Hello, 3rd Grade! 🎒📚 Strange Things About Taiwanese Schools

The summer break is officially over, and it’s time for 3rd grade for our son!

Well… technically, Adrian was supposed to start a few days earlier. 😂

There was a school day on August 28th, but we completely missed it. Oops.

Apparently, it was just a little meeting to prepare the kids for the new school year, but somehow the teacher even called us asking why Adrian wasn’t there.

Well… by the time we realized what was happening, it was already 9 a.m. The school hours were from 7:30 to 10:00, so at that point I thought, yeah, we’re probably not going anymore. 😂

Taiwanese schools are funny sometimes.

Why do they organize school meetings during summer break?!

There was actually one while we were in Poland too. And I keep wondering… how many kids actually show up to these things?

Maybe more for the one right before school starts, but in the middle of summer? I imagine not that many.

I’ve even seen posts from people I know who simply went travelling because, once school starts, there is so little time to do anything.

So… August 31st was officially Adrian’s first day of 3rd grade.

And speaking of school… let’s talk about homework

Thankfully, Adrian finished most of it before we went to Poland. After he came back, he still had one 250-word essay to write.

That was on top of one other essay and 64 pages of homework.

And this was just the end of 2nd grade.

Yeah… I can imagine it will probably only get worse from here. 😂

Adrian was pretty lazy about doing the homework after coming back from Poland. And honestly, I can understand him.

He had just spent his summer in Poland where, as far as he could see, none of the kids had piles of homework waiting for them.

Sorry, Adrian, but… you live in Taiwan. 

At the same time, I do sometimes feel that all this studying will mean he knows a lot more than children in Poland. I could already see quite a difference in what the kids knew.

Poland has also gone in the direction of reducing or banning homework in primary schools, which, personally, I think is a pretty stupid idea.

But maybe that’s just the Polish mom in me talking. 

And then came the school supplies…

On the first day, Adrian had SO. MANY. THINGS. to carry. 

And it seems there still a few missing, that wasn't mentioned before or some that need 24 colours now, but we have those in less shades... 

Taiwanese schools really do love asking parents to buy all kinds of supplies right when the school started.

I remember when I was a kid in Poland, we obviously had school supplies, but I don’t remember bringing an entire mini household to school on the first day.

Unless something was needed for a specific class, we didn’t just keep everything at school from day one.

And definitely not things like jump ropes, toothbrushes, bowls, lunch bags and all sorts of other “essential” items.

So yeah…The pile of stuff just keeps growing. 😂

Wait… the classmates changed too?!

Another new thing for me this year - apart from the teacher changing, which is completely normal as the kids get older - is that the classmates changed too.

Yes, you read that correctly.

They mixed the kids into different classes again.

So from Adrian’s previous class, there are only four kids in total in his new class, including Adrian.

Everyone else has been mixed together from the other four classes. And honestly… I find it both funny and annoying.

From the kids’ perspective, they make friends, they enjoy spending time together, they get comfortable with their classmates…

And then: NOPE. TIME TO SEPARATE YOU AGAIN. 😂

I mentioned before that there was a large group of kids who went to the same kindergarten and then continued to the same elementary school.

When they first started elementary school, the kids were mixed so much that Adrian ended up being the only one from his kindergarten group in his class. He literally knew nobody.

Now, finally, there are three other kids from that original group with him.

And then they mix everyone again!

Can someone please explain the logic behind this to me?

Because I honestly don’t get it.

Is there some educational reason for constantly changing the classes? Is it to make the kids socialize with more people?

Or do Taiwanese schools just enjoy making parents and children adjust to new classmates every year?

I’m genuinely curious.

The first day is LONG

Adrian started at 7:30 in the morning and finished at 5:10 p.m.

So yeah… A whole LONG day.

And of course, there was more paperwork.

Every year we have to fill out basically the same forms again and again. Sometimes I feel like I’ve already filled out the exact same information two or three times. 😂

And, as always, there were already some payments to make. Apart from the books and materials that are actually required, there always seem to be extra things that need to be purchased.

Because apparently children cannot have even five minutes of rest from studying and homework.

And then… I discovered we need a FLUTE

Yes.

A flute.

