Getting rich teaching Hong Kong's kids | Unreported World
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Unreported World travels to Hong Kong to meet the students aiming for success in one of the most competitive exam environments in the world. Reporter Marcel Theroux meets one man who's made his fortune from parents desperate to get their kids into university, millionaire Lamborghini-driving 'super tutor' Richard Eng. And he explores whether the system means children from poorer families in the region are simply being outgunned in the academic race.
This episode first aired on 10/05/13
Subscribe to our channel for more Unreported World episodes / unreportedworld .
GOOD NEWS:
JJ passed the exams. He went to University where he was captain of their champion volleyball team. Congrats JJ!👏👏👏
*MORE* GOOD NEWS:
After graduation JJ played some professional volleyball in Hungary. Go JJ!!!🎉
dude for real? where you found out
In august
Wow 👍👍👍
Oh wow, i am so happy to hear this. I hope he will achieve what he wants in life and live happily..
@@MemosaS omg,. I knew I heard that voice before!! He's Louis Theroux's brother. Sounds soooo similar!
"Is not important for JJ to go to the university, the most important thing is for him to be happy".
JJ Dad had the best advice for him.
One hundred percent!
His life will be hard, it's not realistic
@strawberry_shortcake4life The real reason the "Asian stereotype" exist.
Miss MAKATA o don’t think u know what asian parent are like lol... university =happiness no questions asked. And not even university is good enough u gotta be studying engineering/medicine/ science. But Hong Kong is really competitive because of the high population so exams are 10000 times harder than European of American ones .
But let’s be real. This is Asia. As someone growing here, it’s suck. Happiness will never feed us. Competition here is so hard. So damn scary. I don’t even study anymore and I still remember the fear.
Follow up in 2020
JJ got into university and graduated in sport and education, which actually his volleyball skill may be helped a bit for admission
However he didn’t become pe teacher, instead he joined a team in Hungary, became the first professional volleyball player in Hong Kong history
Brilliant
Any reference?
I'm kind of curious, and at the same time concerned about him
@@muhammadhafizhhawari1613 facebook.com/psevolleyballteam/photos/a.292190957641571/1086226678237991
This team, jj kai was in the team banner photo
Source: Trust me bro
@@williampiglee Great work on following up! Glad for JJ's bright future and for his parents who must be extremely proud. Hopefully he and his folks can move to the opposite, rich side of the bay, near Richard.
I checked it out. It appears to be true!
“Teacher” looks and behaves like a skincare salesman. 😂
Lmao 😂
Indeed
Hahaha
yea lol HE CUT HIS EYE BROWS JUST TO SHOW HIS SKIN
@@-hiro-5995 Cut them? Lol. I guess you've never seen a lash curler, have you?
when JJ speaks english more with the reporter than with the tutor
its all about the appearance. even the kid said the dude gives him confidence
Clear signs they’re not learning much and not even know it! A trap of false capitalistic hope!
These tutorials are for exam skills rather than English skills.
@@maicho25 just because something's expensive doesnt meen its superior ^-^
This may be misunderstood. Mostly, the clip needs to be truncated before being on air.
i was born and raised in HK. Those tutoring centres are all about passing exams, not mainly about education.
Then isn't that even better since it means that it's geared towards the end objective itself rather than the means to the objective?
Agreed
Ridiculous similar to Singapore mandarin education
so does anyone really learn something there or just paying to be brainwashed
@@rockwalldesign paying to pass the exams
“Only 1 student from JJ’s school got to university.” 😱😱
Wow.
This speaks volumes. If you go to Richard's tutoring school, you have a 99+% chance of failing 😐
Maybe I can explain why.
The way students in HK decide which secondary (middle-high school) they want to go to, is also through grades and maybe even additional interviews if the school is prestigious. The parents and students made up a system called “banding” and there are band 3, band 2 and band 1 schools. Band 1 are the schools in which the most people make it to university (which means they have on average the best dse grades). This could mean JJ’s school isn’t very good in academics and is in fact, has nothing to do with the tuition centre
@@Crgb777
Hes secondary school, not the tuition centre.
Hong Kong secondary have different banding(“grading” they’ll send to schools based on their primary school performance) most students who got in local university are from Band1.
The rest (Band 2,3) have a hard time joining.
JJ's school is a scam institution then...
@@vonnghost Not really, but it is quite a big tutorial institution. It sometimes depends on how well the teacher understands students' needs. As for JJ's school it might not have much to do with the school and more about the students. Students who go to band 2 or 3 schools are usually either delinquents or have given up on their education. Bullying is also a major issue in band 2 and 3 schools. Hence it has a rather poor learning environment compared to band 1 schools. I'm guessing that JJ's school might be somewhere between band 2 middle and band 2 bottom.
On the other hand, schools with either a super high or super low ranking seem to have better facilities than other schools???
A relative of mine in China said the students that came out from the top of the class often do not have basic life skills.
When you cram for exams for half your life, life skills really don't matter.
It's the same in America. They do not need to teach us those skills as long as we puke out good test scores.
@@zachk9178
Life: taxes, budgets, etc.
Schools: the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell
Thats fucking true, some of them dont know how to take shit properly
I knew someone like that who didn’t know what brisket was or how to order a Starbucks coffee
Richard's daughter speaks english beautifully. You can really see the difference between rich and poor kids😪
yep, in hong kong only rich people can afford sending their kids to international schools
Yeah you can really see the differences,its fucking toxic.
not here in philippines 😂
I actually don't see the issue with this at all. She's in a completely different school system and has parents that speak English. About 10% of HKers speak English.
richard worked for it tho
"You're looking a bit stressed out, you are looking very stressed? Why?" Maybe because he has an exam deciding his whole adult career.
@Leonardo Viegas I don't know about Hong Kong, but in some countries there are only one or two exams for university acceptance AND you can't retake them.
If the student screws up, then that's it, no acceptance to a university ever in his home country.
At best he can go to a university in a different country or attend a community college.
@Leonardo Viegas Even if you're allowed to retake it, in cultures like this, that's seen as a demerit and can hurt your university/employment chances.
@Leonardo Viegas That's a simple system and it definitely helps prevent bias of all sorts. But on the flip side, it leads to a lot of talented people slipping through the system because they didn't choose to optimize for marks. It can create a very homogenous culture of people who are really good test-takers and nothing else. To a certain extent, you need diversity in your students' abilities to have a vibrant university culture.
I'd prefer a system where universities get to freely choose whatever criteria they want to use for student selection, without any govt regulation or social pressure to do it one way.
@Leonardo Viegas In Indonesia, We can take the Exam once a year and even if You fail, there still many University to go for... 🤔🤔
@@wifiracing9588 but that grade alone can make You get better Jobs... 😑😑
Richard’s daughter sounds like an American! Holy hell. Her English is excellent.
