Sharla Cheung
"To tell you the truth, I have been looking for an off-campus teacher to help me with math and English since the fifth grade of primary school, and I am still tutoring in the third year of high school. The tuition fee is about 6,543,800 yuan, and the effect is average. I don't have to be a tutor. On the one hand, I am not practical, on the other hand, I am afraid that my mother will disagree. " Bai Ran, a middle school near Deng Shi Dongkou in Dongcheng, Beijing, said in a dilemma.
"Tuition is not directly proportional to the harvest." Bai Ran's mother, Zhang Jing, said morosely.
Bai Ran is looking for a tutor. Teachers earn 300 yuan an hour and teach for three hours at a time. According to the head count, if five children attend classes at the same time, each child will pay 180 yuan on average. As for whether the child has gained anything, the teacher generally won't ask.
Burran attends tutoring twice a week, and the tuition fee is ***360 yuan. The cram school was also attended and the money was spent, but what was the effect? Zhang Jing told a story that chilled her.
Last winter and summer vacation, Bai Ran failed in four final exams, including mathematics and foreign languages.
"Money is wasted!" Zhang Jing is anxious! She sat in on her tutor's class twice. It turns out that the content of make-up lessons is out of sync with what is said in the school classroom.
This teacher, who once taught senior three mathematics, has just retired. He teaches students according to the lesson plan he prepared, and then does examples. Most students, including Bai Ran, did it right, but the content of the problem and the way to solve it were different from those in class.
If you don't cram, you seem to have suffered. Zhang Jing has asked people to ask or look around for small advertisements for tutors. As it happens, at the parent-teacher meeting, the school took the initiative to recommend cram schools to students with poor exam results.
An old teacher who asked not to be named told Zhang Jing on the phone that he was a "famous teacher" who entered the Beijing tutor market after retirement. "Why did the headmaster dare to recommend so many training institutions at the parent-teacher conference? To put it bluntly, one word: Li. Many schools in Beijing not only recommend training institutions, but also rent classrooms to these training institutions, ultimately benefiting the schools. The root cause is that parents are too willing to spend money to find a tutor for their children. " The "famous teacher" said.
The enlightenment of "famous teachers" didn't work for Zhang Jing, but she still didn't give up: "Why do some children improve their grades through tutoring? I blame myself for not finding the right teacher, so I will find a good tutor at any cost. "
The head teacher of Boran School saw through the parents' thoughts. "I recommend an English tutor to your child once a week and pay it to 300 yuan every time."
It was this letter of recommendation that made Zhang Jing completely give up on tutoring.
"Monthly tuition fee 1200 yuan is paid in advance, and teachers don't accept receipts. But last June, 5438+ 10, the tutor insisted that my child didn't pay the fee. At that time, I hesitated to argue with the teacher, but the words came to my mouth and swallowed back. I immediately took out the money and paid it again. " Zhang Jing is very angry.
"There is a commission from the class teacher in the tutor fee, and we paid the extra 1200 yuan to the class teacher." Bai Wei explained.
Now, in addition to keeping up with the review progress of the school, Bo Ran's mother also spends extra money to "open a small stove", either attending cram school on weekends or asking a family tutor for special counseling from time to time during the intense review. "Although I am disappointed with my tutor, it is better to make up than not to make up." Zhang Jing said.
"Many parents are willing to pay for extra-curricular tutoring classes for their children, but there are not many who really understand their inner feelings." The "famous teacher" who asked not to be named said.
Wang Jing: Making up lessons during holidays is a helpless choice.
Kalimeris indica
Before the winter vacation, Wang Jing asked around which remedial class was good. Looking at the full-page enrollment advertisement in the newspaper, she was a little puzzled: I don't know when there were so many remedial classes, college entrance examination, sprint college entrance examination, art and sports college entrance examination counseling and elite college entrance examination classes. Call to ask the price, one or two thousand is the lowest, three or five thousand, tens of thousands of yuan dare to open their mouths. And they are often the gatekeepers of xx key middle schools. I wonder how many senior three teachers there are in this school. Who can tell whether it is true or not? Wang Jing said to me: "Finally, I decided to sign up for a remedial class with the largest number of children in the class, and it is a class that students with good grades love to go to." It's better to' run away' than' big head'. "
65438+ 10 month 17 holiday, 18 began a tense holiday life. Her family's "holiday schedule" is like this-Wang Jing gets up at 6: 30 in the morning, heats a glass of milk first, and then makes a simple sandwich, two pieces of bread and an fried egg for the child. Recently, the bird flu, eggs spared, hamstrings were caught ... 6: 40, wake up the children. During the holidays, the class time is later than in the past, but the distance is far away. From home to the remedial class, you have to take the subway first, and then change buses. 8: 00, 10, the baby is coming. The morning class lasts from 8: 30 to 1 1: 45. At noon, Wang Jing gave the child 10 food expenses to 20 yuan. Sometimes my son eats a box lunch, and sometimes he and his classmates go to the nearby "Chengdu Snack" store to buy a bowl of noodles. Hygiene is not guaranteed, and we can't expect to be as formal as the school cafeteria, just fill our stomachs. The afternoon class starts from 13 to 17, which is the peak time for adults to get off work and also the end of class. Sometimes there are extra classes in the evening. For example, if the physics class is not finished, it will last until eight or nine in the evening. There is no need to pay more. A holiday is about 1500 yuan. I'm afraid the reputation of this remedial class is due to this factor. Generally, children get home at 18 o'clock, and then watch TV while eating dinner. When they watch it, they will feel confused, take a bath, refresh themselves, and then make up their school homework.