Apparently, Adrian needs to learn to play the flute at school, and we have to purchase one.

This is completely normal in Taiwan, apparently.

For me? Not normal at all!

I don’t remember anyone in Poland having to buy an instrument and bring it to school.

So the next day, I had to run around town looking for a flute. And apparently, every stationery shop sells them?! Is a flute basically a stationery item in Taiwan?! 😂

Anyway, I finally found one. I thought: Great! Done! Mission accomplished!

I went to pay and the clerk suddenly asked me: “Are you sure this is the one you need?”

Excuse me?! Apparently, there are German-style and English-style recorders.

I stood there completely confused. I had NO idea there were different types. Apparently, it was written in the school book...

My husband had obviously read it and decided that this was not important information to pass on to me.

Or maybe he didn’t know there were different types either. 😂 The only thing he told me was which colours were NOT allowed. Because apparently, even the colour matters when you play.

So I saw a white one, thought it was the right one, grabbed it and thought: Finally! I’m done!

But no. Of course not. 😂

In the end, I took photos of the flute and sent them to the teacher to make absolutely sure I was buying the correct one. The answer came later… After I had already gone home. 

So now I have to go back again. Flute shopping: Round 2. 🎶😂

And this is only the beginning of 3rd grade.

If the first few days are already like this, I’m slightly scared to see what the rest of the school year has in store for us.

Welcome back to school, Adrian!

Hello, 3rd grade.

We are ready…well, mostly ready. 😂

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Two Worlds of School: Poland vs Taiwan (From a Parent’s Perspective)

I would want to say “Happy Summer Holidays”… but “holidays” and Taiwan in one sentence don’t really seem to exist 😅

Why? Let me tell you…

My son has just finished second grade in Taiwan, and every year I find myself comparing his school life with what I remember from growing up in Poland. The differences still surprise me, sometimes even shock me.

My own elementary school schedule was usually 8:00–12:25, and even in high school it was typically 8:00–14:10. On some days we even finished at 12:30. There was still time left in the day to simply be a kid outside of school.

We also had two proper meal breaks. Around 9:30–9:45 there was what we called a “second breakfast,” and later a lunch break from 13:10–13:30. It created a clear rhythm to the day, and school never felt like it consumed everything.

Here in Taiwan, the rhythm feels completely different...

Even in elementary school, the schedule is already long. Right now my son’s school day usually runs from 7:30 to around 12:30, with one day finishing at 15:30. But starting from Grade 3, it will be 15:30 most days of the week, with only one day finishing at 12:30 and one at 13:50.

And on top of that, he stays in after-class care to finish homework. That alone extends his day even further, sometimes until around 17:10. 

So in reality, he spends most of his day at school.

And unlike in Poland, there is usually only one meal break, and children aren’t allowed to bring food from home! That makes the day feel even longer, especially for young kids.

What surprises me most is that even though school officially starts at 7:30, I often see children leaving home at 6:30 already fully ready for the day. And many don't back home until 20:00-21:00 when they finish cram school.

Then comes the part that made me laugh (and cry a little).

Summer homework arrived.

More than 60 pages - half Maths, half Chinese. 😭 

Plus to write two stories - 250 words long.

So… summer holiday? Are we sure?

At the same time, on Tuesday and Wednesday Adrian was still writing end-of-year exams! I never had that lol

So even in the final days before the holiday officially starts, there are still exams happening and summer homework is already waiting.

In Poland, the end of the school year feels completely different. Many children barely attend the last 2 weeks because teachers have already finished giving final grades. The year slowly winds down instead of stretching into more exams and assignments.

Even Adrian’s exam level surprised us. My husband looked at the Chinese sections and said it felt more like Grade 4 material than Grade 2! So it’s not only me feeling that the expectations can be intense. 

For me, the comparison is clear: this feels more like the workload I remember from junior high school than elementary school, except maybe for the final exam in Grade 6 (now Grade 8 after elementary and junior high were combined).

We didn’t have constant exams and endless homework. Even in high school there was no summer homework. Seriously - none!

On top of that, family life also shapes how all of this feels.

My husband works in another city most of the time and often stays in hotels. After 8 years in Taiwan, I feel like we’ve only actually spent around 4 of those years living together normally. He’s always somewhere else for work, always moving between cities.

