Teacher introducing ‘no assignment’ rule at weekends gains favor

A class of students at a Chinese primary school are able to fully embrace their spring weekends outdoors without academic burden in March.

Lu Yuanyuan, a primary school teacher educating second grade in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, recently decided to relieve students’ stress by introducing a “no assignment” rule at weekends in March. The teacher encouraged students to do outdoor activities and get close to nature in person.

Screenshot of Lu's notice. /Chengdu Economic Daily

“March is one of the best spring times. Despite ordering them [students] to do assignments at weekends, I will help them enhance their learning efficiency during workdays,” Lu claimed in a notice, according to Chengdu Economic Daily.

The only thing she hoped her students would do is “find the blossom trees and take photos by themselves.” She added that “at late March, we will make an exhibition together to display the photos.”

Lu with her students. /Chengdu Economic Daily

Lu’s action gained approval by both parents and students. Many parents even recommended outing destinations of the city’s outskirts.

“The children are still at a younger age and scores are not matter most. I think it is time to cultivate their interest in nature and culture,” a parent surnamed Ma told Chengdu Economic Daily.

The rule, however, was triggered online debate as some concerned about whether it will have a negative impact towards students’ study. Yet, Lu is not worry about that. She explained that “compared with learning the beauty of nature in textbooks, students should enjoy their childhood and find it in person. It’s also study.”

Lu’s assignments are always personalized, like encouraging students to recite poems featuring spring during their winter holiday and getting out tracing the origin of local streets’ name.

The school’s headmaster Qiu Hua told Chengdu Economic Daily that she entirely support Lu’s decision, as human-nature interactions are more important than the overuse of electronic devices nowadays. But Qiu are not ready to promote Lu’s rule, because specific rules need to set on different cases.

Personalized education has gradually attracted public attention in China. Moreover, transformational new technologies such as AI or digital technology are bringing new personalized education to both tutoring centers and formal schools.