it's that time of year

My poor ninth graders. They are only a few days away from the all-important exam that will decide which high school they will get into.

This is extremely important because the high school they get into has a direct bearing on the university they get into, which decides what they will study, which decides how much money they will make in life and in a place like Shenzhen, money means happiness.

So pretty much, this exam dictactes the future happiness of the students I have come to love and respect. It's a pretty intense thought. Poor 14 year-olds.

Below is an article from the China Post that illustrates the importance of the exams in China.

THE CHINA POST, JUNE 5, 2007 - ON AN ARTICLE FROM THE PEOPLE'S DAILY

This year has even seen the manufacture of "cheating shoes," the People's Daily said.

Police had found some 42 pairs, selling for about 2000 Yuan each, in a flat in Shenyang, the provincial capital, the paper said, adding that they -- along with "cheating wallets" and hats -- had proven popular.

Exam supervisors had also been charged with ensuring that no devices, whether concealed in wrist watches or underwear, would escape the dragnet, the paper said.

Some media reported nutritionists prescribing exam-friendly diets and parents scrambling to find attention deficit disorder drugs to give their children an edge.

Other media sources reported that air traffic controllers in Anhui province ordered a plane bound for Huangshan city to divert elsewhere on Thursday afternoon, due to parents' concerns for their children's concentration during an English language comprehension test.

Roads near exam venues have been closed to ensure students arrive on time and nearby hotels have been booked out by parents, many of whom will sweat outside in temperatures tipped to exceed 36 degrees.

I guess the importance of the exam in China hasn't changed all that much from pre 20th century China. As a teacher, an outsider and a deplorable test-taker, I can't help feeling that there has to be a better way.