The itinerary for our day at Hsiang Shan High School, where Nancy (Megan's host student) attends, began with a gift exchange with the school's principal. She visited Plano before as a delegate sponsor and absolutely loved her experience and still sported her Shepton lanyard. After the formalities, we toured the school and immediately questioned how the students kept from daydreaming when they had such amazing scenery outside every classroom window, more beautiful than any Plano campus. Also notable were several students mopping the floors in the hallways because the responsibility of keeping the school clean lies in the hands of the students, not janitors. The discipline and uncomplaining nature of the students amazed me since such a system could never work in America--kids would be screaming abuse and claiming violations of child labor laws! Teachers at my school have a hard enough time getting students to pick up their own trash after lunch. While we often get carried away in self-interest and pride, the Taiwanese students seem have a better grasp of the concept of humbling oneself, acknowledging that no task is beneath them, and looking out for the interests of others first.
After the tour, students from an English class came to interview us and asked what we liked about Taiwan and about American lifestyle. We broke the ice by first discussing and eating the homemade snacks they brought. My group presented me with dried codfish strips, a green tea yogurt drink (my favorite) and some sort of cookie/chip thing. While the language barrier still presented a problem at times, I learned to compensate by reading body language and communicating through roundabout descriptions to get messages across. Though the exercise was specifically designed for them to get to get acquainted with us and practice their English, I used the opportunity to learn more about Taiwanese school life. One commonality, at least for me since I attend a private school, was the fact all students wore uniforms. Typically two types of uniforms are used: one for PE day and one for regular days and consists of an oxford or polo shirt and solid colored pants, though some schools have skirts that the girls wear.
In huge contrast to Plano schools, students here are given more responsibility and are seemingly trusted more. As mentioned above, students are in charge of cleaning their classrooms, not as a form of punishment or torture as we would consider it in Texas, but more as a practice of respect for their surroundings and others. From a trust standpoint, the students are going through what I call "death week" before finals hit, but teachers regularly leave the students alone in the room while they take their tests. Because of the cultural emphasis on honor, this system surprisingly works well. As we passed classrooms devoid of teachers, we never once saw a student with wandering eyes; they all remained focused on the work in front of them.School is taken very seriously as exemplified by the long school day, from 7:30 AM to 5 PM at most public schools. This doesn't even include "cram school" that many students have after school if they need help in a particular subject. Private schools up the ante even more by extending the day to 8 or 8:30 at night. Eleanor's host, Jaydee, even has regular classes on Saturday because she goes to a private school! Keep in mind also that students stay in the same class while teachers move around. They try to offset the long school day by having a nap period, but can you imagine a 9.5 - 13 hour school day, five to six days a week! In addition, their school year doesn't end until the beginning of July, but starts up again in September. I know that our host students really sacrifice by spending so much time with us and still keep up with their school work. I've grown to respect their diligence and work ethic; they truly demonstrate grace under fire because they are generally upbeat and energetic!
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