Due to my recent poor sleep schedule, I often go to bed at two or three o’clock, which makes me sleepy and causes me to miss the first three classes. Today, during the halfway point of the fourth English class, I was awakened by the scolding of the English teacher, Lao Jiu. She completely lost her usual “temperament,” probably because two people were arguing with her. She is a very annoying person, not allowing us to drink water in class. If she catches you drinking water, she will use it as an excuse to discipline you, make you stand, and say some unnutritious words to establish her teacherly dignity (the most infuriating thing is that my classmates still thank her gratefully after she “graciously” allows them to sit down). Her daily class routine is roughly that she first has her two class representatives orally test half of the vocabulary, then she lectures for the other half. The most disgusting part is that when she tests us on vocabulary, she divides us into four small groups, choosing 1 to 2 people from each group. If that person fails, the whole group is punished ten times, and the person who failed is punished fifty times. This is simply shameless, shifting contradictions. She also often brainwashes us with meritocracy, depicting college as so wonderful. Today at noon, the head teacher also shamelessly said that we must absolutely obey and respect teachers—they are like your parents—and that if your parents make mistakes, you will also defend them. I spit on that—she is basically a spokesperson for Confucius. While I am writing this, she is still outside “heart-to-heart” explaining this to two students who were late for lunch break.
In the afternoon biology class, I didn’t listen much; everyone was drowsy. This also reflects the savage schedule of our school. Since our school moved to a very remote part of the city (I suspect it was colluding with local real estate developers because many houses were sold after the move, and rental prices are ridiculously high), many people have to take school buses, greatly extending their commute time. Take me as an example (though I am among those with longer commutes): I have to get up at 5:40, take a half-hour bus, finish school at 8:30, and get home by 9:30. This means I only have about 8 hours and 10 minutes at home, and I must go straight to sleep to get enough rest. Yet, the school shamelessly expects us to overcome this ourselves. But who is making energetic young people feel sleepy every day? Our school’s approach actually forces students to nap during class—it’s like shooting themselves in the foot. Only a reactionary, extremely fascist regime like Zhongxiu would rather whip more than give some benefits.
In the evening, I went out for a night run for about twenty minutes and played football with some new first-year students. They all seemed to not carry phones, and I didn’t communicate much with them, so I don’t know about their other situations. The evening class head teacher called me and a few other compliant students to leave for her project-based learning. I originally didn’t want to participate, but I had taken my phone back earlier for this reason, so I joined. Unexpectedly, it lasted this long—more than two weeks, with drills and practical exercises already done five or six times. Fortunately, it’s over now. It was nothing more than some awkward skits. She even praised us for acting well. After that, there’s nothing more to write.
