Students in first and second grade should have no written exams while students in other grades at primary schools should only have one final exam every semester,     1     Ministry of Education said on Monday.

In a notice aimed at reducing the excessive academic workload of primary and middle school students, the ministry said middle schools will be allowed     2     (organize) one test in the middle of the semester and one at the end. Some schools   give too many tests that are too difficult. As a result, students have to frequently study hard,     3    (lead) to an exam-oriented education and a heavy academic burden, the ministry said, adding that the practice has harmed     4     (student) psychological and physical health and must be rectified. Local education authorities should not organize regional or interscholastic exams, and schools and classes should not organize week   or monthly tests, the notice said.

In addition, schools should     5     (strict) regulate the content of their final exams and make sure the difficulty does not go beyond the national syllabus (教学大纲). The exam questions should focus     6     basic knowledge and skills,     7     the number of questions should     8     (reduce), the notice said. Moreover, the exam results should be divided    9    four or five    10    (grade), without giving specific scores, the notice added.

3 . The well-known Spanish painter Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he/ she grows up.”

This is both encouraging and discouraging. The fact that we were all born to be artists is surely exciting. But the reality has proven that remaining to be an artist is a task that many of us have failed. Fortunately, some people have seen the problem and want to solve it. Western educators have suggested that we introduce the concept of “STEAM” instead of “STEM”—traditional “core majors including science, technology, engineering and math—since the “A”, which stands for “art”, is just important as well. And so did the China’s Ministry of Education. It required colleges and universities to provide more art-related courses for students. They need to earn a certain number of art credits (学分) in order to graduate.

These efforts came after many scientific studies had found that art education helps students develop self-confidence and teamwork skills, as well as habits of mind such as problem solving and critical thinking.

It’s true that none of these skills is directly connected with jobs. But as former US ballet dancer Damian Woetzel told The Atlantic, the purpose of art is “to give kids the tools to become adults who are creative, adaptable and expressive— capable of having their eyes and ears and senses alive. And we can now see how we lost track of our born “artist self” on our way to growing up: we failed to keep our capabilities to see, hear and feel, and became blind, deaf and insensitive adults.

Hopefully, art education can help turn things around.

5 . You should always support your kids and their natural talents. And if you nurture （培养） them, great things will happen. That's what 9-year-old Joe Whale's parents thought when they encouraged their son to keep drawing, even though he got into trouble for doodling （涂鸦） during class.

They sent Joe to an after school art class and his artistic abilities were quickly noticed by those around him. In fact, Joe was invited to decorate the dining room of the "Number 4” restaurant in Shrewsbury, England. Now, Joe is known as The Doodle Boy and has his own website, as well as social media pages showing off his awesome art.

According to Greg, Joe's dad, his son has always loved drawing and "was added to the Gifted register in primary school aged 4”. Greg also mentioned how long it took Joe to finish his drawings on the dining room walls in the restaurant. "Joe spent about 12 hours illustrating the wall."

What's more, Greg had some advice for parents who want to encourage their kids to develop their talents: "I would advise parents to encourage their children to always follow their passion and dreams - research local workshops or groups within your local community."

Joe's teacher recognized his talent and posted his work on Instagram. His drawings caught the eye of the "Number 4" restaurant which asked him to come over and decorate their walls with his doodles. Now, his dad drives him there so he can draw his heart out. Who knew that drawing in an after-class program would lead Joe to get his first job at barely 9 years old?

6 . The parenting styles of parents in the United States are often criticized. One type of parenting that is criticized is a helicopter parent. This kind of parents hover over their children like helicopters, which means these parents are always on top of their children.

While being an aware and involved parent is not a bad thing, helicopter parents take it to the extreme. The actions of helicopter parents actually hurt children, by not teaching them to be responsible for their actions. For example, a helicopter parent would call their adult college-age child to wake them up to go to class, when part of college is learning to be responsible and learning to manage your own time. Helicopter parents are also overly worried about their kids getting hurt. This means helicopter parents hold back their child's natural curiosity. Part of growing up means your kid has to get hurt, physically and emotionally. This is how lessons are learned. Instead, the kids of helicopter parents can grow up to be overly needy, dependent adults. Some people blame the rise of helicopter parenting on the rise of cell phones. Mobile phones make it easier for parents to track their kids all the time.