I don't think Americans have the best English tho. Those from British IMO have better English
Armistice wdym by “better”?
@@actualtrash2546 well I just find Britain's English much more fluent than Americans. They also have less participle flaws
Armistice ah i see
Well she probably good to an American international school
Every time JJ said "I need to study" it broke my heart. And he looks shattered; like he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in forever. These kids seem like they don't have time to be kids - hang out with their friends; indulge in sports and hobbies; play. Academics is important but so is living life - these kids' perception of a work/life balance is already so skewed. I think schools around the world need to revise how they test their students. Some kids simply don't test well. It doesn't mean they're not smart; it's just that the pressure of an exam environment freaks them out and they can't do the paper. I was such a student so when I went to college, I made sure that the classes I signed up for were graded mostly via essays and projects and maybe an in-class test. Exams don't work for everyone and schools need to realize this.
Play? Growing up I never had that much time to “ play” I was always at tutor and if not doing homework that my many tutors assigned, it’s for my future I guess.
Welcome to Asia I guess
@@alyshaa6841 sigh same childhood who
@@alyshaa6841 sounds like a boring childhood
@no name Stop shitting on people who want to vent. We need a safe place somewhere, even if it's a tiny comment thread on CZcams.
The Tutor's daughter speaks English like a native, She must be attending an international school.. Unlike these poor students who are fighting for life to get into a university.
She is ..
Lol duh...
Yes, if you watched the fucking video and payed attention the narrator saids that. They aren't trying to hide it.
It said she attended a private high school in HK that taught the International Baccalaureate Program, which began in Switzerland in 1968. It is used in Magnet School programs in high school in America, and is very selective. Usually the IB Program is located in one high school & takes students from several surrounding HS. Our high school has 400 IB students within the main high school of 2200 students. There is the IB exams before graduations which are very hard, but students are prepared.
i feel kinda racist when i heard her speak clear english, i didnt think that she would be better than her father
When ask what they like about the class, the kid said he gave him confidence. Seem like the tutor is more of a motivational speaker than an educator.
Good Christ, your comment was the highlight of my day. Right about cracked me up. 😂🤣
Yup hit it right on the nail!!
BOOM! Conversation classes in the world lack teachers/coaches that can facilitate.
Interesting observation. I'd like to rebute this argument. Teach who are motivational speakers cannot make this far in Asia. According to the content of the show, this teacher knows how to focus on the main exam points. They are master of test takers, and extremely knowledgeable.
They don't have to be mutually exclusive concepts
Every time JJ wipes sweat off of his face because he is not feeling well and feeling extremely anxious, makes me sad.
as a student in hong kong myself, i am so grateful for the opportunities i have been given. I'm pretty well off, not very rich, but above average, thanks to my parents. I go to a local school right now but i study the International Baccalaureate exam like the daughter in the video, and will soon be changing to an international school to get a better education. My sister went to a famous local school, in hk called ming hao, she studied the IGCSE, similar to IB, and now she studies law in Cambridge. Both our secondary schools also provided the DSE, so we have seen friends fall under the pressure and stress of the DSE. There's literally a nickname for the Chinese DSE exam called 'the paper of death'. My sister and i, again, luckily enough, went to a primary school that was basically international (technically local) school, so we were never going to fit in with the local DSE system. It really is just sheer memorisation. Its not learning, not education, it's too stick as much info in your brain before the test, then forget everything the night after. my friends- they just do past papers- every day- they're only form 4 (grade 10/year 11)- tho my group of friends are mostly the ones that do good in their studies, i worry for my other classmates that come from families less well off or originally don't do good in academics, but excel in other things. Hk's whole education system, not jus the DSE, doesn't value things outside of grades. Yet you are expected to be fluent in 3 languages (2 languages,1 dialect), play musical instruments or learn art so your parents have 'face', do sports, win medals and trophies, all while getting straight As or else, you're a failure. the system is broken and needs to be changed.
Goodluck, I guess IB is not easy as well
See this is crazy to me. Growing up in Canada the IB program is a breeze to get in with no additional tutoring etc needed. And I feel like growing up in a different environment shifts your focus so much and I can't imagine growing up anywhere in Asia where university competition is beyond stressful. I've never once thought that IB is so much sought after. This goes all the way to university. To me university ranking was never something I stressed about. Still got into top 5 in the country but thought it was mediocre and can't imagine students stressing about this either. I really do feel for the Asian students that sees this as a life sentence.
The education system is far from being broken. Think about it it generated one of the most resilient people in the world. Most are employed, most are educated and Hong Kong is a developed economy. Like Singapore, Hong Kong's biggest resources are its people - most of whom are moulded through THAT education system which you so dismissively call broken.
Good for you little brager.
Broken? That's not even a system, it's the middle ages. It's like you have levels of class and you will be fit in one based on your high school exam. Fail in that one exam and you're in the low classes for life. That's not a system, that's like the hunger games. 🤔
I love the host throwing shade against the tutor
and he didn't even realise it
the tutor looks like a total douchebag I must add
omg right? He didn't catch the meaning and this guy is a tutor??
@@kapioleilanionalanielua this "tutor" seems to just eat up the fame and disproportionate fortune he reaps doing this job. These poor students busting their asses living in shoebox apt. with parents working like slaves and the tutor is sporting around the city in a car like that! Something very off about the layout of this "school" & its "tutors"!
These tutors are often there to teach you to pass a certain exam, not actual skills in the subject they teach, with the Hong Kong educational system the way it is, people want all the help and preparation they can get for their kid to pass that exam and often not they go to these tutors to get the help they need, these guys are literal rockstars, they have billboards of them plastered all around the city
You talked for an hour and a half! How come
Richard: *Yes.*
I believe its more of a " yes ? "
As if it is something litteraly normal
He is replying more like a “duh” sort of yes. Its very very normal in asian countries. I’m from Singapore and its the exact same. Lecturers talk for 3hrs straight and if you have questions, ask him/her after class
@@joesr31 who asked? nobody gives a fuck about singapore
@ I am sure no one gives fuck about your country and your opinion.
@ Your country also rears arrogant insufferable pricks and you are proof of it. Your belief system sounds fucked up if all you do is hate on people who only mean to inform and relate. What the fuck is wrong with you?
I feel like if students like JJ were sent to study in international schools, they would literally destroy the exams because of the discipline that has been carved into them.
So true
Smacked into them*
@@CH-lg3st carved also works lol.
They do
Studying to passed and studying to learn is really different
It's completely crazy. I was born in Hong Kong but I emigrated when I was young. I would always see these tutors have mega sized advertisements in buses and metro stations when I go back to visit. These tutor celebrities literally have more followings than our local actor or singer celebrities.
