As a long time speaker of the English language, I feel as though I'm a viable source of commonly used words and phrases. Furthermore, I would say I'm an equally accurate source of uncommon words and phrases. This statement may seem condescending and that's because it was intentionally condescending and brings me to my point, the English curriculum at my elementary school, and many other schools in China like it, is a joke.

I have worked here for over a year and have learned, if nothing else, one thing about myself. I am not perfect. I make mistakes and I'm nowhere near the best person for this job. However, I do know I have become a damn fine teacher through experience alone. I have created many units of my own based on the kid's level and what they are interested in. I have gained their trust and I know them all well, so I instinctively know what I should teach them and equally as important, I know what not to teach them. I have come to avoid two categories in my day-to-day teaching, units that are above their level and, more importantly, non-functional English. Allow me to paint you a picture.

A man has just arrived at Vancouver airport after a 14-hour flight from Shanghai. He is there to surprise his father whom he hasn't seen in several years. His father is an architect working for Da Lou Architectural Co. in downtown Vancouver. He did plenty of research before he left on the city and found that there are actually more Chinese people in Vancouver than Caucasian Canadian. Before he left, he worried that his English wouldn't be good enough to get around because he only studied in elementary school and didn't take any courses in high school or University. He decided to go anyway and guessed he could ask a Chinese person for help if he needed it. He took a taxi from the airport to a building in the Gastown district of downtown Vancouver. He had written down where to go in English so the taxi driver knew where to take him. Upon arrival at the building where his father works, he pays the driver and walks into the front door and approaches the desk. ‘Where is Mr. Xiao,’ he asks. The secretary informs him that he is at lunch and she is not sure where, but he will return in 30 minutes. He decides to explore the area a little, being his first time in Canada. He walks the streets, looks at some shops, and buys a few things, no activities that require a lot of talking. He checks the time, which he changed to Canada time upon arrival, and realizes he should be heading back. As he is walking back the way he came, he feels a sharp pain in his chest. Asthma, he thought. He hadn't been keeping himself medicated lately because he's been too worried about the trip. He grasped his chest as the pain grew and closed off his breathing. I must get to the hospital, he thought. He noticed a local had stopped and began to stare with a worried look, but clearly not sure what to do. He sprawled out on the cement in intense pain, struggling to breath, as the local looked over him saying many things in English. With his last conscious breath, he managed to get out the only words he could remember from Elementary school English class, ‘Where are Julio's gloves?’

This story is obviously fictional, but it is to prove a point. The Chinese-English teachers are teaching Elementary School children non-functional English everyday. They learn, in their actual curriculum, phrases such as, ‘Whose socks are they’ or ‘The notebook is on the table’. These phrases are great for communicating inside a classroom setting, but they aren't where they are most vital. Not only that, the methods in which they are taught are not that helpful in the long run. For example, the children of the entire province of Jiangsu are given textbooks called Fun with English. The book contains cartoon-style dialogues in which the children are to stand up and read aloud. They are forced to repeat the dialogues over and over until it is branded in their memory. This serves the short-term purpose of getting them to speak English quickly and make them, the school, and teachers look like they are miracle workers. However, this gives them a horrible disadvantage in the long run. Since this type of English, non-functional English, is forced into their minds so hard, they will have a harder time remembering the really important phrases when they are needed. It makes my job a little more difficult. I don't blame the schools so much as I blame another group which has always been the bane of every school system's existence, the parents.

The parents are always looking for the easy answers and the miracles. They pay big money to get their kids into good schools with English programs. They naturally want to see results. So, the teachers will force simple, short dialogues on them that sound great and impress the parents who are thinking ‘wow, I don't know what they are saying but they sound smart! I better spend more money!’ So, the vicious cycle continues because the parents, who want their money's worth, pay to keep it going.

To be fair, it is nobody's fault in particular. The China school system costs money because the government refuses to fund it. They feel it is not a sound investment because the drop out rate is so high, as well as many students live in the countryside and tend to go work on farms rather than getting a solid education. Since the government won't pay up, the families are forced to. The families want to see their money in action and expect their kids to be the best of the best. As with any business, the customer comes first and the teachers will do anything to show them what they want to see. They teach them non-functional, repetitive English that they don't know how to use. When the time comes that they need to use the English they've learned, they can't convey what they want.

Am I proposing a solution? I wish I had a definite one. One of two things needs to happen. Either the government must realize their society will fall behind without a proper education system and start funding it or have all Chinese students be taught English by the people that really know what they need to learn, native speakers. 

By: Chris Bentley