I can’t believe it - our son has officially finished first grade in Taiwan! It’s been quite a year, full of challenges, surprises, and (let’s be honest) a lot of homework. As a parent who grew up in Poland, I can say one thing with confidence: the workload in Taiwanese schools is definitely heavier than in Poland. A lot heavier!
Our son started first grade at the age of six, which is pretty common here. In Poland, kids usually begin school at seven - first attending a preparatory year called "zerówka" (Class 0). It’s similar to kindergarten but more focused on getting ready for school. In Taiwan, kindergarten can start as early as age 3, and since most kids stay there for two or three years, by the time they’re six, they’re considered ready for first grade.
Interestingly, in Poland, this earlier start is becoming more common in the cities, but in the countryside, many kindergartens still only accept children five and older - or don’t exist at all. When I was little, I started school at five, and I was the only one in my class that young. I had to join a group of kids one year older than me - good memories, but I still remember the struggle. 😅
Class Size and Pace
Back in my elementary school in Poland, we had just 10 students in our class - 8 by the end of it! But here in Taiwan, classes usually have around 25 kids, and there are often several classes per grade. In my son’s school, there are four first-grade classes. That alone shows how different the scale of education is here.
What surprised me most is the speed of learning. Within two to three months, the kids finished learning Bopomofo (the Taiwanese phonetic alphabet), and quickly moved on to reading full Chinese words. And by the end of the school year, if your child still used Bopomofo instead of the correct character, even if the answer was technically right - it was marked as wrong. That was really frustrating, especially for a child who only started learning Chinese a couple of years ago (in the kindergarten).
Grading and Testing
The grading system is quite different too. In Poland, we grade from 1 to 6, where 5 is usually the best you get, and 6 means you went above and beyond the curriculum. In Taiwan, everything is scored in percentages, with 100% being perfect - and every little mistake reduces your score.
There are so many tests. Little ones, big ones, monthly ones, semester-end exams… Our son brought home a pile of tests. It’s like they’re always being tested. The most important subjects are Chinese, Math, and "Living"—a kind of social studies subject that teaches behavior, rules, and how to be a "good child." I sometimes feel that creativity is discouraged in favor of picking the "correct" answer that aligns with what society expects. That's a hard adjustment for me as a parent.
Summer Homework (Yes, There Is Homework in Summer!)
No, summer break doesn’t mean rest. There’s a 64-page homework book filled with Chinese and math exercises. On top of that, kids have to write two full-page stories about their summer experiences and are encouraged to read one book a day (!). And the funniest part? A reminder to exercise! Which is ironic, because during the school year, there’s very little time or opportunity for physical activity.
Take football, for example. Kids' training starts at 8 PM, which means they finish by 9, come home, shower, and probably fall asleep around 10 or later. But school starts early - most kids have to be up by 6:30 AM. That’s a long day for a six-year-old.
Summer Camps and Extra Classes
At the end of the school year, each child received a list of summer camps and extra classes - some paid, some free. There’s a limit of two activities per child, so at most, two weeks of the vacation can be filled this way. We chose football (which lasted two weeks) and badminton. Each class lasts four hours, so it’s actually a fun way for kids to play and socialize, rather than just stay home and do homework all summer.
One thing I find frustrating is the language policy. English isn’t formally taught until third grade. Instead, first graders get one hour of Taiwanese language per week—and yes, it’s graded too. But let me be honest: it feels quite useless, especially since we live in a Hakka-speaking area where barely anyone uses Taiwanese. 🤣
Our son is already juggling four languages: English, which I’ve taught him since birth, Polish, Mandarin Chinese starting in kindergarten and now at school and Taiwanese. That’s a lot for a seven-year-old! I’d be much happier if they started teaching English earlier - especially since I have no idea how to teach him to write. Not to mention, there’s so little time left in the day: he’s at school from 7:30 AM to 5 PM, and we often go out to play football around 7 PM, then come back, shower, and go straight to bed.
I can’t help but feel that the system is a bit too intense, especially for such young children.
There’s so much focus on performance, testing, and rule-following. Creativity and individuality can easily get lost in the process. I still think about how school was back in Poland - slower-paced, fewer tests, more playtime. But I also recognize that each system has its pros and cons.
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