Yes , you are right it's same in India. Private tutors make millions.
@ZULU MATUBU They're not teachers, they're tutors feeding off of a corrupted system.
@@tomadias4583
Teacher or tutor it is the same.
Competation is fair and fierce.
Success is rewarded.
HK society is not perfect, following tutors are still much better than following Kim Kardashian.
How high is killing self there?
@ddstar
The competation is fierce to get into ivory league Unis in USA as well.
And they are super expensive. Normal people can't afford without huge amount of student loans.
Wow that tutors daughter spoke english flawlessly.
yeah she goes to an IB school and most of them are british which means majority of the teachers are british or at least native english speakers
She should teach his class. She speaks better than her father.
With worst accent she could copy, I fuckin hate vocal fry
Penguins for the cup yooo true even spoke better English than me and I was born in the US
stantls the irony is that fluency in English is not needed to teach the exam because they exam doesn’t test for fluency or any functionality useful ability, it tests for test taking abilities...it has very little value so all these human suffering are essentially wasted...
So dad teaches thousands of kids from poor, middle class families to pass this big test that he wont even allow his own daughter to do the same... what kind of system is that?
Ikr
if you can afford for your kids to go through a relatively easier route, why make them suffer?
Choice is good.
What’s the difference with celebrities buying in their unqualified kids into prestigious university
He knows the inferior systems is the Kong system, so he doesn't want his daughter to go through the same thing
That English tutor got no idea what he’s talking about. He just admitted that he exploited fear of those kids
Oh trust me, he knows. He's far from stupid, he just knows how to play the system to his advantage. Also, he doesn't care about the students, as long as students enrol each year is his only concern.
@@TT77TTT yeah but those class really are helpful they teach so much in a short period of time
@@sebastiansheldon9693 yessss very good for mental health and managing stress levels, right??
@@TT77TTT no, but it’s not their fault. Hong Kong just has a very horrible education system. It’s not because of these tutorial centres that students in Hong Kong have to take such a stressful exam.
@@sebastiansheldon9693 nah its Asia's education system but idc anymore our society
Dude wth the kid is so smart. He invited the guy over for the mock exam marks so if he did bad then his parents wouldn’t get super mad.
lol
Good one 😂🤣
Poopoo Peepee ...hey,that’s my name!
That’s how you survive in an Asian household...
What a bright guy
80% wont get in to university? Now that's a broken system if I have ever seen one.
Maybe a little low but in the UK it’s 50%, I think far too many people go to uni for no reason.
Only the elite survive.
Their system is different than in America. My uncle's marks in school wasnt good enough, and he couldnt move onto college. In Hong Kong, you can go into vocational training if you cant qualify for college, so my uncle became a firefighter instead. Hence why in some countries it is not as honorable as being a firefighter in America.
Their standard is extremely high.
Welcome to countries/ places with huge population and henceforth competition.
Glad to hear JJ passed his examine and is enjoying university life as stated in another post. That made my heart sing as I was hoping he would pass and realize his dream. His family must be proud as they gave him the support he needed to succeed. Well done!
The West: Teachers are heroes they should be paid like professional athletes
*Sees one: hm....seems like a con artist
Heroes ?? The fuck you talking about ???
“West” is an invisible boogeyman taught at re-education camps where the op failed twice before barely scraping by.
@@pangoprime8674 Nah. It's because the failure rate is too high. You will fired a CEO if he has such high failure rate.
Stefan Tian, you hit the nail with the hammer. Facts!!
Haha, it's true, but it's because teachers should be very good at their job and have at least 80% passing, not 80% failing. Then they should get paid much more.
When the reporter cares about JJ more than his tutor, Richard........sigh*
Because Richard only sees his students as customers. He got money he happy.
It might also be that he doesn't have that much of a time to tend to each and every student's needs. I mean look at the size of the classes.
Or it could be both lmao
Well he has 10,000 students. He can't possibly know JJ on a personal level. And since 80% students become losers so does most of his
@@TheMasterofComment right....because the main responsibility of a tutor is to get as many students as possible, and those who can't keep up, then oh well, they'll just become losers. Is that your definition of what a responsible teacher/tutor or some might even say a mentor should be?
@@jasminerose9839 Do you know the hk or asian system? tbh I think that you have got the wrong idea. There are many types of tutoring over here. some are private 1-1 sessions which are super expensive, some are small group sessions which are less expensive and less helpful and these academy tutoring sessions which cram around 50 people in a tiny room with the teacher spouting stuff like a waterfall. Many asians go to these type of academies after school and study the notes taken down each day till 12 in the morning everyday.
Athiest Nihilist exactly. I used to go to 1-1 Chinese sessions. The Chinese teacher gave up on me just after a year of tutoring me, hahahah. But very funnily, my grades got better when she left. In Asia, tutors are treated like ‘gods’ that save them. It’s hard to pass, even harder to surpass others because there are many intelligent and excellent students throughout the country.
Jj's parents seem really nice. Loving, just want him to be happy despite being poor, just want the best for him. I think we could all learn something from them.
Glad that JJ himself takes his future seriously even with chill parents.
Of cuz I'm not saying that parents with those personalities is bad for raising a child, but the truth is in Hong Kong, people from relatively low income residence usually couldn't make it to advance to the upper class (university grad). Mostly of the families like JJ's, parents always push their children super hard.
The system of education all over is about stratification, and competition:
being ‘higher’, to have ‘high’ education and ‘high-end job’ and ‘high income.’
It’s about money & status, a materialistic facade/illusion.
It’s not about valuing each individual, and helping them to understand them-self,
their own set of talents & abilities, gifts, to figure out areas they can contribute in,
but pushing them through.
The goals are not correct, and the approach is also not correct.
With the Exodus/leaving of many from HK society now, there is real chance to improve this there.
Education needs to focus on self-discovery & skills building,
instead of grades, competition, ‘credentialism.’
Life is more than formal education and job and income.
Life is also short, and there is a God who loves us, who offers us the free gift of eternal life.
“Do not wear yourself out to get rich” (Holy Bible, King Solomon)
King Solomon: ‘Riches are meaningless,
this too is the chasing of the wind.’ (Holy Bible)
‘What good is it for someone to gain the whole world,
yet forfeit their soul? What can anyone give in exchange
for their soul?’ (Jesus Christ)
Man JJ teared me up. He works so hard because he wants to teach physical education! Now that's a champion!
"He talked for an hour and a half!"
Where I'm from, that's just introduction. -grad student
Holy shit, that tutor's daughter sounds like she came straight from the US.
She sounds like she lived there for sure
Thats cuz she goes to an international school...
