As a university professor, I have been buried in theory for so long that it recently struck me: I don’t know how to do anything. By “do” I mean something concrete, something done with my hands that produces an actual product.

The trades come to mind. Whenever I call an electrician, or a mason, or a carpenter, I look on in wonder as they smoothly employ their skills. For example, I recently had a new kitchen sink fixed by a young man. He hummed (哼曲子) as he worked at the pipes, with every confidence in his abilities. When he was done, he turned on the water and it flowed forth without any leak. Is this not a minor wonder?

All of this brought me to a decision: I signed up for an adult evening course at a local technical school. The title: Basic Electricity and Wiring. When we began, I felt immediately at a loss. In an instant I was a student again in all respects: The anxiety, the self-doubt, the wondering if I had made a mistake. So I worked my way through my basic wiring course. My initial impulse (冲动) to jump ship gradually disappeared, because I came to realize that I was, indeed, acquiring a useful new skill.

Later, each student would be offered a switch and a lighting fixture (固定装置). The task was to fix them in a door frame and wire them, but not turn on the switch until the instructor was present. There I was, a professor, standing like a fresh-faced schoolboy before my setup. When I was done, I raised my hand. The instructor, a master electrician, came over to look over my job and glanced at me. “Hit the switch,” he said.

It’s hard to describe that moment. But I did feel that something bigger than myself was at risk — I’m sure that learning is not something that is completed early in life, from which point we simply move on, constantly recycling what we already know. The horizon is broader than that, and the broader the horizon, the more opportunities there are to learn something new.

If you stayed up or had a bad night of sleep last night, you know it’s difficult to stay awake in class today. Your teacher’s voice might begin to sound like a lullaby (摇篮曲). 【小题1】 To keep yourself awake, some tips are worth trying in class.

Sit in the front of the room. Why? 【小题2】 Besides, you’ll be more motivated to stay awake if you know that the teacher can see you easily. You’ll also be near the people who are more likely to participate, and the sound of their voices might keep you awake.

【小题3】 Ask and answer questions and pay attention to the lecture. This will help if you’re tired or discouraged by the content of the lecture, because you can ask your teacher questions to get to the bottom of the problems. Talking will also keep you engaged and alert. It might be helpful to make a goal for yourself to answer or ask at least 3 questions per class. 【小题4】 For example, you might say “I didn’t understand the last part of the proof. Could you explain it again in more detail?”

Listen actively to the lesson. Active listening is a great way to force yourself to stay awake because it requires engagement of your mind as well as your body. 【小题5】 To effectively listen to your teacher, you should try to maintain eye contact, face the speaker, pay close attention to what the speaker is saying and ask questions during a pause in the lecture.

“Art does not solve problems, but tells us their existence”, famous Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz once said. “Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems”

The high school entrance exams for Chinese Junior 3 students are mainly about academic subjects, such as math and Chinese. But starting from 2022, they will be tested in areas like music and art. On Oct 16, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that fine arts will be included in high school entrance exams in more provinces and cities by 2022. Twelve cities in six provinces have already started the practice, including Nanjing and Qingdao. The scores for these subjects are from 10 to 40 points. This is being done to encourage primary and secondary schools to provide more fine arts classes. They should cover subjects such as music, painting, calligraphy, dance, drama and opera. The Paper noted.

“Arts education is not just about teaching it’s about the ability to appreciate artistic beauty, which is very important for students’ mental health,” Fan Di’an, president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, told China Daily. However, the change has caused heated discussion. Many students and their parents worry about this new policy will bring too much extra work. They think that since students already have heavy academic workloads, adding new testing material would make things worse. It was also pointed out that not every, student would be talented enough to be good at these subjects. It’s really hard for tone-deaf people like me to remember melodies. So I need to do extra practice before music tests,” Zhao Hanfang, a 15-year-old student from Yunnan, told TEENS. “ So if music is included in the high school entrance exams, I might be too much stressed.”

In response to this, Jiangsu authorities said that the tests would be based on basic knowledge that comes from the students’ textbooks. The extra workload will not be difficult and shouldn’t put too much pressure on students. China Business Herald noted.