The opposite of the helicopter mom is the free-range mom. The free-range mom follows a slow parenting style, meaning she lets her kids explore the world at their own pace with little direction. The name free-range comes from the idea that kids should have the freedom to explore their world or range in a way that makes sense to them. This often means that free-range moms will not schedule activities like extra classes or play dates for their kids. Instead a free-range mom will just let her child play in a park. There is less of an emphasis on things like the latest toys.

7 . As a children’s author, I don’t just write books. I build bridges. I carefully construct each of my stories to connect readers to the story itself, to the characters in the story, and to other readers.

My goal is to build kids’ social-emotional learning skills to help improve healthy relationships and prevent peer cruelty. And since October is National Bullying Prevention Month, this is the perfect time to share with you, dear book lovers, how literature can be used as an effective tool to address hurtful behaviors.

What I’m describing here is nothing new. For years, children’s literature has been used by advisors, parents, teachers, and librarians to address tough issues kids face in their everyday world.Researchers report that literature, with proper adult guidance and assistance in a safe social setting,can help form viewpoint and empathy (同情) in young readers. And let’s face it: the more empathy and compassion kids have in their hearts, the less room there is for arrogance and contempt (蔑视) of others.

I love what Dr. Zipora Schectman, author ofTreating Child and Adolescent Aggression Through Bibliotherapy, said in the book: “Through the imaginative process that reading involves, children have the opportunity to do what they often cannot do in real life — become thoroughly involved in the inner lives of others, better understand them, and eventually become more aware of themselves.”

Because the social world of today’s children is very complex, I try to include in my stories the wisdom and insights of young readers, so that my books go hand in hand with their life experiences and views.

There are also many other wonderful books that generate thoughtful conversations (my website lists my top picks-from pre-school to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction). If you’re looking for ways to turn stories into teachable moments, visit authors’ or publishers’ websites for ready-made lesson plans. With lessons in hand, you’re ready to open the hearts and minds of young readers to new perspectives and possibilities!

9 . Experience-Based Education

Everyone is familiar with traditional education. You sit in a class and a teacher teaches. This is an important part of development. But at some point, every individual has to take charge of their own education. To do this, one must look at the root of learning .     1    

    2     This is because unfamiliar experiences require much more of our attention. And we are in a better state to learn something new. Honestly, someone who never experiences the same thing twice will never have a chance to benefit from anything learned. However, new experiences are generally what make people interesting and push them to grow.

Highschool is a new experience. College is a new experience. However, at some point traditional education becomes repetitive. It is not that you won’t learn anything else, but that the environment is so familiar .     3    

To solve this, an individual needs to introduce new experiences into their life. You may spend a summer in a different part of the country or learn a new language through trial and error. You can also go to a drive-in movie or some other entertainment event that is new to you.     4    

These types of experiences often result in very little “book knowledge”. Instead, they will often provide you with a better understanding of yourself as you experience your reaction to different situations.     5     It can be invaluable for you to work effectively with others. Becoming a well-rounded human isn’t something that happens by accident. You can spend your entire lifetime developing your potential.

10 . There are many differences in the way different cultures raise kids. International visitors can’t help but notice the fact that children are special in China. However, the way some Chinese people treat these very special kids may shock some foreign visitors.

When I told a Chinese mother her child was beautiful, I was nonplussed when she replied, “ No, she’s not; she’s ugly.” Since that time I have heard many similar comments, including, “No, he’s not bright; he’s stupid.” This is a huge cultural difference that needs to be understood when you talk about kids with your international visitors.

Someone explained it to me, “ We Chinese don’t want to appear too proud.” I’m sure there are other people in the world who feel the same way, but most people in my country would consider you a terrible parent if you said your kid was stupid or ugly. They would think you were destroying the child’s self-confidence. When we Americans say something good about our child we don’t think we are being proud because we are saying it about the child, not about ourselves. In this way, we separate the child from the parents as two different persons.

You may think I sound too proud when I freely say to another westerner: “ My daughter is smart and pretty.” Of course, I still have to teach her not to be proud, but I can be proud of her. It’s just the way she was made, and I’m thankful for that. So, in the US when we say something nice about our own kids, it is not considered being too proud but rather, being thankful and being a good parent.