Most international school kids in Hong Kong sound like her, it's not something surprising to hear on the streets of HK as there are so many international school students here
She didn’t just spoke English, she spoke posh English.
@@isabellelim-middleton587 exactly
As a tutor myself, I can’t bring myself to finish watching this video. I know about superstar tutors in HK but I have never expected their wealth and status to have come like this. I feel bad for JJ and his classmates.
Like the reporter said, it’s an English communication class, yet it was the tutor speaking for 90 mins with no participation from the class. I am like, exactly. Maybe the class size does not allow much interaction, still, aren’t there like other options?
All this money poured in to allow the tutor live in a penthouse and a fast car? Woah, talk about humility.
Agree with you.because I work in HK almost 8yrs.i am watching about HK life style. hou San Fu ho to yan hou san Fu.
Actually I think the opposite. Supermarket CEOs can make millions by literally reselling goods , but teachers should be average? When we are responsible for the future??
But are all the classes like that or was he talking more than usual because it was an exam strategy lecture?
Right. You're not going to learn anything if they're talking the entire class away.
@@desultory3892 perhaps the video just didn't show students trying out sample questions.
Also, there are other types of tutors. This is the most common (and famous) type.
JJ's attitude toward life is admirable. I hope he achieves his goals.
Damn her English is so good money does indeed impact education. Well done for Richard he deserves the life he is living right now he worked so hard
OK native English speakers we're gonna take a test in Chinese language proficiency.... Ready? … and the rest of your life depends on it! Just relax it'll be ok...
4711 A exactly ppl r judging
This would never happen
@@chartaiwan It's different. They had to learn everything they must know in ~6 years in just half to 1 year, 1.5hr every weekday. If they had the ability to listen in English, then they won't attend the night school.
@@chartaiwan yet, u said "leaving in Taipei".. 😂
Chartes mine doesn’t bother with English, only when she needs to yell at someone who doesn’t know chinese
My god I'm so privileged. I should be more grateful.
it's great that you understand and have realized something from this 🙏
Same
Same, as a Chinese Brit I definitely had it so much easier than these poor kids...
Same. I am from France, it's just another world.
@@annaly3 hi dear
Richard has a English accent, his daughter has an American accent 🤣🤣
I have American accent from watching American movies like marvel and Disney movies
I'm from Hong Kong and I remember attending these tutorial classes before, it's not that I was "willing to" but I felt more like I "have to" because of the pressure schools here puts on getting a degree
"He just taught for an hour and a half. This is a speaking English class. He was the only one speaking and there was virtually no English".
The instructor/Richard became a millionaire at 25.
Only 1 student from Richard's class got into IB school.
I see a problem with this but can't seem to pinpoint it.
Today's English word is "extortion".
He's a fraudster. You can see on their sorry faces that they are unhappy and under extreme pressure. And by the way that teacher said about 'mirage' joke is such a savage thing. They only care about stealing these kids' money or their parent's. The students should engage in an 'english only' speaking class to help sharpen their vocabulary and grammar. As I can see here only the teacher is speaking. Like he only cares about finishing his an hour and a half english lessons and cash in their hard earned money later. What a greedy bastard.
Phoenix Uprising That’s how all English teaching class works here in Vietnam too. These classes are for the grammar and the vocabulary only but in the end we still know how to talk and read and listen
@@romella_karmey that is definitely untrue. if his cram school didnt help at all, there would not be that many customers. a good portion of the students improve via his classes. thus his reputation in hong kong.
They said he has 10,000 students so ..... 0.01% success rate! Yay - money well spent.
Man...this guy looks more like a con artist rather than a tutor. Cruises around in lambo and a merc with a driver.
Merc?
@@the_number_one Mercedes!
You may not look like what you think a tutor should look like, but he has busted his ass for more than 20 years to get where he is today. Lots and lots of hard work, plus the genius of promotion and marketing. He's no con man having helped thousands and thousands of students.
He said in 4 kids, only 1 got into Uni, so if he had 10,000 students before, surely it's not difficult for him to have 2500 high-achiever students studied under him before! 😅
Totally agree.
It’s so typical to see children get “ridicule encouragement” from their parents like JJ’s mom… I’m not saying she is a bad person, but the Asia culture is like that, and it’s doesn’t help relieve the pressure at all.
Personally I never tested well in school. I slaved away extra hours in order to force memorize and bucket dump information in order to do well on exams. When I finally graduated I felt like I hadn’t actually learned much of anything, as I had to train my brain to pass tests instead of becoming educated. My worst subject in school was foreign languages, but now I am learning both Italian and Japanese as a native English speaker, and am doing fantastically. I found the unique type of learning process that works for me through self study and trial/error, but in school I felt like a block trying to fit in a round hole.
You can learn more English by just watching CZcams with subtitles.
True
Sad thing that Hongkonger that learned English from CZcams are bound to be arrogant and less caring about education if anything
Read the English subtitles and listen to the pronunciation
Hk student here. The exam tests skills, not language. I learn English from reading and youtube and chatting with my native English teacher but the skills come from tutorial classes bcos school isn't enough. I went to an english tutor who does a little more language and less skills than most famous ones bcos I hate the skills. Nonetheless, the skills are crucial and that goes for every subject.
@@carolhomanhei9497 'skills' as in grammar and sentence structure I'm assuming? Best way I found was to read a lot of articles. Wikipedia is a decent source of good reading while learning something interesting on the side to not get bored.
As someone who lives in hongkong and has tutoring, I'm really interested in the comment section reactions. It's funny and sad. Everyone is like this stuff is torture and I'm like yep it is. But I really need that help bruh.
How is it useful though? Do they teach tricks and methods that facilitate the exams rather than actual communication, and that's it? Because I can see that it makes sense, pragmatically, but this man is still a thief and a con artist to me.
@@AglajaEos i tutor i go to is diffferent. we are taught in a smaller group. They do teach tricks but mostly kinda reteach us what was taught at school, but rather than just telling us to memorise it, they want us to actually understand the concepts. But there are classes like this were there is like 40 ppl in the room and no one asks questions. The guy in the video def sucks at teaching. But for some reason ppl want to go to him.
@@Shanshan12988 Oh, that makes sense! You take actual lessons with teachers who reinforce your knowledge. I know there are some instances where exams scrutinise more of your exam-taking abilities rather than your actual skills in the subject, but not even this is what such lessons prepare to, this guy here is basically a scammer and I feel so sorry for the poor people who put their trust in him.
