Why oh why do six year olds need to learn how to check-in at the airport, how to pass through airport security or find their seat on a plane. It’s not like they’re going to be travelling anywhere on their own anytime soon.
It’s not news to anyone that the Chinese education system values a student’s ability to memorise and recall over their ability to use language flexibly and to apply the knowledge they learn.
When I went to collect my children from their Chinese classroom this week I found them reciting dialogues they’d been set for homework. The leader of the class (another student) was taking the lead and calling out the title of the dialogue to be recited.
There is a long list of dialogues to be learned by heart and all of them are associated with taking an international flight. Some examples of lines from these dialogues.
- Would you like a window or an aisle seat?
- Do you have a battery in your pocket?
- Please put your baggage in the overhead locker
It’s no wonder that when they into my class they go crazy and run around like things possessed. Once they’ve taken their heavy bags off their backs and I’ve peeled their coats off them, there is a palpable sense of freedom.
The only thing I ask them to remember are the words to the nursery rhymes. We do a new one each week and every lesson we start and finish with these songs. They love it especially London Bridge is Falling Down – their favourite along with This Old Man. They love to do the actions too although sometimes they get carried away a bit.
Can you really blame them. After being tied to their desks all day it’s a rare opportunity to have some physical exercise.