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CHINA TRIP IS AN EYE-OPENER FOR STUDENTS
THE pressure to succeed is a problem faced by students around the world.
Mental health promotion officer Pat Heggs hoped to tackle the issue when she visited the Number One Middle School in Liuyang with a delegation from Ballakermeen High School, Douglas.
The group of 24 16 and 17-year-olds from the Island took classes during the trip to help improve their Chinese counterparts' spoken English.
Although the Chinese students were eager to improve their English, the language barrier meant that Mrs Heggs didn't get to teach any mental health promotion.
A symposium for parents and teachers was held at which the Manx delegates were asked about their teaching style and how it differed from to that in China and Mrs Heggs raised the issue of the pressures for young people.
'I talked about what I perceived as the incredible pressure on parents, teachers and young people to succeed in the school because it's the Number One School with 5,000 pupils and there are nine other schools,' she said.
'Mental health isn't recognised, but we talked about their self-esteem and expectations — they have incredible expectations.'
With a limit of one child per family, students may feel pressured to do well at school, but Mrs Heggs felt that the students weren't supported over personal issues and that the year heads were there simply to improve their studies.
However, when she talked about how pressure might manifest itself, her comments were met by nods from parents and students.
Mrs Heggs said the Manx students' self-esteem was boosted by the trip as they went into classes to teach English.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
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Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
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