As the other nearby competitor with the island as small as yours, I am also curious what stereotypes that could lie here
@@AglajaEos i sat dse this year. I went to an english tutor with like 5 students in a class for a few years. We did both actual language (like reteaching) and skills. Most students there are actually quite good at english already. The famous tutors would focus more on skills. I went to those superstar tutors for some other subjects and it does help. I wouldn't get through the math paper without those skills, honestly. Which tutor you choose depends on what ur weak at and your learning style.
I hate the system but some tutors are quite supportive so that makes the exam more bearable lol
These seem like really good people and I hope the best for them all..thank you for posting it.
When he made that Mirage joke I was so astonished none of the students laughed. I don't know what to make of it. Culture shock much.
Tbh was a bad thing to say lol definitely didn’t help their confidence
I was once like these Asian kids slaving away just to get good grades being a good Asian kid. One day I met a western guru who opened up my eyes to the world that the world is more than just grades. Started working in secret and saving up to learn something that I liked scuba diving. Once I graduated, not with the perfect grades my parents wanted me to get but still a pass. I packed up my shit and left home. Went backpacking and found a job as a sucba diving instructor. I couldn't picture myself working a 9-5 being a part of a system. Live for yourself not your parents.
Were your parents harsh on you?
@@FGest.07 Well, Parent that forced Their kid to have high grade considered Harsh Parent... 🤔🤔
@@zir456 I know some people who strive for high grades because they want to and not because someone is forcing them to do so. The above person did not exactly clarify and so I asked.
Congratulations!
@@zir456 yes, Failing is NOT An option, it never is.
Its the same here. All the rich kids go to private schools and directly to good university while the poor kidd go to public schools that prepare them for service industry jobs.
Not really. Kinda ig.
The rich folks just go to universities abroad
*Rich kids have their parent pay for their degrees and entry to get into IV league schools here in America. If you are white, you are right.*
@@sharkparty1027 not surprised on how idiotic your response was considering that you thought "Ivy" was "IV", also what you said is becoming less and less true because school admissions teams are strongly taking into consideration socio-economic diversity.
Nah, all the rich kids get ship overseas to boarding school mostly to UK or Canada
"A mirage is like an illusion. Its like getting an A* in English" -SOB
“Mirage, an illusion like you getting an A in this exam” Screams Scam
it was just a bad joke that didn't garner any laughs with so much tension in the air
@@davidthebanana8522 your a tool or just a bot
holy smoke I literally heard the rich kid's daughter speak English and I was like wtf, she has a better accent them me and I lived in the u.s. for like 10 years!!!
Better English that her dad!
I think she actually studying in international school so thats why her english is much better than her dad..
LOL....
I thought the same, she sounds like a native native english speaker at a very young age, is almost bizarre
Lol, I wasn't even living in U.S and my english accent is much better. English is really easy
The host is so sweet towards jj. It's so heart warming.
omg the smile on his face when he plays volleyball is amazing 😭😭
it's almost like getting extra english speaking exam practise by talking and listening to the reporter. in a way, I'm glad this happened. you guys did him well.
almost everyone is wearing glasses, i can feel the pressure just by looking at that
R8 Everyone has twig-like arms. I feel the pressure just knowing how much they have to neglect their bodies.
@@MichaelRockfez Crap I have twig-like arms. I feel the pressure in gaining weight.
Ethnic Chinese here in Southeast Asia also look the same, they always wear glasses from a very young age.
Your mother had pressure when she had you. You're a fuck up.
And they are asian..
It’s already 2019 and everything just remains the same. This video is so real and kind of heartbreaking to watch. These children are all victims of this education system
this was filmed 2013
TriFire I know that’s why I said it’s already 2019, 6 years later and nothin has changed :(
go Broncos!
Been like this since 2003 and earlier. Yep, I am old enough to make such a statement. My mom even had me to go to a tutor like this once....completely useless and I just studied it on my own. I told my mom that if I can't figure things out on my own, I may as well fail on my own. Just natural selection.
I also remember failing super hard the mock exams when I was preparing for entrance exams for highschool and college. They do make them harder! I'm glad JJ made it
as a hongkong student that just finished the final exam last year, this 2013 vid really gives me a old day vibes
Wow... at 7:52 when he says "It's like an illusion. Like getting a A* in English", nobody laughed or chuckled...
These students will learn and grasp the English concepts very quickly and easily if they do active learning such as group work and pronunciation and forming and speaking sentences rather than listening for 1.5 hour.
Zohaib Syed here in canada in all my classes students barely laugh either. Students are STRESSED. We hear the jokes but dont bother reacting, doesnt have to do with bad teaching
@@LeechUFC True. That could be the case too
Active learning is only possible up til form 4 or 5. In the last few months before the exam, we have to work on the skills bcos that's whta the exam really tests
I did some A level application of english papers and those are way more like real english than dse
We do old cert level or a level papers cus dse has only been around for like 8 years and if we can get through a level papers, we shouldn't have a problem with dse cus a level is taken at form 7 and dse at form 6
(I took dse this year)
@@carolhomanhei9497 it's sad that it's just all about exam!!
@@dupinderdhindsa4331 yea. We cancel all extra curricular activities in f6. My school only allowed us to do sports. We can't enrol in anything else (including academic clubs and social services)
I really feel for that poor kid. Makes me realise even more how good I have it here in Australia.
Tim Yeah, Australia is sooo good, after moving to australia, the education was extremely different
I’m in Australia too (I came from England and felt really fortunate to be over there) but education is amazing over here, way more difficult (but I think that means it’s better)
I went to Australia during Christmas last year, the place we were staying in was right next to the beach, it was fun :)
Nah you guys have a more brutal ucat and some ATAR thing, I am slowly realising the UK system is the best
@@YahyeIbrahim lmao yep and the atar is bs
"As far as business is concerned this is important" From a teacher who has taught his students.
Wish you all the best JJ.
My sister had to endure a similar kind of educational system, thankfully my parents migrated to NZ before I had too. This kind of stress for a child is completely insane and should not be the future of education, this is not what learning is. We want a society where kids are not stressed out, actually enjoy school and there is a love of learning and everyone gets a shot at doing what they want to do regardless of their parents tax bracket. I'm so thankful my parents moved 🙏🏽
As a student in Hong Kong, that is well off and doesn’t take the DSE, I can still feel the stress through this video. I can’t begin to imagine how stressful it is for JJ. I wish him well on the exam.
This teacher looks like the guys from the capital of “the hunger games”
LMAO 😂 yeah, specially when he was explaining the rules for the exam
Thank u so much for the best , you are amazing
I’m an eleventh grade student studying in Hong Kong. Actually I’m an ethnic minority living here with a Pakistani background. English is good for me like I don’t have any trouble in reading, speaking or writing. My case is similar to that of JJ’s. My weakness is chinese. I can speak good Cantonese. But when it comes to reading and writing. I get stressed and anxiety because it’s very hard. I still have one year left, I’ll be putting my time, efforts in all the subjects. I’m pretty sure next year will be my 6-9 routine. From school to tuition all day. Wish me luck.
