Getting a kick out of school

When my sister recently visited me, we talked the most about education. In Xi'an of Shaanxi province, all parents send their kids to after-school classes. My sister had been resisting the trend, believing my niece should have as much playtime as possible.

The only exception has been Taekwondo, which is "easy to learn with belts of different colors to mark the learner's level". My 10-year-old niece has shown great interest in the kicking sport since kindergarten and has won several awards in the city. Her coaches are proud of her, and my sister regards the two nights of training each week as a precious chance for her daughter to have some fun.

But, two years ago, my sister had to send my niece to an Olympic math class. Both my sister and her husband are engineers, but they couldn't quite comprehend their daughter's fourth-grade primary school math textbook.