SPORTS MEETING
Last weekend was a four-day weekend (Saturday, Nov 1- Tuesday, Nov4). You all know how I spent the four day weekend (memories of MaijiShan still make me smile a week later). What you don't know is why I was able to enjoy this special weekend.Exams. Last weekend began four days of mid-term examinations for all students. This is an exhausting exercise for all parties involved... even the teachers. During exams, each classroom is monitored by FOUR teachers, each of whom stands in one corner of the classroom scanning for the wandering eyes and hush whispers of cheaters. These exams usually last from about 6-8 hours each day... mentally and physically exhausting... oh thank you, thank you, Chinese schools tend to excuse foreign teachers from taking part in this duty!
How do these students and teachers survive? Well, there's always one glimmer of hope: on the other side of every major examination there is something incredibly exciting to anticipate. After final examinations, there is vacation--either Spring Festival or Summer Vacation. After mid-terms, there is SPORTS MEETING!!!
My students asked me the same question: "what is sports meeting like in America?" And they gasp when I inform them that American schools don't have sports meetings! Unfathomable. From primary school to high school, there is always sports meeting! It is essential. There is always that temporary--one to three days--escape from schoolwork. No classes, no homework, no studying, no exams. Just sports... all kinds of sports...
SPORTS MEETING!!!!
Our sports meeting began with a marching contest. Marching is a sport. Each class marches as a unit... they are in meticulous order from shortest in one corner of the block to tallest at the other corner of the block. To be perfect, they must march in perfect rhythm... 120 separate feet become one massive foot pounding the track in choreographed pulses. And they use their voices to further unite the group... 一二三四， 一二三。。。四！（1, 2, 3, 4; 1, 2, 3... FOUR!) Their individual weaknesses are lost in the air-shaking power of one voice. It is quite neat to watch!
students march as other classes watch
video of "yi er san si, yi er san SI!"
at nights, the students perform in singing contests... I've been listening to Revolutionary songs all week in preparation for this... and although the students all sing very well, the performance is ruined by the very poor quality of the speakers. pity
And then there are the sports. Thursday and Friday, the classes of each grade level competed against each other in tournaments of two sports: basketball and volleyball. The most athletic boy students of each class played basketball. The most athletic girl students of each class played volleyball. The rest of the students crowded around and right up against the courts to cheer on their classmates. 加油，加油！（jiayou, jiayou!) (add oil, add oil!)
Sports Meeting
Male students play basketball... and their classmates sit literally right in front of the action--quite definitely the nosebleed section--to watch and cheer on...
basketball (and Qinling Mountains in the background)... what a gorgeous day
volleyball (and Qinling Mountains disappearing in the sunlight)
"jiayou!" and other conversations
badminton on the side
soccer in the small spaces between games
and fun... lots and lots of fun!
2 comments:
Dude are you at like a military school? My kids don't get sports meetings! :( They had their exam days then they had 1 exam friday, then sat. and sun. off then Monday was business as usual. I think my kids would LOVE to have a sports meeting.
No, it's not a military school. At the beginning of the school year, the grade 1 students must complete one week of military training (I have been told that all grade1 students all across China do this). Well, the students still have their military training attire from that time... even grade 3 students have kept their military outfits from grade 1. During the marching contest, you score big points if your class demonstrates total unity... so you see classes all wearing the same clothes... many of them decided to just all wear the military outfit (lame!)... others went to great effort to coordinate outfits with matching colored shirts, pants, and even gloves! Maybe overboard, but pretty dedicated.
I'm surprised your school doesn't have sports meeting... but in effect your school's situation is better. Our students were FORCED to attend sports meeting. Even students that were not good enough to play had to sit, watch, and cheer on. Although it may have been preferrable to attending classes, I'm sure they would have most appreciated the "free" days to freely do whatever they pleased (return home, visit friends and family, place sports if that floats their boat). In my own personal opinion, students who like sports should FREELY choose to play or watch sports.
Oh well, they all had fun. And I was so relieved to see them have their fun.
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