In early September, schools in the United States gradually start their academic year. This reminds me of the time when my child entered the first grade of elementary school.
On the first day of school, during the first lesson, American elementary schools are quite different from Chinese elementary schools. American children do not open their books to read; instead, they introduce themselves. For a six-year-old, this is not an easy task, as they have always been under the protection of their parents and now suddenly face more than twenty strangers, having to say a few words, which makes many children quite nervous.
The teacher first introduces themselves. In the United States, whether for elementary or high school students, teachers are never referred to as "teacher"; instead, students add Mr. or Mrs. before the teacher's last name. MR. SMITH, MRS. SMITH (married female teacher), MISS SMITH (unmarried female teacher).
Next, the teacher asks each student to come to the front of the class to introduce themselves. The teacher kindly guides the students on how to introduce themselves. First, the voice must be loud and clear. Second, the students should understand what they are introducing. Third, while speaking, they should look at everyone, not at the floor or the corners of the room. Fourth, their hands can be placed behind their backs or naturally at their sides, but they should not be in their pockets or fidgeting with each other.
The content of the introduction is very simple: stating their name and where they live—I believe a standard introduction for children would be a few sentences: "Hello everyone, my name is XXX, and I hope to happily make friends with everyone and learn together in the future."
Do not underestimate this short self-introduction; it is the beginning of building confidence for the children. By speaking these few sentences in a clear voice, with the correct posture and without timid eyes, it fully unleashes the potential of outgoing children while also helping introverted children to overcome their challenges.
Another activity in American elementary schools that I believe is very important for children is telling stories in front of their classmates.
In the first grade, the homeroom teacher gives each child an opportunity every week to share something they are most interested in, with no restrictions on the topic, as long as it is a healthy story.
The homeroom teacher divides the children into five groups, with about five students in each group. The first group of five students shares their interesting stories during the last fifteen minutes of the last class on Monday afternoon. The second group of five students shares on Tuesday afternoon, and so on. By Friday afternoon, every student in the class has had their turn to tell their story.
I remember my child was initially hesitant about what to talk about and how to present it. Gradually, my child became more interested, looking forward to the next week to tell a story every weekend, and even thinking about how to make their classmates laugh. One time, I bought him a new pair of pants with four pockets in the front, and he wore them to tell his classmates how wonderful the pants were—one pocket for marbles, one pocket for playing cards, one pocket for Transformers, and one pocket for toy cars... The seemingly trivial language from an adult's perspective made his classmates laugh.
When I first arrived in the United States, I often wondered how many Americans, whether politicians or students in research institutions, could stand in front of the public and give speeches without looking at notes, and yet speak vividly and engagingly. Are they naturally eloquent?
Later, I learned that Americans cultivate the ability to express themselves from elementary school. Being able to express oneself well requires not only skills but also confidence and initiative. This is very different from the education system in China. In Chinese education, only children who study performance arts are trained in expression, while the focus of the 12 years of compulsory education is on developing children's reading abilities.
In my professional experience, I have come to appreciate the importance of expression. For example, in our company, engineers in the technical department earn significantly less than salespeople in the marketing department. Initially, I thought it was unfair; technical personnel work hard on technological innovation, so why do they earn less than salespeople who do not understand technology? Gradually, I understood that no matter how good your technology is, if you cannot sell it or do not know how to market it, good technology is just a pile of waste.
The same applies in life; if you cannot express your advantages, how will anyone know about them? Cultivating the ability of American elementary school students to express themselves is more importantly about building their confidence.