The trials of a devoted mother By Liang Yiwen
2009-6-10

http://mobile.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=403629

A MOTHER from Zhejiang Province paid 100,000 yuan (US$14,628) and took a 10-month leave of absence from work to help her son prepare for the college entrance examination in Shanghai.

Yue Li, an accountant in the province's maritime sector, was in the crowd waiting outside as her son left the High School Affiliated to Fudan University, one of the 114 test centers across the city, after finishing the exam yesterday morning.

"Twelve years' pains finally come to the end," she said.

Yue was a small and slender figure holding an umbrella and waiting with other parents outside the test center. But her heart was bursting with ambition for her son's future.

Yue bought an apartment in Shanghai's Minhang District in the name of her son seven years ago to get him a Shanghai residence certificate.

"My friend advised me to do so as Shanghai has more good universities and opportunities for my son's future," she said. "The competition for out-of-town students to get admission to Shanghai universities is fiercer.

"He was studying at a Zhejiang primary school when we planned this for him."

Zhu Yuetianxing, Yue's son, transferred to Shanghai in grade nine and attended Kongjiang High School in Yangpu District. He lived alone in Shanghai but his parents visited regularly.

Last September, Yue moved to the city to help him prepare for the exam.

She rented an apartment near the school and on Saturday, the day before the exam began, they moved into a hotel near the test center.

"I have spent 100,000 yuan on my son's tuition, apartment rents and daily life expenses in Shanghai," she said.

Yue said the past 10 months were very hard for her as well as her son. He was under such great pressure that she even took him to see a psychologist.

"He had difficulty in going to sleep," Yue said. "He even felt physically ill on exam days because of the pressure."

Yue was just as nervous but she had to hide that and continue to be encouraging.

She said she hoped the college entrance examination could imitate overseas universities' application systems, with a sole exam no longer determining a student's fate.

TESTING TIMES FOR TEACHERS TOO

http://www.shanghai.gov.cn/shanghai/node17256/node18151/userobject22ai32735.html

This year was the first time Zhou Lili, a local high school teacher, had helped prepare senior students sitting their college entrance examination.

She had risen up early over the past three days to get to the test center an hour before the start of the exam and waited outside with parents to encourage her students.

"I was so nervous at the end of exams," she said. "I wanted to see happy and relaxed expressions on the students' faces as they step out of the test center each time."

But on Sunday afternoon, after the difficult math exams, many students were in low spirits, some girls were crying and some boys were even cursing.

"I was worried that the bad mood would influence their following tests," Zhou said. "I told them that if they had failed to answer the extremely difficult questions, others would have too."

Zhou comforted and encouraged her students and called parents later that afternoon to learn about those she hadn't seen and ask again about those who had been in a particularly bad mood.

Senior-grade class teachers are also under great pressure because of the exam. Both parents and schools have high expectations of those who sit the national college entrance examination.

Zhou has tried to instill a positive mental attitude in her students throughout the year by encouraging them with a range of activities in class.

She gave them a psychological quiz, a popular game among students, to rectify bad habits and played Kung Fu Panda, an animated movie, in class to encourage them.

"I feel that the movie is so touching so I played it for my students," she said.

"I had confidence in you for no reason just as Master had such blind faith in the clumsy and self-abased panda in the movie," she told her students.

Zhou's style of teaching earned her a lot of respect.

As a class teacher, Zhou usually arrived at school at 7am and leaves about 5:30pm every day to preside over morning exercise and other daily routines.

"Non-class teachers have more free time, as they can come late and leave early according to their curriculum.

"But class teachers must always be there."