A Day in the Life of a Chinese Student (2024)

Going to school in China is a tough feat. Burdened with classes 6.5 days a week, from 7:30am to 9pm, students’ livelihoods are fully consumed with school, homework, and studying and have very little room for extra curricular activities and play. See my last post for closer look at the Chinese schooling system.

At Changjun Bilingual School, there are 24 classes of Junior 1 students with about 60 kids per class. Junior 1 is the first year of middle school and is equivalent to seventh grade. Each student is ranked based on test scores and academic performances and these rankings place students in a class with other peers that have similar rankings. Like many other schools in China, students in each class stay the same throughout all three years of middle school, unless their grades change significantly, which would allow them to be placed in a different class (either higher or lower ranked). Because they spend so much time at school and with their classmates in the span of three years, everyday from sun up to sun down, students tend to form close bonds and comaderie with their classes. They would repeat this process in high school too but with different, re-ranked, classes.

Here is a glimpse into a day in the life of a middle school student at Changjun Bilingual School. Most of the time they are at their desks either in class or doing homework so I try to capture moments where they are actively engaging with each other and just enjoying the simple pleasures at school. Surprisingly, students do manage to find time in the midst of their academic demands to cultivate their (non-studying) talents, hobbies, and social skills, mostly during class breaks and meal times. I’d like to thank all my students who graciously allowed me to take these adorable and soccer-mom-like photos of them. I’ve come to find that Chinese kids absolutely love posing for photos so this makes blog life, as an English teacher, extremely easy.

Here in Changjun Bilingual School, the instrumental version of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” plays every morning as the school’s wake up bell. I think I can go my whole life without ever hearing that song again and be totally fine.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served at the school canteen.

What better way to start a school day than with self studying! While American students are used to studying independently in their own private space, Chinese students study independently in their classrooms with their classmates, proctored by a teacher. They are free to either do homework or study but it is mandatory to use these periods for schoolwork. Self-study periods occur multiple times throughout the school day to give students enough time to finish their homework before they retreat into their dorms or homes.

Each period lasts 40 minutes with a ten or fifteen minute break in between classes. General consensus tells me that Chinese class is difficult and boring while I think it is so fascinating to learn a language that has survived 2,000+ years and relies mostly on memorisation.

Every morning, students race to the track field for morning exercises which consist of running on the track for four laps (one mile) in wolf pack formation with your class. Failure to do so will result in extra laps.

Regular English classes are taught in mostly Chinese by a Chinese teacher. Every grade is required to take English classes here at Changjun Bilingual.

With so much strain on the eyes from looking at the chalkboard and powerpoints all day, Chinese students routinely do eye exercises guided by a gentle voice in the school’s overhead speaker. Each class has a student monitor that is responsible for making sure every person is doing his/her eye exercises properly. Each grade has eye exercise monitors that go around campus to check if each class is behaving during this time. It is a very bureaucratic process, apparently.

Interesting note on a cultural difference in geography: In the West, we say the Cardinal Directions in the order of North, East, South, West. Chinese, however, start with East and end with North. 东南西北 dong, nan, xi, bei or East, South, West, North.

At a middle school with over 4,500 students, lunchtime at the canteen is madness. But once the stampede of students have finally settled, students get to enjoy lunch with their friends and occasionally their Oral English teachers (me). After lunch comes rest. Chinese students are accustomed to midday naps so they can recharge for afternoon studies and of course…homework.

While regular English classes are taught by a Chinese teacher, Oral English classes at Changjun are taught by foreign teachers. Here, there are three foreign teachers for Oral English, including me. We each teach 16 classes of thirty students a week. Students are often chatty and talkative and extremely hyper because this is really the only class that encourages them to talk out loud and express their opinions (in English of course).

Students have the option to join one club in the school year. Clubs meet every tuesday afternoon and are the only time kids can engage with other students (that are not in their own classes) in a classroom setting. Various clubs include English corner, volleyball, pingpong, American culture, violin, stamp, computer, journalism, calligraphy, and much more!

Classroom meetings occur once a week and are reserved for the head teachers to make special announcements or hold events in class. School wide events can also take place during this time, such as Rubik’s Cube Competitions or English Movie Lip-Dubbing Competitions (yes, that is a thing).

Students are responsible for keeping classrooms and hallways clean. They have janitorial duties that they must complete each day or else they will be punished.

Best part of the day! This is my favourite time to walk around campus because I get to see kids engage in things they love to do (other than studying). The basketball courts, badminton area, pingpong tables, track field are alway buzzing with active students relieving their school stress and enjoying time with their friends.

The rest of the night is dedicated to homework and studying in the classrooms. These periods are proctored by head teachers. Head teachers work just as hard and long as students study!