We go to school to acquire new skills that will help us in our professions. We don’t know what jobs we will end up with so we work hard to acquire competency in math, history, science, and languages. For those who work hard in their English classes in China, they can become bilingual if they continue to study English as adults. However, many students do not retain what they learn in school; by the time they are adults, they can no longer speak English coherently. They can’t speak English well compared to the students who found English teachers to continue practicing English with. It is very rare, but sometimes students continue learning languages even after learning Chinese and English. They become trilingual because the second language is the hardest one to learn; afterward, it gets easier to learn new languages.

Another important skill learning during their time in school is arithmetic. Even if students will not use math in their occupations, they will need to use arithmetic in their daily life. For example, it’s important for budgeting, measuring, and shopping.

Another skill learned in school is how to write cursive. A lot of people think that cursive is an unimportant skill to have but other people think it is a part of being literate.

What do you think? Is school too difficult for Chinese students? Are there classes in school that are a waste of time? Did your head want to burst when you were studying in school?