Shen Linglan, 13, used to know nothing about cooking. This was because she was so afraid of fire that she didn't even want to get close to the kitchen. But last month, sheconquered her fears and cooked her first dish一Dong Pork. "It was so tasty!" Shen said.
Shen was able to do this through "self- support" education (教育) in her school—Suzhou Industrial Park Foreign Language School in Jiangsu. The school offers chances for students to learn practical skills. On October 15, it had a two-week trip to a "self-support education base". Nearly 100 students took part and learned basic life skills during the trip.
Since they were away from their parents, the students had to do everything on their own. Xu Ke, 13, learned to make the beds, wash clothes, clean rooms and cook. "All of these things made me more independent," Xu said. "I think it will help me a lot in the future when I go to college."
The students also got the chance to do some farm work. Xu had never seen a rice field before. "I was so excited to harvest (收割) the rice," Xu said. She also picked her own fruit. "We tasted the fruit we picked ourselves and experienced the happiness of the harvest," she said.
There were also other courses to improve students' life skills. Ling Desen, 13, chose a woodworking class and made a wood chair. He also learned how to make bread in a cooking class with the help of a Japanese cook. Some students learned car repair as well.
