Can you cook?Do you like the homework of making a meal?Recently,the Ministry of Education(教育部)has made the new course standard.Primary and middle school students are required to take"Practical Life Skills"course for at least
Cooking one class hour—about 45 minutes every week.
Some schools have started to offer such course.Guquan from No.1 Middle School,used to be a lazy boy.In his own words,he hardly ever did any housework.But things have changed since No.1 Middle School made housework part of the students' homework.Doing dishes, cooking and making the bed—all of these housework have become part of Guquan's daily life.His life skills have been improved ( 提 升 ) by taking the course, At the beginning of each month,each student gets a list of housework to do for the weekend.Their parents help them keep records of the housework they do. The housework is common and simple,such as cleaning the room and cooking. On special days,like Mother's Day,students should prepare gifts for their mothers. Huang Yixi,14,has learned several life skills through the course,including cooking."I used to be afraid of fire,"she said.But she tried to overcome (克服) her fear and complete her cooking tasks.At the same time,she also learned how tired her mother could get after doing housework every day.On Mother's Day,she made a cake for her mother to show her thanks."I've begun to better understand my parents and want to help them more,"she said.
Other schools in Hunan are also developing programs to teach their students life skills.On May 12th,Xinhua Middle School held a life skill competition.Students had to complete many tasks including cooking and setting the table.They showed their skills and told everyone that they were growing up.
