Debate Club
On the Move
The ups and downs of constant change
When a family moves away from their home country, it is often the kids who take it the hardest. Leaving friends behind and trying to adapt to new environments year in and year out isn’t always easy. On the other hand, it can also be exciting and fun to make new friends, learn new languages and try new things. tbjkids sat down with four students from Beijing BISS International School to discuss the pros and cons of moving around the world.
How do you feel about moving?
Gavrilo: My dad works for the Olympics so we have to move every two years. So far I’ve lived in four different places: Serbia, Athens in Greece, Turin in Italy, then Beijing. At the end of this year I’ll be going to live in Barcelona. At first, moving around was pretty hard. I’ll stay in one place for such a short period of time that I don’t have much chance to make really close friends. But I got used to it.
Alex: For me it’s the opposite because I lived in one place for a long time before I moved to Beijing, and now I’ve been living in Beijing for six years. I just wait for my friends to leave. A lot of my friends are like Gavrilo, moving around every two years, so I don’t get much of a chance to get close to them. But I got used to it after a while, too.
The Dangers of Downloading
What comes easy isn’t always right
These days, it’s hard to find someone who still listens to music on a CD or record; most people have some sort of electronic device they use to play MP3s. But where is all this digital music coming from? And how is it impacting the music industry? tbjkids sat down with four Year 10 students from Dulwich College Beijing to discuss the pros and cons of the digital music age.
Pia Holdsworth is a 14-year-old from England and listens to all kinds of music (except hard rock!) on her iPod.
English/Scottish Will Mitchell is 15 years old and likes listening to jazz while studying.
Darren Tang from Singapore is 14 years old and uses his Nokia phone to listen to pop and punk.
German Katharina Müstermann is 15 years old and likes to play Rihanna and Pink on her mobile phone.
The Language Hurdle
Learning to communicate with the world
In this day and age, knowing how to speak more than one language is becoming increasingly important and English is regarded as an essential tool for communicating with the international community. tbjkids sat down with four students from Limai School to talk about the rewards and challenges of learning English in a non-English environment.
Kevin Lu is from China and in Grade 11
Wiphawee Kooaroon is from Thailand and in Grade 10
Pae Yun Ha is from Korea and in Grade 10
Pamela Yang is from Hong Kong and in Grade 10
When did you first start learning a foreign language?
Pamela: I started learning English when I was very young. At 14, I started learning Spanish. I go to a summer school for Spanish every year. I think it’s useful to learn more than one foreign language.
Pae Yun Ha: I started learning English when I was 7 or 8 years old. When I was 13 years old I studied Japanese for two years. But now I’ve almost forgotten it all. I began studying Chinese the year before last. Now I like speaking Chinese.
Kevin: I started learning English in first grade. English classes were fun. It didn’t seem like a burden at all.
Wiphawee: I started learning Chinese when I was a kid, but back in Thailand I didn’t have many chances to practice it. When I first came to China, it felt like I was learning it from the beginning again.
Catching the Copycats
Problems with plagiarism in the digital age
Tugsoo Enthtaiven from Mongolia is in Grade 10
American Anthena Zhu is in Grade 9
Tom Zeng is from China and in Grade 9
South African Nebrashka Veltman is in Grade 10
The Internet is perhaps the greatest resource for information available to children and is an essential part of their education, but with this wealth of information comes the temptation to attribute other people’s hard work as their own. Plagiarism is rife at all levels of the education system, and with increased pressure to get good grades and secure placement at a good university, the temptation will most likely only continue. tbjkids sat down with four students from the Beijing City International School to talk about their feelings on Internet cheats, the pressure of deadlines and the importance of your own ideas.
Multiple Identities
Defining Nationality in an International Community
Sameena Hakimi is 13 years old and Afghani-American
Sydney Struack, 17, is German but was born in Australia
Nanami Hasegawa is 15 years old and from Japan
Markus Tsang, a citizen of Canada, is 16 years old and from Hong Kong
Living in the international community in Beijing is like having the world at your doorstep. You can be exposed to a multitude of different languages and cultures, and a single household may accommodate three or four different national backgrounds. But what does this mean for kids growing up here? tbjkids gathered together four students from the Canadian International School to discuss national identity, what it’s like to live in Beijing, and where in the world they want to be in the future.
The Spirit of Giving
A thin line between commercial and considerate
As Christmas trees and decorations begin to adorn the most unlikely of places around Beijing this yuletide, it does beg the question: Has the commercialization of the holiday season gotten out of hand? Debate Club decided to sit down with four lower sixth students from Harrow International School Beijing to discover their feelings on gift-giving, generosity and Scarlett Johansson.
Beyond Appearances
When body image becomes more than just something physical
Even the most confident person can succumb to doubts about their appearance from time to time, especially during the teenage years, a period when body shape and size are in constant flux. Nor does it help that the mass media seems to push unattainable ideas of beauty . To find out how teens in Beijing deal with this perpetual dilemma, tbjkids talked to students at the British School in Beijing.
When did you start paying attention to body image?
Chenyce Sim: I think when I started high school, everything became more focused on what you wear and how you look.
William Buck: I think I’ve always been aware of it – well, at least ever since I was 10. But I don’t really concentrate on my own personal body image.
Cliques at School
High school seniors chime in on clique culture
The jocks. The cheerleaders. The nerds. The rebels. Most people will recall being affiliated with some type of group or crowd when they were young. And these types of "cliques" are often the basis of movies about adolescence: The varsity basketball team captain dates the mean girl who rules the school. But how close do these dramatizations connect to the reality of growing up in Beijing? We sat down with four students from the Western Academy of Beijing to find out. Lisa Liang
Teen Dating
Teens chew the fat about dating during high school
Teen dating is always a hot topic among high schoolers, so this month, Debate Club sat down with three International School of Beijing students to see what they had to say on the matter.
How do your parents feel about high school dating?
Lily Ann: My parents are really laid-back about dating in high school. As long as I don’t do anything over-the-top they [won’t] mind. I haven’t dated anyone in high school yet so I’m not sure what they would say, but that’s the way it was with my sister.
Merrie: My mom is very relaxed about it and I just don’t tell my dad. [Since I’m] the youngest of three, it’s harder for him to hear that I am in a relationship.
Violence in Video Games
Destructive and unnecessary or harmless and entertaining? Beijing’s young gamers weigh in
How do you feel when you play a violent video game?
Thomas: When I play a video game, I feel like I am actually in the game – I take on the role of the character I’m playing. The violence doesn’t really bother me, it just makes me able to experience things that I would never normally be able to do in real life.
Runar: I have to admit that I feel that a game is more realistic and much more interesting if it has violence in it. Like Thomas said, we play games to be able to do the things that we normally would never be able to do. I’m not stupid – I know the difference between real life and the game, so the violence in games isn’t really an issue.