Watch movies with translations here in CZcams. See the 3 dots in the right corner? Change the speed settings to a slower speed, this way you can get along with the dialogs and pronunciations. Repeat every paragraph multiple times till you do it naturally and without thinking it.
2018 DSEer here, just wanted you to know that even the locals find the Chinese paper difficult (including me), but with hard work anything is possible. Good luck with all your endeavours :)
Michael Kwok thanks g, I forgot to mention that I’ll be doing igcse chinese not dse chinese. Sorry. Yes dse chinese is very very hard. My local friends told me that.
Abdullah Mohammad ah I see 😂 nevertheless, good luck with whatever your goal is :)
Michael Kwok yes brother. Thanks again g.
he's teaching them the word mirage yet their english level is a point where the students have to ask when to use have and had
I think they just asked to ask him something on the camera.
The word mirage, is rarely used in the English language. It was useless to learn for their word of the day.
Honestly I have not used the word “mirage” in year I forgot that word exist
The teacher defined mirage wrong. He defined it was an illusion like getting an A in English. The illusion part is right. But its more like optical illusion due to heated air.
@@Aumi777 yep came across that one day at a Korean tutor place and I used to think my tutor was intense.
I'm a teacher and I don't think he's a very useful teacher tbh. You can't talk at students for 1.5hrs and expect them to improve- for example JJ needs to practice writing and submit drafts, get them critiqued and try again. Practice, not teacher-talk (especially when he's teaching English and not speaking English?!?!) will help students improve. One test should never mean so much- here if you fail it's more a time cost than an end to everything, just means more money and more time to get into uni or get your quals. Most of my work with students before they graduate is getting them to de-stress and trust in their practice- coming up with scaffolds (like 'steps for solving') and trying lots of different problems. What a frightening culture, I hope some of these kids can get out of there and see a world where life is worth more than perfection.
That might be less of America..but not in many Asian countries. In India, one and half hour is common even for a university student 😥😥
@@Ripa474 I'm not American nor have I ever studied or taught in America- cultures breed different work ethics, that's true but learning is a human skill and all students benefit from solid educational theory and visible learning (i.e. learning that the teacher and students can actually SEE, not just a one-way info dumb with no evidence of learning). I'm not saying his teaching style is uncommon, just that's it's trash and poor JJ is suffering for it and thinking it's all his fault. I have attended lectures at uni (especially science lectures- but maths too, which is even worse tbh, because maths is all about practise), where this is common, that doesn't mean it's good for learning. Maths, and languages (maths is a sort of communication language) NEED practise to learn anything- learn one new little skill/concept, then practise. With science sometimes you need an info dumb (that should include examples and application) then take all that info away and memorise and consider it in different contexts, social studies needs discussion and critique, law is somewhere in between. English CANNOT be taught like this and be an effective payoff of 1.5hrs.
He's not teaching English per say, he's giving them the tricks and the trade of scoring well in an English exam, which marks largely determines your future in Asia.
Unlike the teachers International baccalaureate daughter who has freedom for self exploration.
The teacher wasn't even pronouncing debris right 😂😂😂😂
With the internet being ever so prominent, you can ask yourself if he wasn't better off learning from his peers from language sites / communities. I've learned most of my English from games and movies. They see language and classes like a ticket to a golden future (which it is in their case), but how about teaching the kids these subjects as reallife practices than to see them as a grade, being taught in a vacuum...
So anxious watching this. I would not have done well in that system.
JJ and his family seem to be really nice people, JJ is so humble and well-behaved. JJ's dad works night shifts and makes sure his kid is not alone by allowing him to keep pets at such a small apartment. You can see they are not rich but have their priorities set straight and want their son to be happy doing what he likes. I wish JJ the best of success in life
Richard experienced the same life as JJ though. It just that he already successful and want his daughter to have better experience and chances. Also by the way his daughter speaks, I would say he had some success educating her.
@@bltzcstrnx I feel he is ripping off students with expensive but massified classes.
being honest makes you look a-hole, thats true.. the tutor is being honest with his business tho, i would say he deserve it he did work hard.. ripoff or not, its his client/student choice im sure a lot other tutor available but they choose him.
@@alifrio75 not sure abt that, he seems to have the best facilities and fame and that attracts lots of students who may struggle to make ends meet just to pay for this massive classes; they may receive better lessons at a not-so-fancy envionment. Ive seen that in my country and abroad when it comes to ESL, maybe that is why i dont feel much sympathy for his business model paying a lower fee but they think paying an astronomic amount for these lessons will guarantee their success. Otherwise, yes, I acknowledge he has worked hard to be where he is and provide a good life for his family; in that regard he definitely is an example to follow.
21:38 The tutor might as well say "I hope these kids keeps screwing up their exams so I can upgrade my Lamborghini"
If he has a high failure-rate, I don't think parents will be sending their kids to him anymore.
The mentally of the parents if the students fail it means they did not study hard enough.
@@WestCountryGurl His failure rate isn’t high or low, there were instances in which a few students who studied at his place that got perfect grades in the HKDSE exam
His Murcielago is pretty desirable in my country, certainly more so than the latest Aventador, given its relative rarity compared to the newer Aventador.
This video just brought back so many memories of my one year studying experience in a local private school in Hong Kong. Two years ago I decided to go on highschool exchange to Hong Kong. My school had a very good level and for me as a European it was very hard to keep up with the lessons eventhough they were taught in English and I wasn't a bad student in my hometown at all. There were still two years to go go in the class that I was in until DSE and already everything evolved around it. Soon I realized that in this school system what counts is not your knowledge and your ability to think critically or make sense of things but rather your ability to stuff as much useless and complicated definitions and formulas in your head as possible. Every post DSE graduate that I met told me they had already forgotten all the higher maths that they learned and that includes teachers! Also my fluency in English didn't helper me at all during English oral exams in Hong Kong. Instead it was all about knowing the correct sentence by heart in order to construct a fake debate. What left a huge impression on me is that for the Hong Kongers I got to know it was really impossible to escape their families' but also their own expectations. Most of my classmates wanted to become a doctor, a banker or manager just because society expects them to work hard, get a well-paid job and be able to sustain a own family and pay for their parents when they are too old to work, mostly not because they were really interested in these jobs. Once I met a girl who told me her biggest dream was to become an artist. The Hong Kong school system didn't fit her at all. She already had repeated the same year twice because she just couldn't do it but her family didn't want to let her quit school and follow her dreams, not before she managed to do the DSE! In my school here there's so much more freedom, so much less useless "study by heart work" to do and so much more variety and critical thinking during the lessons and still I see so many of my classmates complaining about the workload every day. Personally I just feel happy that I live in a society where I grow up with my parents telling me "Whether you aim to be a top manager or spend the rest of your life making money by collecting garbage, we don't care as long as it makes you happy". As much as I love Hong Kong and it's culture, this aspect of it keeps sticking with me. (Thanks to those who actually read my whole comment)
this boy is so humble. May God bless him.
