Chinese, American students: How are they different, the same?

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that after many years as a journalist, being a teacher would be my "second act" and that Beijing would be where it started.

I am currently working as a part-time elementary school teacher in New Jersey with the only experience in my resume being that I taught English in China for one year. That's it! Nothing more.

When the recruiter heard my backstory — no certification, no education background, no extensive experience — all she said was, "Cool!" I filled out the forms, listened to an online training session and, at the end of the onboarding process, received a Welcome Aboard email.

My job is not much different from what I was doing in a prekindergarten school in Haidian in 2021: Assisting the head teacher in supervising the kids. Except that, in China, the head teacher was Chinese, and in the United States, I report to an American.

Not to make a sweeping generalization here, but my point of reference is the Chinese school where I taught English and the American school where I am currently teaching.

A typical day in China starts with students and teachers sitting together to have breakfast. They have a quiet conversation using their "indoor voice". The kids are told to wash their hands before and after eating, and Chinese children do take hand-washing seriously, making sure every finger, nail and crevice are soaped thoroughly.

The kids go to the classroom to sing some English songs. The English teacher reads a book to the kids for some storytelling time. The kids are then dispersed across the classroom to do work with blocks, sand, water and plastic or rubber toys. Sometimes there will be paper or fresh fruit they can peel, cut and share with their classmates. Others can choose to read books. The school I worked in was Montessori-style, so they pay attention to things like pushing the chair in when you leave the table or sweeping the floor when you spill food. Teachers emphasize discipline and responsibility.

In New Jersey, where I am currently teaching, the kids go to their desks and head straight to writing alphabet exercises or coloring pictures. It is presumed they have eaten breakfast at home. Then, they go to the cafeteria for snacks, and later, the playground where they are let loose among the swings, the slides, and the seesaws.

This is where the teachers are at their most alert. Chinese teachers dread having to report to parents at the end of the day that their child fell off the swing, or that they were hit by a classmate. They make sure the child is comforted and checked for bruises or swelling. The parents take comfort in knowing their child is safe in school.

Both schools observe similar routines like nap time. Children sleep in portable day care beds that are easy to set up around the classroom. In China, nap time happens inside a room where the lights are dimmed and the curtain drawn to avoid distractions. In the US, the beds are strewn across the classroom and the kids know which cots are theirs because of the blankets on top of them.

In China, nap time is followed by drinking water and snacks. The school where I taught made the kids drink water and wash their hands. In both schools, children are told to tidy up their messy spaces, but while China is stricter about washing hands, the American school not so much. In fact, American children may or may not wash their hands before or after lunch or snack time. While children try to clean up, we, the teachers, will make sure the tables are cleaned thoroughly.

When it comes to listening to teachers, both Chinese and American children are equally inattentive and easily distracted. We teachers recognize that children of prekindergarten and kindergarten age have trouble paying attention. Another thing I noticed is they love to tell on their classmates: "Laoshi, David has a candy in his pocket", or "teacher, Tyler is hiding all the blue crayons".

Chinese schools have a reward system in the form of cute, tiny stickers that incentivize good behavior. If you show the right attitude at ballet class, the dance teacher will put a sticker on your arm. Children love getting stickers and will show them to their parents after class.

I don't see such perks in the school where I teach in the US, although teachers use a lot of encouraging words like "good job", "excellent", etc., Chinese teachers avoid too much praise because, they believe it will not motivate the children to do more and do better.

Head teachers must have the best memories, or how else can they match the student with the right water bottle. Hats off to these memory warriors.

Here's one thing nice about being a teacher. Some random Chinese or American student will run to you and give you a hug. It's a great feeling, so savor the moment. The following day, they're back to being the kids who test the limits of your patience.

Cristina Pastor is a subeditor at China Daily Online Services. She lives with her husband in New Jersey.