This life will last until1October 28th, 65438+ New Year's Eve. In the evening, Wang Jing took her son to grandma's house for dinner. Although I live in the same city as my grandmother, I can only make a phone call to listen to the sound because of my tight homework and busy work. There are really not many opportunities to meet. Generations get together so close. Grandma was even more considerate when she took out the lucky money. The son hugged his grandmother and shouted, "Mom, hurry! Take a picture of me and grandma! " Wang Jing is a little sour in his heart. After the holiday, my son is still interacting with homework every day, and even the affection between grandparents and grandchildren has become a rarity; Mother is almost 80 years old and is in poor health. How much time can she spend with her children and grandchildren?
Wang Jingben hoped to celebrate the New Year and use this time to rest himself and his children. Unexpectedly, since the beginning of the year, my son has been screaming with a sore throat, and it is difficult to speak in the second day. On the third day of the lunar new year, he will go to the hospital to see a doctor. The doctor said that tracheitis was caused by a cold, and the faster treatment was "intravenous drip". Wang Jing said, I think the previous homework was too tight. The quiz made him "angry" and showed it as soon as he relaxed.
On the fourth day of Lunar New Year's Day, my son said that primary school students were going to have a party, and only described "Lao" in the "water bar". Wang Jing "criticized" her children for not playing for a day since the winter vacation. As a result, my son got together with a group of senior three students who were also "fresh air" from home and had a good time. After visiting the temple fair, he saw King Kong for three hours. I had a good time, and when I got home, my voice was the same as before the injection. You can imagine how the next year will pass. ...
On the sixth day, that is, two days later, the remedial class started again. On the first day, Wang Jing stabilized her mood and let her son continue to rest. The next day, she held her breath On the one hand, she has a heavy class schedule, most of which is her son's weakness. On the other hand, she turned over the light month card and watched the days fly by. There is not much time left in senior three. Finally, I gritted my teeth and let my coughing son get into Amb Lee to attend a remedial class.
Wang Jing said, I can't bear to make my children work so hard, but the college entrance examination is a major event in life. The competition is so fierce now that everyone else is working hard. If you don't work hard, you won't go to school.
I asked her about the effect of social counseling classes for her children. Wang Jing said that she didn't know yet. Of course, it is best to make up lessons in this school. On the one hand, teachers know the students' situation and can provide targeted counseling. On the other hand, tuition fees still depend on scores. As parents, we spend money in public. And the most important thing is safety. It is better to put children in school than to disperse them in society. Those internet cafes and bars are not good for seducing children, so parents will suffer if they spend money.
It is reported that there are not a few parents who hold this attitude. Because the college entrance examination is advanced from July to June, the study time is one month less, and the capacity and difficulty of the college entrance examination paper have not decreased, so it is even more unbearable for many children. Parents are also struggling in helplessness and helplessness. There is also a scene in which some parents of a school in Shenyang collectively wrote to the education department and asked the school to make up lessons during the holidays.
Speaking of which, Wang Jing's cell phone rang. A short message caught my eye: xx social education institutions provide middle school students with the "No.1 scholar in the college entrance examination" to accompany winter vacation homework, and make examination plans for middle and high school candidates.
Wang Jing's heart is full of new hope. ...
Wu: Off-campus education should widen the differences among students.
Zhang Xian
On the morning of March, Wu was giving a lecture to the students at the Children's Palace in Xicheng District. There are more than a dozen students in the classroom. Some of them discuss around the long table in twos and threes, and some sit in front of the easel and concentrate on sketching. Wu walked beside the students for a while, looked at his works for guidance, and then talked with the parents who accompanied the students about their children's learning.