Richard reminds me of the teachers of institutions who provide coaching for engineering and medical entrance exams here in India. Aakash institute and Allen institute specifically. It's pure business and a rat race. 🖤🙏
As someone that's lived and studied in HK and taught English in Asia, this video invokes a lot of thoughts. Overall quite a good presentation of the topic (in terms of both storytelling and analysis). There is a fair bit of cultural context that creates this situation. To some degree it is a classic example of a western perspective on an eastern topic meant for a western audience. To varying degrees much of Asia has this form of meritocracy in which testing is a key to your future. I think the video paints the teacher as the villain, at least to some degree. And while it's true, at least to some degree. As he says towards the end, the reality is this is the system they live in. If he doesn't do it, someone else will. One of the issues is that HK and to a certain degree much of Asia is such a profit driven culture that studies and careers such as business are highly prized and respected. However, jobs which have the opportunity to craft the direction of society are much less valued. Perhaps if the superstar teachers could be running their business but also be working to actually improve the education system of HK, it would offer a better legacy for themselves and their city. But maybe that is wishful thinking.
Yes, that's would enhance their reputation if they managed to help improve the system. The reality though, is that the government (EDB) controls the education system and they've set unrealistic expectations and/goals for a 21st century education.
This is an anachronism of Hong Kong--the older generation were poor, so all they want is for their kids to have lucrative careers and to hell with "community" or creative arts. But slowly, that is changing as Hong Kong has been affluent (on average) for a while now. This also plays into Hong Kong's bouts of civil unrest--people are struggling with conflicting desires to improve their community and have a difficult time accepting differences in opinion. Some are trying to build a sense of community, others just want to make money, and some others also want to sow conflict because they don't feel taken care of.
I thought this reporter kinda looked/sounded like Louis Theroux and then I realized it's his brother.
Seriously?
Me too hahaha it say's in the description Marcel Theroux
It won’t be the last time you make that mistake .. happened to me on numerous occasions
Yes he has the same sarcastic "I think I'm better than you" tone. He has a punchable tone.
oh shit!!! youre right !!
This reminds me of my first 3 years of college. When I was trying to get my diploma “I have to study.” After I got my diploma in Business I didn’t want to let anyone down. Now it’s a different kind of pressure but it is self propelled. I want to go back and do my real passion Environmental Studies.
JJ’s smile is TO DIE FOR 😍
jj is a little cutie pie and i was glad to hear he thinks his exams went well
The moment he said students are his clients, you know something is wrong.
why? People pay him for doing a job, they are his clients. Its not public education
@@Dezu123 Even public education see They student as Clients... 😂😂
Well, i’m mean thats the truth of private tutoring, each student is their customer and they try their best to please their customers and provide them the service they want. No matter what wording you use, thats the truth of the matter
They care more about getting money than knowing that they helped them.
Welcome to the real world, stop being an idealist
British children could never survive this type of pressure. This is a cultural phenomenon ingrained in all aspects of Chinese life. It would take decades!
The British exam system is a lot less fatalistic. GCSEs can be retaken. There are options for A-Levels, Apprenticeships and the IB. There's always vocational courses that can be taken. We don't have a system where one exam decides your entire damn future, which is insane.
These are not Chineese
I love the fact that teachers are realistic about the students chances. I wish we had more teachers like this in my own country to tell us what the world will be like or give us an idea.
I hope JJ is doing well in life now.
wish you all the best JJ
Watsup MyMan he passed in uni and captain of their volley ball team 😏✌🏾
Watsup MyMan ,My Dong that is!
Man: Last day of school!
Dude: Yes
Man: How does it feel?
Dude: It is good
Man: You're a free man now!
Dude: Yah (pretentious laugh)
Man: Now what?
Dude: STUDY
Free indeed.
He's free alright. Free to study all he wants 😂
Lol
It's called study leave. The whole point of ending school in feb is so that we can prepare for exam. We don't graduate until like july
@@carolhomanhei9497 i think that makes a lot of sense
“The class is really helpful”
Doesn’t know the difference between had and have.
Lmao 😂
😂 maybe he was not prepared wt question to ask the teacher..
this is a video that made me realize how fortunate living in the U.S.A is for me and Westerners
we don't need to take this exam that will determine our future, sure we can say S.A.T is important but our education system is so free that you can go to a community college, get good grades there and try to transfer to a better school, rather than having to cramp everything into a single test.
Watching this makes me want to work even harder than what I am studying.
Since I took the HKDSE exam just one year after the airing of this programme, I want to share my experience and feelings. Studying in a Band 1 school, about 1/3 of my classmates would eventually get into university, which is significantly better than the 20% average. However, about one year before the DSE exam, we were already studying hard to prepare for it. We started doing past papers, went to tutorial school just like JJ did, held study groups, etc. I was attending tutorial classes for all my subjects except maths and chemistry. There's literally no rest for me, even on weekends I still need to study and attend classes. My parents never gave me pressure, the stress was coming from the inside. As the video says, the education system in Hong Kong is a loser-creating machine, and you can feel the tremendous fear of not getting in university and therefore ruining your life.
Thinking back to all of these, I think I was really stupid, but then I realise that we were never told we can succeed in any other ways other than through university education.
But now I just graduated from university and want to pursue my career of an actuary, so my hard work was worth it nonetheless.
Glad to hear your success story! Congratulations on graduating university!
It's just a shame that so many young people have to go through so much stress and hardship in arguably one of the wealthiest cities in the world...Here in India, the scenario is pretty competitive too, but nothing remotely close to Hong Kong levels..I was fortunate to go to a private school, following The British system. Nevertheless, your English is immaculate!
They are other ways if you have money.... This is coming from a guy who failed Chinese intentionally and now doing his PhD in engineering in HK.
out of sheer curiosity, what happens to those that do not do well on the exam? it seems to me, from the outside looking in, that failing the exam or not doing well on it is a death sentence. in hk it seems like everything rides on this one exam, do well and become successful or dont do well and become a loser. it seems very black and white as if there arent any grey area as in alternative routes on achieving success for the ones that have failed the exam. im fascinated because in the us its quite different. we have our own entrance exams in the form of the sat and act but not doing well on either of them is definitely not a death sentence nor a predictor of a person's future success.
