OK, let’s go!

By the TERRIFIC Trio (formally known as Miss Butler, Miss Harrington and Mrs Thompson)


Today we have learnt quite a lot about the organisation of the school day and learning at Wuhou school. There are some ways in which our schools are similar and some ways in which they are different.

In each of the primary classrooms the children sit at individual blue chunky plastic desks. There is no carpet area as the floors are completely stone tiled. If you can imagine, Wuhou School is like a small university campus with greenery and open spaces which have separate buildings that the children move between for lessons.

The school day is from 8:20am until 5:30pm with a total of 8 lessons. There are 5 lessons in the morning and a register is taken at the beginning of every lesson. Lunch is from 12:10pm until 2:30pm. After the children have eaten a traditional Chinese lunch which is quite substantial (but without dessert) they take a rest in their dormitories, as the children at Wuhou school board there from Monday to Friday. Sometimes a bell signals the end of lesson time and sometimes a little trumpet fan-fare! We all loved this! Mr Golightly included…

Most classrooms have magnetic blackboards but no real display boards. Only a few classes have access to a projector and as yet there are no interactive white boards in the classes we visited. Children carry their own equipment with them from lesson to lesson, e.g. paper (like tracing paper), pencils, rulers and crayons. All children from Grade 1 upwards move from teacher to teacher depending on the lessons that are being taught.

Each day the children always have the following lessons: English, Maths, Chinese, Piano and PE. Throughout the week, they also learn Art, Science, ICT, Chinese Traditions, Music, Body Building and Calligraphy. There are six general lessons per day. Some children have a seventh lesson; this is usually extra tuition by the teacher based on the children’s ability and what they have understood. An eighth lesson is chosen by the pupil from a range of options. Something fascinating we noticed was that in all classes the children must stand to answer a question, this shows respect to not only their teacher but to their peers too.

Children in Grades 1 to 6 have two playtimes per day which always begin with about a 20 minute exercise routine.

All children do homework every day after school and this will be Chinese, Maths and English (including Listening and Reading).

Bedtime is at 8:30pm for Grades 1-3 and 9:30pm for Grades 4-6. All children are expected to tidy their own dormitory as well as washing their own clothes. The supervisors help the youngest children with the above tasks and care for all of the children overnight.

In the morning the children have breakfast in the dining hall which consists of egg, milk, soya beans, steamed bread and fruit; sometimes noodles and fried rice.

To round off our blog entry for today, we must tell you that there is also a weekly class monitor or team leader who is chosen based on their outstanding behaviour and work. This is judged throughout the week. A stamp is given in the back of the children’s books as a reward. Each day the stamps are added up and feedback is given as to who is the best behaved. The teachers in the different lessons know which team the children are in as each child has their own logo/badge on their uniform. The primary classes are members of one of the following teams; Sunflower, Ferris Wheel, Red Apple, Golden Childhood or Bee Garden. Miss Butler would either like to be a member of Sunflower or Golden Childhood, Miss Harrington a member of Red Apple (but, ideally in charge of them all!) and Mrs Thompson a member of Bee Garden (but also likes the sound of Golden Childhood) Mr Golightly is as yet undecided…although is certain that he would not qualify for membership to the Golden Childhood team.

The Terrific Trio.

 

 

Terrific, terrible or just plain terrifying? I think I will leave that one for the reader to decide. Anyway, as the three T’s (it seemed apt!) have told you so much about the school and its routines, I thought I might start tonight’s blog with a little language test, just to make sure you have been reading carefully.

So, if Nă hăo means hello
and
Zàijiàn means goodbye,
What does this sign in the picture mean?

 

I would have thought it was obvious!

 


Wet paint!!!



 

Moving on, the traffic is no better, and with lorries carrying loads like this, it is no real surprise I suppose!

 

Going round corners was very interesting.

Finally, one last thought from me. If all adults were as accepting of differences as children are, life would be nice.