Bettie Week 15: Afterschool Shenanigans
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For six and a half long years, from kindergarten to sixth grade, until COVID-19 hit, I’d survive seven grueling hours of school, dreaming of collapsing in my own comfortable bed, only to have those dreams brutally shattered by the soul-crushing reality of having to attend Chinese afterschool. After periods and periods of learning math, English, history, and science, I found myself having to learn more math and Chinese with other students in the Fremont district.
I absolutely hated going to this afterschool, as I did not want to constantly write Chinese characters, recite passages from our textbooks, learn additional advanced math, or just do anything more than the assigned homework. The head teacher was practically a tiger mom, as she forbade anyone from using electronic devices during the designated class time, highly emphasized academics, strictly enforced rules, and expected each student to behave properly.
But despite all these negative factors listed, these moments were also when I made some of the most unforgettable, enjoyable memories with my peers. As typical children and young teenagers, our attention spans were undeniably short. And we loved to yap. Or do anything that was not academic.
We especially loved having class on the second floor, as the teacher’s husband would watch over us and be much more softhearted—and we would be able to be away from the head teacher’s eyes. Of course, every now and then, the head teacher would sneak up the stairs, and we would get caught and scolded for being off task, too loud, running around with plastic chairs over our heads, and for taking advantage of being on the second floor.
As the head teacher always wore her classic black high heels, whenever she walked down the hallway, every student would be able to hear the famous “clack” of her shoes. So, whenever our entire class was goofing off, yapping amongst ourselves, or chasing each other around the classroom, once we heard the heels on the wooden floor, we would all instantly pipe down and scramble back into our seats, acting like good, proper students studying hard.
Once the old, rustic bell was rang to signify the end of class, we would always play card games during our fifteen minute breaks between classes and while we waited for our parents to pick us up at the end of the day, whether it be Egyptian War, Speed, Garbage, Big Two (we called it Raise the Pig), Spoons, Go Fish, or even building card towers—you name it. Other people would also bring out their sets of Pokemon cards, comparing, trading, and playing their own game with them, though I never really found much interest in them. In a way, without all the digital screens, these games brought the entire class close with each other, as we constantly tried to avoid the head teacher together and interacted with them through these simple activities, and sometimes, I wish I could revisit these times and relive these scary, joyous moments.
Bettie, I love all the details you used in this Blog Post to paint a vivid, multifaceted picture of your Chinese afterschool experience. It sounds unpleasant to have to spend time after school doing even more work and dealing with that "tiger mom" of a head teacher, but it's nice that the solidarity and connections you built with your classmates served as a silver lining. The way you close out the post by framing all that you have described as "scary, joyous moments" is interesting because most do not connect those two emotions, but they were connected in this instance. It makes sense; given the rigid atmosphere, the desire to "do anything that was not academic" would certainly flourish, so you all spent any moment of freedom on the second floor being chaotic. The collective desire to "avoid the head teacher together" certainly reminds me of classrooms I have been in, where there were high expectations or an otherwise unwelcoming environment, but students made the most of it by banding together and supporting each other. Of course, these personal experiences have nothing on what you endured for six and a half straight years, which is why I appreciate how effectively you described Chinese afterschool so those of us who have never experienced this can imagine ourselves in your shoes. Great job on this Blog Post!
ReplyDeleteHello Bettie! I enjoyed reading this post. It was so vivid and such a fascinating look at your afterschool life. You got me right from the beginning with your writing; I could have sworn I could hear the "clack" of the head teacher's heels echoing down the corridor! You've perfectly summed up the distinction between the stringent academic rules and the disarrayed mess that you and your friends created between the rules. The way that you described the way that you and your friends navigated through the bond you shared—stashing in enjoyment, cards, and leaping together at the warning sign of footsteps—truly emphasized how close those friendships had to have been. It is ironic how the most stressful times we experience end up being the ones we miss the most, and what you said about wishing you could relive those times was so accurate. Thanks so much for posting such a humorous and touching retrospective of your childhood—it really put a smile on my face!
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