@@sthao1733 I think the wage gap between university graduates and those who are not is the underlying reason. Also, the insane property prices and surging price levels in general puts a lot of pressure on the new generation if they could not see a future where they could afford a reasonable living standard. Many poor people in HK live in subdivided flats, which costs several hundred USD for just 100 sq ft of space or even smaller.
@@sthao1733 you can retake them next year but there’s some sort of penalty for your score usually. Also it definitely takes a toll on someone’s mental health as you see all your classmates going to university. You could also go to the equivalent of community college. if you have a good gpa, you can get admitted to universities. But not all options are open
As soon as his daughter started talking i was like what accent?
I was watching this because I watched it years ago. But now as I am working on my class, I looked up when the big test was brought up. The man said that the test determines your future... I am so against that kind of system since Middle School, like Japan is the same I learned too. Due to my own experiences with families that come from countries with rigorous testing. I know how bad it is for the kids even if they study here in the US. They still are pressured to do well in school.
A few of my friends had parents worry about state exams, and they had to reassure them with me talking to them that it does not affect grades. They came from countries where these big exams affected their grades and a test like in Hong Kong where your future is decided.
I have to say I am even more grateful for being able to pick an associate years after high school and study well for it.
I was just glad I am in college but now, I am glad I could calmly go through High School and graduate with no test like this.
wow. the pressure to excel and succeed.
JJ father God bless his heart🙏.....what a lovely man ❤
This is horribly wrong!!!!!! Nothing about this is right. Even worse, it's a money making industry. Richard seems very cold and direct, but at the same time, he's very honest.
Hong Kong is a loser-making city. It's too much pressure for academic success.
Jayjay is a super talented athlete. He could do so much more with his VolleyBall if he was in a different part of the World.
Imagine what it's like now if this video was made in 2013.
Richard doesn't even want that for his daughter. Because of his wealth, he was able to keep her out of that system.
@Belly Whank I guess you're looking for some outrageous response here right? Well wait on, I refuse to get in the gutter with pigs and idiots who should go back to the caves they come from. This black has class baby. Go to someone else and rant, you obnoxious little worm.
Patricia, This is an age old approach to education. Set a high bar, limit the places and this is what happens.
It is not quite right that it produces losers. Ironically it produces non graduates who are entrepreneurial and drives the economy.
"Hong Kong is a loser-making city" - The reality is about the same percent of kids don't go to a university in US or most countries. And that's ok, there is a need for jobs to be filled that don't require a university education. Not everyone is going to be cut out for getting a university degree. I don't know if an exam is the best way to determine that, but the result is still going to be that 75% of the kids won't go to a university either way.
@@patricia-annecockburn9656 Noice! A rare breed.
Do you have better solutions? Do you sponsor him to go to another part of the world? You need to understand in the society where he comes from, the competition is super intense. The kids start to compete for their future even before they enter the elementary school. The rent in Hong kong is one of the highest in the world in terms of percentage of local income. They need to first be able to find a job and survive.
My man IB (International Baccalaureate) is tough too but the Hong Kong system is tougher.
His dad seemed so supportive. I hope they are all happy
I'm a Hong Kong student preparing to take the 2019 exams, and this is extremely true. It's no doubt that this exam is just a test seeing how far your perseverance goes, but not actually how smart you are. I personally take 4 tutorial classes a week, and that's already considered very little. A lot of my friends take at least 3 extra tutorial classes per day.
Best of luck Gabriel!
Goodluck
Best of luck, Gabriel!
GL!!
Good luck! And all the best!!
As a 16 year old Hong Kong citizen, this is also a shock to me. I come from the opposite side of the spectrum relative to JJ. He was on the verge of failing, but I have a shot at the highest grade possible for English Language. As a result, I am not familiar to the situation he was in. It is eye opening for me to see how my competitors deal with this harsh exam.
Moreover, I feel like it’d be better if the documentary also interviewed how the best students in Hong Kong are tasked with the exam, as they also have a ton of pressure, yet they are the ones capable of getting the highest grade of nearly all subjects, not at risk of failing at all.
However, this documentary in fact did a phenomenal job at showing the truth of DSE. In Hong Kong, it is a fact that this exam is brutal, causing the suicide of many students. The interviewer did a great job interviewing the famous tutors, and it’s also interesting for me to get a glimpse of how these tutors view the dire situations most students of the dse are tasked with.
On the other hand, I see some comments talking about how the tutor teaches English. For more context, the paper with the highest weight is the listening paper, followed by reading and writing. Speaking is in fact the most “useless” paper. In my opinion, the method of teaching students how to answer questions is the best method possible given the extremely limited time most students have. If the tutor in fact only speaks in English during tutorial lessons, it takes a huge amount of time to improve the students’ English level. With only 3 years or even less, the best the tutors can do is to do their best to fix the students’ grammar and teach them how to answer questions in reading and writing paper in English Language. Though I agree that the best way for the students to learn English is for them to systematically speak the language since they were small, but that is not the job of the tutors.
By the way, one intriguing yet depressing fact about the speaking exam(sorry not paper there’s no paper existing in that exam) is that the exam is not really about how native your English is. The exam consists of a group discussion and a solo presentation, where the latter has a 1 minute requirement. The examiner mainly looks for how well you respond to other participants. I.e. if a participant said something about the given topic( in this case be the use of emojis), the optimal response is to summarise what he or she has said and express your agreement or disagreement, then elaborating. It is that systematic, which is of little to no correspondence of an actual conversation in the West. The speaking exam is like four machines spitting outputs of their programs to each other. The speaking exam is not realistic nor lively. As a result, even if you are a native English speaker, you still might not get high marks if you communicate like how you would on a day to day basis, which to me sounds slightly ridiculous in a society where not many students are able to even speak basic English with basic grammar fluently.
Lastly, I do think this is one of the best western documentaries documenting the horrors of the HKDSE, showing the dystopian features of the previously thought utopian exam.
Pardon my bad grammar and vocabulary used, I’m not a native speaker :)
No bad grammar here....quite good for a non native speaker :)
Your english is better than a quarter of the people in my school. Age 15.
enjoyed reading your comment..well said
You end up sounding like a proper robot. English is my third language, and if you're lucky, this will only be a phase for you. Your writing can improve. Best of luck, I know because I sounded like you decades ago.
English is my second language, I hope I can reach your level soon. I need to improve my writing and vocabulary. My teachers at school changed which led to classes being taught differently. I haven’t had any grammar lessons for so long. I’m also forced to learn German but I’m trying to learn other languages myself which makes me go through a really hard time switching in between languages. I need to study more.
I always told my students to do something you love. If you don’t like what you do it doesn’t matter if you make a lot of money
I'm proud of you JJ! ⭐