Day 394 Project Week

Last year at this time, I was one of the newbies, struggling to make sense of this new world on planet China.  I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed those first few weeks in figuring out how to teach Chinese babies about psychology. Then I looked forward in the school calendar to see relief in sight called "Project Week". I thought I had to design some additional project of some sort, that the regular school routine would be suspended for a week.  I was only partly correct.

The good news was I didn't have to plan an additional project for my students.  The even better news was that "Project Week", I discovered that 'Project Week' is code for "study furiously the week before SAT's". I then learned that the kids called it "Shopping Abroad Trip."

At any rate, I have taught just one class a day since last Thursday.  Only the grade 10's are attending classes.  About half of the grade 11 and grade 12 students are home or are already traveling to their test site in Japan, Honk Kong, Singapore, and points beyond.  The other half were still on campus, but were sequestered in the school cafeteria study for their SAT's.  I saw SAT practice test books every where.  Kids sniffling, drinking orange juice, studying vocab cards, or answering hundreds of practice test questions.  There were a few boys i saw watching a movie or playing a video game, but

honestly, the vast majority were quietly studying for four hours at a time. They had a 1.5 hour break for lunch, back to studying for four hours, then a 1.5 hour dinner break, and another four hours of studying.  The five days leading up to traveling were spent in 12 hour SAT study sessions. Unreal. Most of these kids will score higher taking the SAT in English as a second language than the majority of kids who's scores I saw over the years as a guidance counselor. Unreal. It was also not difficult to realize why these Chinese babies score so much higher. They. work. so. much. harder.

Twelve hours a day of concerted effort, 
it's the Chinese way, which sometimes....

...leads to a face plant on your practice exam book :(

And still they kept at it. The last day of preparation is Wednesday,
then school is closed Thursday and Friday. Our kids will fly
to foreign cities to take the most important test of their life
on Saturday, October 3rd, the College Board SAT exam...

affectionately also known as a Shopping Abroad Trip!


As for me, I fly out on Thursday, bound for the good ol' U. S. of A :)



G'nite, y'all!