, The Asia Times (after the release of articles from Business Insider and The Atlantic) reported how "US Universities are Addicted to Asian Students"  It was an interesting spin to the headlines that appeared in the US which announced "8,000 Asian students dismissed from US colleges for academic dishonesty."  The data was taken during the 2013-14 school, and the unflattering statistics are revealed here:  US Universities are Addicted to Asian Students   This article realized my fears that I have been expressing all along.  Many of these kids are not quite ready for the prime time.  They face tremendous pressure, they lack effective coping skills, they face daunting challenges of a new country and culture alone, and yet they are required to study and learn in a language that is not their native tongue.  It has culminated in causing Asian kids to crash and burn in our universities.

We have got to do a better job of preparing these kids for OUR home country.  I am an adult, with a lot of wisdom and life experience under my belt, but in no way was I prepared for amount of stress and change I would experience in immersing myself in a new country and culture, all the while learning a new job. Unlike these young students,  I really don't have the added pressure of, "but what if I fail?"

At my age, "So what if I do fail?  It won't be the first time in my life, and it won't be the last time either."  At 18 years old, that is not so easily said, particularly when there is the pressure of your parents' and grandparents' financial investment in your education.  There is a whole other layer of added pressure in this culture, too, and that is to "save face" at all costs.  Soon, failure is not an option for these kids. Ever. Under any circumstances.

With all of this talk of education, looking at the 'interesting approach' and unique problems in education in this part of the world. and reflecting on the current broken state of the public educational system in the United States (particularly in my home state of Indiana), I can't help but give pause for thought, "Which direction are we really headed in education?"

It kind of feels like we are headed on a crash course into the reef, and the ship is about to go down.

The question becomes, 'How do we begin to right the course?'  The state of education is not a local problem, a state problem, or even a national problem.  It is a global problem. Beginning in preschools and going all the way through to institutions granting advanced degrees, from the public schools to the private sector, from rural areas to the inner cities, the state of education needs a serious overhaul.

Sometimes I feel stunned in the stark reality of the education situation; like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car.  There's a wreck about to happen, and I don't know what is my next best move to take.  Parents and teacher friends, can you weigh in on your thoughts?

All this thinkin' has made me so very, very tired....

G'nite, y'all!