So when I look at my son’s daily routine - long school hours, after-class study time, homework, exams, and early mornings, it all adds up quickly.

Winter somehow feels even sadder. By the time Adrian finishes after-class study, it’s already getting dark. Although Taiwan doesn’t have huge seasonal daylight changes like Poland, seeing kids come home when the day is already ending still makes school feel endless.

In the end, it’s just two very different systems and two very different ideas of what childhood, school, and free time should look like.

So instead of saying: Happy summer holidays ☀️

Maybe here it’s more like: Good luck with your summer assignments 😆

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The Homework Overload: Taiwan’s First Grade Demands Too Much from Kids

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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How Much Does Public Elementary School Cost in Taiwan?

As a parent, you might assume that public elementary schools in Taiwan are entirely free, that's true, but of course there are various additional costs involved. Recently, we received the payment breakdown for my son's school, and I wanted to share our experience with others who might be curious about the actual expenses.

The first payment we received was quite modest - only 310 NT. This covered six items, including books and exam papers. However, despite this payment, my son has a lot more books at school, so I’m not sure why we only had to pay for those specific ones. It could be that certain materials are subsidized by the school or the government.

The first payment we received came in during the first week of school. Since it was such a manageable sum, we simply gave the money to our son to deliver directly to his teacher. The payment details were listed on a piece of paper glued into his parent-teacher communication book (I’m not entirely sure what to call it, but it’s essentially a notebook where teachers and parents exchange information). The next day, he took the money to school, and his teacher wrote a note acknowledging receipt of the payment. It was a simple and straightforward process.

Extracurricular Activities

In addition to the basic school fees, we also had the opportunity to enroll our son in an extracurricular club. After considering all the options, we chose the table tennis club for him, which was the most affordable at 2,000 NT for the semester. It's probably the only activity suitable for a six-year-old, and while I don't think he would have much fun playing with clay for an entire semester, I know he's not interested in playing the violin either - and that option was much more expensive.

He does like soccer, and it would have been a great choice, but unfortunately, the school is undergoing renovations, and the lack of space means there’s no real opportunity for them to play. In fact, this year, they won’t even be able to organize the usual sports day because of the space constraints.

As for table tennis, he hasn’t started playing yet since the club activities are scheduled to begin after the Mid-Autumn Festival. His lessons will take place on Tuesdays, with the first one planned for September 24. It’s nice to see him excited about trying something new, and I’m hopeful that it will become a fun and rewarding part of his school week.

Choosing the right extracurricular activity can be tricky, especially when options are limited by age, space, and cost, but so far, we feel good about our decision!

General School Fees

Starting in the third week of school, we finally received the details for the school fees, which gave us a clear picture of the total costs for the semester. What I appreciate is that the school gives parents plenty of time to make the payment - the due date is set for the end of October. This longer timeframe is really helpful because it means you don’t have to rush or worry about immediate payment, giving families some breathing room to organize their finances.

Although public school itself is technically free, there are still various mandatory fees. Here’s a breakdown of what we had to pay for this semester:

- Insurance: 200 NT

- Parents’ Committee: 100 NT

- Textbooks: 485 NT

- Study Fee: 343 NT

- Local Language Book (Taiwanese): 115 NT

- Other Fees: 1,701 NT

- After-School Care: 7,680 NT

- Lunch Fee: 4,815 NT

In total, these fees came to 15,439 NT. When added to the previous payments (the books and exam papers plus the table tennis club), the total cost so far is 17,749 NT for the semester.

Additional Costs: Supplies and Uniforms

Of course, this total doesn’t include school supplies or uniforms. We spent around 1,200 NT on uniforms alone. The school advised that the uniform can last for two years, but I’m skeptical about that. The white and blue color combination is prone to getting dirty very quickly, and even washing machines can’t keep the white parts clean. Unless we’re okay with the uniforms looking very worn out, I doubt they’ll survive a full two years of use.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the monthly cost for my son’s public elementary school is less than 3,000 NT. While it's a bit more expensive than his previous kindergarten fees, it’s still very affordable compared to many other options. I’ve heard of much higher costs, especially at private schools, where tuition and additional fees can be significantly more.