Next to a girl dressed in green who was sketching, Wu stopped and pointed to her own painting and said to her parents and classmates, "This painting of hers is good, giving people a strong sense of integrity, and the sketch relationship is correct, but some of it is not handled properly. Children lack the concept of space when they first start painting, so how should they practice? Just solve the problem of line and surface first. If there is a shelf, it will be easy to fill it out. "
A 1 1 year-old girl held up the sketch she had just drawn in front of her and said, "Teacher Wu, what do you think of my drawing?" "You draw well, but it should be noted that when you draw three tables of people playing bridge indoors, you should draw the characters in front of you truly, and the characters behind you are illusory and have a sense of hierarchy. Go and see how the realism of other people's paintings is handled in my computer. "
12 It's almost noon, and classmates and parents leave one after another. Only a lady with a little girl has not left yet. She said to Wu Shuo, "Teacher, I brought my children here for the first time today. You see, my child is 8 years old, learning piano, math and English, and now he wants to learn painting. " She turned to Wu for help and said, "To tell you the truth, we don't expect our children to become musicians or artists. We just want them to develop in all aspects from an early age. I don't know if this will work? "
"But you know, it's your idea to develop it, but there are many problems in reality that are different from what you imagined. First, such a young child has to learn so much, which may make her spend most of her energy after class, but it will restrict her study. Second, did you find anything special about her? Do her parents want her to learn, or does she really have this specialty? I have met many children of this age. Their parents asked them to learn a lot, but in the end they learned nothing. I think children can make the impossible possible as long as they concentrate on their studies. On the other hand, if you learn everything, you may make the possibility impossible. "
Wu graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Beijing Institute of Education and has been engaged in children's fine arts education and teaching for 28 years. When talking about the characteristics of his work, Wu Shuo said: "School teachers always follow the national education syllabus, emphasizing collective education, while off-campus education is individual education, with more emphasis on systematization and concretization. School teachers have uniform requirements for students in a class; Off-campus education is to open up the differences between students, and to let each student exert his maximum potential, rather than making everyone the same. Therefore, when tutoring students, I want to make each student more like himself, rather than unifying them. "
In teaching, Wu pays attention to artistic enlightenment and interest cultivation. In addition to teaching children professional things, he pays more attention to arranging children to participate in life practice, stimulating students' interest in learning and cultivating their comprehensive ability.
Some people question that off-campus training courses will affect students' cultural learning, and Wu thinks this worry is unnecessary. She believes that if handled properly, extracurricular learning will play a supplementary role in students' cultural classes. If some students took part in military training, the teacher asked them to keep a military training diary, and she asked them to show their military training life by drawing. Usually, many creative themes she gives students are mostly asking students to observe life more and draw their own lives. "Through the close combination of painting and life practice, students have another form to express their inner feelings. Is this not good? " Wu believes that this is another development and improvement of students' quality education.
Talking about the various off-campus remedial classes and training courses that have become more and more popular in recent years, Wu Shuo said: "I want to systematize and concretize what students have learned at school, so that they can connect with each other. At present, art teachers in primary schools may not be able to connect with middle schools, because the school has only 40 minutes in a class, and there is no time to train students' skills. They just let children know what art is through a book in all directions. Art is not only painting, but also architecture, calligraphy, sculpture and production. The school introduces or guides the concept of artistic knowledge to students in all directions, while off-campus education focuses on skill training. In other words, the problems that students have not encountered in school are the problems that I want to help children solve as an off-campus training teacher. In this sense, off-campus remedial classes and training classes are necessary. "
Chung Ling: Math, English and painting are indispensable.
Zhang Xian
On February 1 1, in a cultural palace in Xicheng, Beijing, the small bridge house was crowded with people playing cards, most of whom were elderly people retired from the community. However, in the corner of the room, stood a girl of eleven or twelve, who was drawing everything in the room with a thumbtack. It didn't take long to see that she had outlined the outline of the room, and the expressions and positions of the characters were very clear, which showed that there was a certain painting foundation. The girl's name is Chung Ling, a sixth-grade student in a primary school in Beijing.
Chung Ling has been studying in a painting class for almost two years. Every Saturday morning, she goes to the art improvement class, from 9: 00 to 1 1 without interruption. She said that she had fallen in love with painting since she was very young. Before going to primary school, her mother bought her crayons and picture books. She always draws and plays on paper every day. No matter what she saw, she was always encouraged by her mother. After attending primary school, she began to receive formal art education. The school art class opened a wider space for her, but it also made her feel that the school art class was not enough. In 2004, a cultural palace was built near her home to teach English, mathematics, art and music. She signed up for an art class. Although the tuition fee is more than 500 per semester, my mother said that as long as she likes it, she should not think about money.
