Since our six-year-old started first grade in Taiwan this September, I’ve experienced firsthand just how rigorous the academic environment is here. As a Polish parent, I never anticipated just how intense it would be for such young children. It’s only October, and he’s already preparing for a big test—a *big* test for a six-year-old! This past week alone has been filled with numerous smaller tests, seemingly non-stop. To add to the stress, there’s a looming typhoon that could potentially cause school closures, so what does the school do? They assign extra homework to cover the days off!
In just one week, he’s been given a huge amount of work: usually, he has assignments in three textbooks (two pages each per day), but now he also has two extra A1-sized sheets to complete each day. I can’t help but think this is too much for a child his age. In fact, they’ve had to read since day one! The amount of work they’re given for these “off” days is overwhelming, and weekends and holidays are no exception—they all come with homework. Hearing from parents of older children, I worry about what winter and summer holidays will be like, as I’ve heard the homework load is enormous. So, when do they actually get free time? Next year, we plan to spend our winter break and Lunar New Year with family in Poland, but it seems we’ll have to carry lots of books and, instead of relaxing and enjoying time with family, we’ll be stuck doing homework!
This experience has shown me some surprising aspects of Taiwan’s education system, and as much as I respect the dedication to academics, there are things I just can’t get on board with. For one, school starts extremely early—our son has to be at school by 7:30 a.m., which is challenging for him. He rarely has time to eat a proper breakfast; sometimes he’ll manage just a small slice of bread or a banana before heading out, which I don’t think is enough for a full morning. Since he can’t bring food to school, he has to wait until lunch around noon. By the time he finishes after-school daycare around 5 p.m., he’s so hungry that he’ll eat two dinners within an hour of getting home. This can’t be a healthy routine for a growing child!
For a six-year-old, managing school and homework has become incredibly demanding. It’s a stark contrast to what I knew from Poland, where young children are given time to ease into academics without the stress of constant tests and heavy assignments. I don’t think we even had tests this early on, and elementary school in Poland doesn’t start until age seven, not six.
Is this rigorous routine worth it in the end? Kids seem to lose their childhood, growing up to become busy, overworked adults with little freedom until retirement. It’s no wonder that the rate of depression here is so high.
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