As part of our tour of the city, we visited the Nanjing #1 High School. It is the top school of the city. Only students with the best scores are admitted. Although it is technically a public school, students in China have to pay for high school.
They have a very impressive campus. The students were still here, taking their final exams. Their schedule sounds exactly like Bolles except they start 1 hour earlier. They have 8 45-minute class periods. Teachers only teach 2 classes per day, because the Chinese system wants them to have ample time to prepare for class, grade, follow up with students, and contact parents. There is a lot of pressure put on the teachers, so they have to make sure their students do well.
The administration was very hospitable and proudly showed us their campus. They also prepared a long buffet for our lunch. We walked through the students having their lunch – rice, bok choy, and beef. It looked great. When we arrived to our room, the food was a bit different. Being excellent hosts, they prepared foods they knew Americans would want to eat – french fries, tator tots, marzapan, chicken nuggets on a stick, fried pork, and fried rice. To drink , we had Coke and Sprite. Of course we all filled our plates and told them how much we loved the food!
————————-
The Buddhist Nunnery
While in Nanjing we also visited a breathtaking Buddhist nunnery. The women who live here are relatively young, about 18 to 24. Out of respect I didn’t take any photographs of the nuns, but they were very similar in appearance to Buddhist priests. Each woman wore long colorful robes wrapped around her, and her hair was shaved very close to her head. Through the doorways, we were able to watch their afternoon prayer service. First each crouched all the way to the ground, then up again, repeating this movement over and over as she read from a Buddhist text, each woman in her own personal devotion. Then the sound of a drum marked the beginning of the prayer service. As the drum kept a rhythm, the women chanted the same words over and over, creating a beautiful harmony. I could not understand the words, but the ceremony was enchanting. These services generally last 30 minutes, but I left to explore the grounds and to give the women their privacy.
Ahhh, two classes a day. Oh we can only wish!
Ahhh, I remember my high school days in Beijing… Long and hard days of study for both studens and the teachers, dont’ let “two classes a day” fool you.
Oh yes, I’m not at all jealous over “two classes as day.” The amount of pressure and work put on the teachers would be incredibly difficult. I’ll happily stick with my 5 classes.