Chung Ling's parents are ordinary workers, and their family's economic conditions are average. Her tuition fees for various off-campus popularization classes, remedial classes and advanced classes every semester are a big expense for her family. But Zhong Ling doesn't know much about these things. All she knows is that as long as she is interested in what she wants to learn, her parents will definitely support her. Chung Ling attended many off-campus training courses. From the first grade of primary school, in addition to children's English, art and calligraphy classes, she also participated in an electronic piano class and a one-year dance class in the fourth grade, majoring in street dance. Now, in addition to taking half a day off every Saturday to attend art improvement classes, Chung Ling often practices writing at home by himself. You have to draw two or three times a week, one at a time, about two or three hours.
Although Zhong Ling likes painting, he says he doesn't intend to take it as a career. Now, the reason why she practices painting hard is a hobby. On the other hand, as a sixth-grade student, if she has outstanding painting achievements, she can go to a good school as a special student when she enters junior high school. According to the relevant regulations, the number of special students received by each school is about 3% of the freshmen. Now almost every child participates in various off-campus training courses, and everyone is studying hard. Therefore, even if the painting is outstanding, it is competitive to attend key middle schools as special students.
Cong Ling understands that if you want to get into a good middle school, you should be admitted to a good high school and a good university in the future, and you can't just draw pictures. In addition to painting, she was admitted to the experimental class of Beijing Xicheng Foreign Language School. She has two math classes and two English classes every Sunday, from 8: 30 in the morning to 1 1: 40. In this regard, she not only does not feel burdened, but is quite proud: "It is not easy to get into this experimental class. Not for you to pay, but for you to pass the exam. " Besides, she goes to other cram schools to have Cambridge English classes every Thursday afternoon.
Chung Ling's academic performance is among the best in his class. School courses are easy for her, and she can finish her homework in half an hour every day. Speaking of the Cambridge English class outside the school, her tone was anxious: "Many students in our class have started to take public English classes. I am studying Cambridge English Level 3 now, which is relatively late. " Although she said that she didn't feel any pressure, she talked about the road to further studies at a young age, but she was still quite crisis-conscious: "Although junior high school students don't have to take exams now, it is very difficult for them to choose a good school as special students. Many students in our class are taking part in various training courses and learning everything about English, mathematics, sports and music. If I don't go, what if I can't go to a good school? "
Ms. Zhang: It is necessary for children to attend remedial classes.
Zhang Xian
"I called you at work today. I have asked several winter vacation cram schools. Some English classes are full, and some math classes are finished. If you want to go to school, go to English, math and Chinese. " "Why? I don't have to go to other classes if I am good. " Your English score is 76, okay? ""good! Just right! " "As far as your grades are concerned, you can't do it. Now people's key schools are not qualified below 80 points. " "People are people, and I am above average in our class." "Is it above average? I think it's almost enough at most. "Quarrels like this often happen between Han Han and her mother, Ms. Zhang.
A few days after the Spring Festival in 2006, Ms. Zhang saw a good math class in a newspaper advertisement, saying that six children in a class could be given free tutoring every day and talked for two hours every Saturday. Ms. Wang contacted immediately, but as soon as she inquired about the tuition, she arrived in 800 yuan in one month, with an average of 100 yuan per class, which had to be paid for half a year. As an ordinary engineer, Ms. Zhang said, "How can we wage earners have so much money? Besides, this is just a theme. If English, math and Chinese are taught, simply don't eat or drink. " Helpless, she had to ask about other classes again.
In fact, the expenses of various off-campus remedial classes and synchronous promotion classes that Han Han has participated in since primary school have accumulated into a huge sum. The Cambridge English Level 3 alone costs six or seven thousand yuan, as well as the Olympic Mathematics class, which costs one or two thousand yuan per semester. Ms. Zhang also looked for a tutor, a tutor guided by a famous teacher 120 yuan ~ 150 yuan for one hour. In contrast, undergraduate tutoring is cheap. "But that kind of tutor can't teach anything, just tell children how to solve this problem. Sit for half a day, then go to the toilet, drink some water, have a rest, and go to 80 yuan in the morning. Look at that watch. All money! " In fact, as long as it is affordable, Ms. Zhang has never hesitated to spend money on children's education. She said that both parents are the same. From the day their children entered school, their parents were loaded into "chariots" and embarked on the arduous road of "preparing for war".
