In our last week’s blog, we learned some useful lingo in Chinese that you can use in school settings. Can you still recall some memories from your first days back to school when you were a child? https://www.lingobus.com/teacher-overview

1. ‘Back to School’ in China: What to expect?
Can you still recall some memories from your first days back to school
when you were a child? For me, there are still many fresh memories
from those days. This is because the first day back to school is always
so much fun! After a long summer holiday, children are often looking
forward to sitting in the classroom and playing on the playground, again,
with their friends.
Kids in China share the same excitement. But what will actually happen
on the first day of school in Chinese elementary schools?
This will be our topic for today. I hope that this short piece will introduce
you to some special moments in Chinese elementary school children
create on their first day back to school.
A Typical First school day in China
As far as I can recall, every time when school begins, a few things will
definitely be on the schedule: a flag-raising ceremony and several
speeches.

2. Normally, all the students and teachers will gather on the playground,
and the day starts with a flag-raising section. After that, the head
teacher, teacher representative, student representative and sometimes
a parent will give speeches.
This will usually last for about 2 hours, and as you can imagine it’s not
fun for the children. But since it’s the first day and they are there with
their friends and classmates, with their excitement the two hours pass
quickly.
The core theme of this ceremony is to encourage students to begin the
new semester of learning with enthusiasm and to get themselves
actively involved in the school life. It also creates a sense of
togetherness and prepares the student for the upcoming year.
After this, the students will go back to their own classrooms and their
teachers will handout the new books. Many teacher will have a set
classroom seating plan already laid out, so that kids can seat with
different classmates and make new friends each semester (many will
adjust monthly or biweekly).
Then there will be a time for students to exchange their holiday stories
with each other. After all, they haven’t seen each other for quite
sometime and each has a lot share!

3. There won’t be any formal class on the first day. Teachers of different
subjects will chat a bit with the kids and let them share what they want
to. This is a very relaxed first day in comparison to how difficult classes
can be. Since this may be the first time that these teachers are meeting
the students it also allows them to introduce themselves.
What’s new?
The above is what will typically happen on the first day of the semester
every year. It can be a little boring as it’s always the same.
However, in recent years some schools have come up with some new
ideas to liven up the students first day. Among this, is there any other
ways that are more novel than a traditional worship ceremony of
Confucius? In the time of the emperors, scholars, high-level students
and officials did this to pay tribute to the Grand teacher, Confucius.

4. Participants all have to dress in Hanfu, the traditional Chinese cloth and
conduct a very formal worship dance following along to traditional
music. This ceremony is not only about Confucius, but also the god of
literacy, and other related gods in the Chinese culture.
To maintain this cultural tradition and to enrich children’s school life,
recently many elementary schools in China begin have begun to hold
this activity. So kids get the chance to experience what their ancestor
have done and to learn about their cultural heritage.
Compared to a relatively dull speech assembly, this is more fun for
children. Through the use of the clothes and dance equipment the
children are able to experience and appreciate traditional culture first
hand.
Of course, there are many other ways that schools try to make this first
day special, but no matter what happens the students feel lucky and
excited to reunite with their friends!