After-school care, which is a necessity for many working parents, is also reasonably priced for us, though I know that in some places it can cost several thousand NT per month. Despite the higher prices, these programs are still quite popular. I always see plenty of kids heading to cram schools after regular school hours. It seems like a common practice here, especially with how competitive the education system can be.

Of course, kids going to cram schools are getting extra learning opportunities, but from what I’ve seen, the after-school care my son attends mainly focuses on finishing homework. There isn’t any extra studying involved, which actually leaves the kids with more free time. Personally, I don’t think a 6-year-old needs to spend 12 hours a day studying. I always feel bad for the kids who are stuck in this kind of routine. One of my son’s friends from kindergarten goes to a cram school and doesn’t finish until 6 PM. What’s surprising is that the parents don’t seem especially busy - I see them around at different times during the day - yet they still send their child to study, instead of letting them enjoy a bit of free time.

I just can’t bring myself to do that. My son loves to play, and honestly, he won’t sit down and study at home on his own. Once he finishes his homework at after-school care, which wraps up around 5 PM, he’s free for the rest of the day. When he was in kindergarten, he came home around 4 PM, so the difference in timing isn’t that big. We usually head to the park for an hour, and then there’s still plenty of time for him to eat dinner and either play at home or watch cartoons. It feels like a healthier balance to me - he’s learning and doing his homework but also getting to enjoy his childhood.

I’ve actually written a blog post comparing the differences between schools in Taiwan and Poland, where I go into more detail about this. You’re welcome to check it out and share your thoughts!

Have you experienced similar costs at your child’s school? Feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions in the comments below!

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Our Son Starting Elementary School - Comparing Schools in Taiwan and Poland

As the new school year approaches, I've been reflecting on the differences between the education systems in Taiwan and Poland, especially as our son is about to start elementary school in Taiwan. 

On August 24th (Saturday) we attended a parents' meeting at his school. It was a chance to meet his new teacher, bring in supplies, and learn about the school's procedures, like where to gather for pick-up—there are three gates to choose from. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. While the parents were briefed on school renovations and upcoming plans, the kids stayed in the classroom. Unfortunately, our son didn't have any of his kindergarten friends in his new class. There are five classes in his grade, with each class having around 24-25 students.

The school year officially starts on August 30th, but for the first few days, school ends earlier, with pick-up at noon. A typical school day in Taiwan starts early - we need to arrive between 7:00 and 7:30 AM, with a 15-minute reading session before classes begin at 8:00 AM. Most days, school finishes at 12:20 PM, except on Tuesdays, when it extends until 3:30 PM. There's also an after-school daycare program available until 5:00 PM, though the exact cost hasn't been announced yet - it usually costs around NT$10,000 per semester, depending on the number of kids enrolled.

In addition to regular classes, the school offers various extracurricular activities, such as football, basketball, dance, karate, and ping pong. These classes come at an extra cost, typically NT$2,500 for 14 lessons. It can get quite expensive if you want your child to participate in a different activity each day.

Taiwanese students also face more exams and study more intensely than those in Poland. It's a different approach to education, and one that I'm still getting used to as we navigate this new chapter in our son's life. The school system here is more rigorous, but it also offers a lot of opportunities for growth and development.

See also: Costs of Public Elementary School in Taiwan

Language education is another key difference. In Taiwan, children aren't allowed to learn English until the 3rd or 4th grade, whereas in Poland, English is now taught starting in kindergarten. Polish students typically are studying a foreign language in the 1st grade, usually English. This early exposure gives Polish children a better chance of becoming proficient in multiple languages. A second foreign language is added later on. I learned English and German, and some schools may offer other choices, such as French or Spanish. I've heard that in bigger cities, they now offer languages like Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, even in kindergartens, to include many foreign kids in the education. Due to the war, Ukrainian is probably also more common in Poland nowadays.

The school provides textbooks and some supplies, but we still had to buy items like crayons, pens, and the school uniform, which is only worn twice a week on exercise days. Another unique item the school requires is a special head cover, which doubles as a pillow for naps and can be used in case of an earthquake.

