Mr. B

        I don't know how many 11 year olds I've met in my life. Can't say I remember the number or their faces, but this is all probably for good reason. Not too impressive those young'ns, mayhaps. B* is different though. B told me on the first day of class to call him Mr. B. B is fucking weird, and brilliant although I don't agree with all of his ideas. My disagreement is irrelevant because I still appreciate his theories and concepts of the world for someone who is still so young. Did I mention he's sick? Not sick physically, but in a twisted-mind-kind-of-way. He's obsessed with nuclear bombs (he brings them up every single class with a big grin on his face), and he has a non-conciliatory stance on the Chinese education system. And he's 11 years old. This is a guaranteed winning combination for the kind of class where one hour passes and you don't even notice because you're too absorbed in the direction that your student's mind is traveling in, and in his simple yet observant view of the world. I don't think I was ever that insightful at age 11. Mom... Dad?

        We were supposed to be discussing the lesson plan. Well, correction, as the teacher I was supposed to be following the lesson plan, but he's 11 years old and the lesson was on making appointments. Seriously? Regardless of his age, B* knows English better than most of the students at WEB, and I knew this lesson would neither be challenging nor interesting for him so I began asking him about his day and school.

        He's currently studying for this Olympic math test you need to take in order to go to high school. All students take this test and their score on this test eventually determines which high school they will be placed into. If you receive a high score, you'll be able to get into a great school, and vice versa: if you do poorly on the test, then you end up at a bad school. I obtained all this information from B. I asked him what makes a “bad school” a “bad school” and he told me that a “bad school” consists of bad teachers and bad students. Bad teachers are people with little to no experience. Good teachers have a lot of experience. Other than the level of experience B did not clearly distinguish the differences between good and bad teachers. Bad students are those individuals with no motivation, and kids who have “problems in the mind” (he's not referring to those who are mentally handicapped) since they show no intelligence, drive, or desire to learn. He went on to say that all the good students go to good schools.

        After he explained this I couldn't help but think the system was quite unfair. It seemed like a perpetual cycle in which students who perhaps need more inspiration and motivation are the ones who are receiving poor quality education. It seems to me that these “good teachers” are needed more in these “bad schools.” B disagreed wholeheartedly and said that “good teachers” simply couldn't teach bad students and that no one could motivate or inspire these bad students. Also, he said that good teachers only know how to teach good students, and don't know how to handle bad students. I scoffed and said that if a teacher was truly good then she should be able to teach anybody, and should try to inspire those who lack motivation.

        I ventured to ask him if he thought that a good score on this math test truly means that you are intelligent and a “good student.” He seemed to think so, even though I told him that some students perhaps need extra attention, aren't good test takers, or may learn at a different pace than other people which might result in them doing poorly on a test. I tried to tell him that a bad score for these individuals doesn't necessarily mean they're bad students or stupid. He understood my point, but he argued that China has way too many people to dish out individual, specialized attention to students who may need it. He went even further and agreed that what I might be saying could be somewhat valid, but argued that there is nothing you can do to change the system, and that's that. He said China's education system is purely based on examination scores, but he contradicted himself a little later and said the Chengdu education department is attempting to instill a quality education system to replace what they have now, which is an examination education system.

        Like I said before, the current system is based on examination scores, even at higher levels of education. For example, before you go to college you have to take an entrance exam which determines which school you'll be able to go, as well as your major. YUP, your major. The better you do on the examination, the more major options you'll be able to choose from. Some people aren't so fortunate and get stuck with obscure majors like the science of plants. I asked him if he thought changing the system was a good idea, and he replied with a resounding “NO.” He thinks that now there are, let's say, at least 10 AMAZING schools in Chengdu, and all the rest are average, but if the system were to change to a quality education system, then the quality of ALL the schools would decrease to be just “good” and those 10 amazing schools would no longer exist. He said that that's worse than having 10 wonderful schools and the rest being okay. He said his parents would be furious, and most parents would be enraged because they want the opportunity for their children to get into these top 10 schools. I asked him what if their sons or daughters received poor scores, and were unable get into these top schools? Then wouldn't everybody in the end want their children to at least get into a good school? Isn't having all good schools in your district, better than just having 10 great ones and all of the rest just average? B disagreed.

        B, B, B... and of course he HAD to somehow sneak the topic of nuclear bombs into the conversation like every single class. B is not going to build a bomb or use it, but he does have a fascination with the idea of nuclear bombs and the nuclear arms race. In fact, B is giving a speech at his school, and he's allowed to choose any topic he wants. You probably have figured out what his topic is by now... Nuclear bombs. Specifically the science behind them and how to build one (I asked him if he ran this idea with anyone at school yet, and he said he hasn't-- go figure). He loves reciting the chemical equation of nuclear fission, and I've probably heard it about 50 times from him (I swear he's not a nut job). WTF? He's done intensive research on nuclear bombs for his upcoming speech, and he definitely knows a lot about them, but I'm not impressed with his keen memory. I'm impressed by his ideas about the nuclear arms race.

         Most people think nuclear bombs are the antithesis of peace (and for good reason too), but B thinks nuclear bombs are essential in maintaing peace on Earth. Well, as B explained, a lot of countries possess nuclear weapons, but although most people possess these weapons, they're too afraid to use them because then other countries might retaliate with their nuclear weapons and then the entire country's people would be fucked. Bye bye. It creates a stalemate in which one country wouldn't dare to use their nuclear weapons in fear that the other country would do the same and wreak chaos (many of us are familiar with this concept). Then another country, perhaps an ally or enemy, might decide to join in on this nuclear tango and use their nuclear weapons, causing a giant nuclear disaster and the end of humankind. Nobody wants that. He also said that smaller countries are protected by the fact that they create and possess nuclear weapons because a bigger country is less likely to attack the smaller country knowing the smaller country has a nuclear stockpile. I've heard that one before, B, but interesting nonetheless coming from an 11 year old. In short he thinks nuclear weapons are absolutely essential in maintaining peace on this planet. Although I can hardly call what we're experiencing now on Earth “peace,” but I won't be picky at the moment.

        Needless to say I had a fun class, and the only new word B* learned was “cadaver,” but I'm not going to get into how that word came up. His English is that damn good though. Most students are constantly writing new words during lessons, but not B. With B you don't know what to expect. You just never know what's going to come out of his 11 year old mouth. So thanks B. Thanks for being unpredictable, firm in your beliefs, and unforgiving. Most of all, thanks for being so talkative and weird.

*Name is shortened to protect the identity of said lovable sicko.