Recalling the scene of Han Han taking an Olympic math class in a key middle school in the city last year, Ms. Zhang still remembers: "It was originally planned to recruit 40 students in a class, and at most, there were 60 students in a class. The school opened nine classes, and the classrooms in the building were full, so Han Han's class was taken to the bungalow for classes. Every time after class, the school gate is crowded with people. Five or six hundred students, plus parents and teachers, are blocked at the school gate, and the traffic nearby is paralyzed. "
Han Han has attended N kinds of cram schools under the guidance of his mother since the first grade of primary school. In the second grade of primary school, she took part in Cambridge English class. Every Friday night, her mother takes her to class by bike, rain or shine. She studies for five years. Han Han lives in the North Second Ring Road and his school is in the North Fourth Ring Road. Her mother takes her to ride a bike every day, regardless of the wind and snow. Speaking of the hard work of the year, Ms. Zhang said with distress: "At that time, the child was still young, sitting behind the bicycle, and her feet were red with cold. But there is no way, in order to go to a good school, no matter how hard it is, we must persist! "
In addition to English classes and Olympics classes, in order to make her develop in an all-round way, Han Han takes art classes every Sunday from grade one to grade five. In addition, my mother enrolled her in an electronic piano class and a calligraphy class. Han Han is a clever boy, who studies well, especially Chinese, and has won the National Composition Excellence Award. But as a parent, Ms. Zhang always feels that children have a lot to learn. As soon as she entered middle school, she immediately arranged Han Han in English class and math class. Han Han's current school is not the focus of the city, but it is still good. She fits the computer assignment. But at that time, to be on the safe side, Ms. Zhang still paid a school selection fee of10.5 million yuan. She said: "This is still concerned. Do you have to pay 30 thousand yuan? "
Ms. Zhang said: "I think it is necessary to talk about cram schools and remedial classes in society. It's not that we want to go, but that we can't cope with the senior high school entrance examination and college entrance examination. At present, there are very few homework left in the school, and it is impossible to rely solely on the courses taught in the classroom. "
Ms. Zhang said that the purpose of parents doing this is only to let their children enter key schools. "Because only a good junior high school can be admitted to a good high school; Only when you go to a good high school can you be admitted to a good university and have a decent job. " But the reality is that the gap between key schools and general schools is no longer one or two points, and the key points are becoming more and more important and generally more and more general. Ms. Zhang said with emotion: "In fact, children go to school seriously and don't spend much money. The key is that the remedial classes outside spend a lot of money, but this class can't save money. In the final analysis, it is the uneven distribution of social quality education resources. Which parent doesn't understand how important it is for their children to go to a good school, so no matter how difficult it is, parents should fully support their children to go to off-campus remedial classes! "
Interview notes
Winter vacation should be easy, but for many students, it is heavy.
Several primary and middle school students told reporters that their favorite activities in winter vacation were: going to amusement parks, getting together with classmates and traveling with their families, but it backfired.
A questionnaire recently distributed by a media in Shenyang to dozens of primary and middle school students and their parents shows that 98% of the students interviewed, winter vacation life, spent time at home and in remedial classes or trusteeship classes. 93% of parents said that they hope their children will attend make-up classes in winter vacation. A survey in Beijing also shows that more than 70% of primary school students have enrolled in various remedial classes inside and outside the school to prepare for the school selection exam.
The same is true of the parents and students we interviewed. The reason is that the pressure of entering a higher school is undoubtedly the most important reason for the market demand of remedial classes. Under the background that the society calls for strengthening quality education and "reducing the burden" for students, parents' strong desire to "increase the burden" is by no means aimless. Today, the hierarchy of education and student evaluation system have not changed significantly, so students and parents can only passively face the realistic pressures such as difficulties in entering higher schools and social employment.
Therefore, parents have very contradictory ideas about making up lessons. On the one hand, they hope that their children can keep fit and live a relaxed life during the holidays; On the other hand, I hope that children will seize all the time to study, improve their academic performance through make-up classes, and increase their competitiveness in future study and employment opportunities.
As an education expert pointed out, "make up lessons" has become the main theme of holidays, reflecting the eagerness of some parents to get quick success and instant benefit. Whenever and wherever they see their children holding books, they will feel relaxed ... In fact, this kind of "make-up" that is more tiring than class is often counterproductive, and the effect is mostly zero or even negative.
The most pitiful thing is that our children, burdened with heavy schoolwork, the pressure of the senior high school entrance examination and the college entrance examination, the high hopes of their parents and the cold wind in winter, have struggled to spend this relaxed and happy holiday. (For well-known reasons, most of the interviewees adopted pseudonyms. )