In terms of school supplies, in Poland, at least in the past, supplies like textbooks were not provided, and parents had to purchase them. While education in Poland is entirely free, in Taiwan, parents used to have to pay for a semester of schooling. However, this year, it seems that there is no tuition fee except for after-school programs, though we'll know more details later. Both countries offer subsidies for low-income families, ensuring that all children have access to education.

One of the most striking differences I've noticed between Taiwan and Poland is how children are picked up from school. In Taiwan, all kids are picked up at the school gate, either by their parents or by cram school teachers. Almost all kids attend some form of after-school class, whether at the school itself or at a cram school. This means that our son will also stay for these after-school sessions since I can't help him with his homework, and my husband works from home or returns late in the evening, often around 8 or 9 PM, and still has work to do.

In Taiwan, parents often work long hours, so it's common for grandparents to pick up the kids or for them to stay at cram schools until late in the evening, sometimes as late as 9 or 10 PM. 

Due to busy work schedules, many events in Taiwan are held on Saturdays, sometimes even at night, so that parents can attend. In Poland, parent-teacher meetings typically took place between 2-3 PM, as schools usually closed by 4 PM at the latest. However, in Taiwan, at least in kindergarten, these meetings were organized after classes, around 7 PM. I’m not sure about elementary school yet, but it's unlikely to be during the day since most parents wouldn’t be able to attend. The annoying part is that speeches and other activities often occupy Saturdays. While this might not happen frequently, it still takes up your free time, as you end up spending half or even the whole day at school. It’s also hard for me to imagine...

In Poland, except for Christmas events, which were typically held in the evening, and a few make-up days on Saturdays with very low attendance, nothing happened after school or on weekends - at least not when I was going to school. Even now, seeing my niece and nephew, their classes are short, and their weekends are occupied with other activities that their parents organize for them.

In contrast, my memories of elementary school in Poland are quite different. Classes usually started around 8:00 AM or later, and in the first grade, school often finished around noon. We didn't have after-school care or many extracurricular activities to choose from, especially in smaller towns. In cities, there might have been more options, but I'm not very familiar with those. In Poland, one parent often works part-time or stays at home, especially when kids are younger. This makes it challenging for single parents, as school hours are shorter, and the lack of after-school care can be a problem.

Parents enter the school and pick us up there. We typically waited at the entrance after changing our shoes and taking our jackets in the winter. In Taiwan, there is no special room for changing clothes like we had, and kids don’t change shoes in class but walk in with their outdoor shoes. Additionally, kids in Taiwan have to clean their classrooms and the school surroundings - something unimaginable in Poland!

Poland doesn’t have school uniforms in public schools. There was a time, around when I was 14 years old, when the government decided that we should wear uniforms in schools. It didn’t last long, only about a year, because the students were against it. After all, we weren’t little kids anymore; we were at an age where we wanted to express our individuality and have our own style. It felt really terrible, like a lack of freedom. The uniforms disappeared soon enough and were never brought back. In Taiwan, however, it's quite common to see kids in uniforms, specific to each school.

We really had plenty of freedom in school. We could dye our hair, and nobody cared much about our hairstyles. Later on, there was also less concern about our clothes - some might say that not everything was very school-appropriate, but nobody really got into trouble because of it. 

The first time I dyed my hair was in late elementary school. It was a kind of cherry color, as it was popular at the time, and both my mother and aunt were dyeing their hair. I did it during the summer holidays, but the color didn’t fade out by the time school started. The teachers didn’t have a problem with it. It was also common back then to lighten our hair to make it blonder and brighter. After that, I also often had purple shades in my hair, as it was a common color to find in dye. I like pink, but it’s not as easy to achieve on hair as purple.

Another aspect that stands out is the physical condition of the schools. I've noticed that schools in Taiwan appear more poorly maintained compared to those in Poland. The walls are often dirty and seem never to be repainted. In Poland, schools are more tidy and are repainted every 1-2 years. This difference extends to houses in Taiwan as well, where people often don’t repaint for 30-40 years, resulting in a more worn and aged appearance.

Overall, the differences between the two systems reflect broader cultural and societal values. While the Taiwanese system is more rigorous and exam-focused, the Polish system offers a more relaxed approach with earlier language education and a greater emphasis on maintaining the physical environment of schools. As we adapt to the Taiwanese way of doing things, I'm hopeful that our son will find his own path to success in this new environment.

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