Seven Classes in a Day

Yesterday, I had seven classes. It started at 3 in the afternoon and ended at 12 midnight. Of course, the classes were not non-stop. I have one hour breaks and two hour breaks.

On my last class, one of my students, Kevin, was so tired. He excused himself, probably to wash his face. Then, he shut his eyes. The time was 11:30 in the evening.

Students here study so hard. After their regular school, they go to hagwons (or cram schools) to learn more english and math. They do this for five days in a month. They rest only on Saturday then study again on Sunday. Then it is the same cycle all over again.

Do students really have to study this hard? Why can't they just stay at home and study on their own?

I guess they have to. The hagwons give them a special incentive for studying. English classes. for example, teach the students how to read the stories. Then, questions are given at the end to test students' comprehension. If the parents only know the Korean language, they need somebody else to do the teaching for them.

Hagwon classes are usually one hour per teacher. One hour each for two Korean teachers wherein one teaches reading the story in Korean and the other teaches grammar. Both are in Korean. Then a one hour class for English.

After a month, a student can read and comprehend the story in English. Those students in the advanced levels can read and comprehend the stories in a shorter time. But they are few.

I remember studying this hard as well. But not in grade school or high school. I studied only this hard when I was already in the university. Sleeping only for a few hours in order to study a batch of lessons for one class. Even had lots of papers to write. It was that hard.

When we had a computer at home, it was easier. I can type the papers directly on the computer and save it on the disk. Then I would take the disk to school to have my paper printed there. It was that easy.

Well, not really easy. It just took me a shorter time to finish the papers. But the studying was even harder. I have more books to read and understand. They were not story books. I have to read a lot of Anthropology and Sociology books. On top of that, I have to read the other books used in my university. It was that hard.

My grandparents' house in Quezon City was far from my school. I have to take the jeepney to get to my school. The buses do not reach my grandparents house and even if they do, I would end up running after them.

Back then, the only means of transportation available are thru jeepneys and buses. The FX taxis which are common now are non-existent then. So by taking the jeepneys, I would reach school with a dirty shirt. My yellow polo shirt will be colored dirty yellow.

Some of my classmates own cars. Their parents give them allowance for gasoline, food and other items. My allowance back then is the highest among us siblings. Why?
Because I spend more than half in transportation. That expense is fixed. So if I need to buy other things, I need to save money on that. Or I take a part-time job.

But part-time jobs for students from my school are difficult to obtain. When Hiring Managers see a resume of a student from my school, they immediately turn down the application. They have a lot of experience of students quitting or not showing for work from my school. So instead of hiring the students, they just turn down the applications.