Courses focus on developing life skills

Household chores like cooking and sewing always end up at the bottom of many of our to-do lists. Some people even think that they should be taken care of by our parents.
做饭和缝纫之类的家务活往往是最不需要我们操心的事。一些人甚至还认为，父母照顾自己理所应当。

However, these life skills are important and should be taught as part of labor education. On June 3, the Ministry of Education (MOE) issued a document illustrating the revised curriculum for senior high schools across the country. According to the document, labor education is enlisted as a compulsory course for senior high school students at all levels.
但这些生活技能相当重要，应当作为劳动教育的一部分。6月3日，教育部发布文件，明确了全国普通高中课程的修订方案。方案显示，高中各年级应将劳动教育纳入必修课。

Labor education, also called education on the hardworking spirit, ranges from household chores to on-campus labor and community volunteer services.
劳动教育，也是吃苦耐劳精神的教育，包括了家务、校内劳动、社区志愿者服务等内容。

“Labor education must be strengthened with the aim to cultivate the right view of the world, life and values and develop an interest in doing labor,” said Vice-Minister of Education Zheng Fuzhi. Through such education, students are “expected to acquire basic working capabilities for livelihood and individual development, as well as form good working habits”, said a guideline released by the MOE.
“加强劳动教育，培养孩子们正确的世界观、人生观和价值观，弘扬劳动精神，”教育部副部长郑富芝如此表示。通过这些教育，学生们能够“具备满足生存发展需要的基本劳动能力，形成良好的劳动习惯，”教育部发布的一份意见文件如此表示。

According to China Youth Daily, the labor course will take six credits – the same as foreign language and physics. Voluntary service, as a part of labor education, would take two credits. The MOE also asks schools to ensure 40 hours of voluntary service during the full three school years.
据《中国青年报》报道，劳动课程共6学分 —— 与外语、物理课程的学分相同。其中，志愿服务为2学分。教育部还要求学校确保三学年内不少于40小时的志愿服务。

According to Xinhua, adding labor education was out of concern that the country’s youngsters do too little housework and belittle manual labor jobs. Due to a lot of academic pressure, schools tend to focus on the academic curriculum, and parents sometimes see household chores as distractions.
据新华社报道，增加劳动教育课程是由于我国一些青少年家务活干得太少，有轻视体力劳动的现象。由于巨大的学业压力，学校更为关注文化课，而家长们有时也认为干家务会分散精力。

According to People’s Daily, a study from Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences showed that elementary and middle school students in China only spend 12 minutes a day on average on chores, compared to 72 minutes in the US, 42 minutes in South Korea and 30 minutes in France.
据《人民日报》报道，北京教育科学研究院的一份研究表明，我国中小学生平均每天的劳动时间只有12分钟，而美国中小学生平均每天的劳动时间为72分钟，韩国42分钟，法国30分钟。

However, household chores for teenagers are by no means a distraction. Instead, they are essential for developing a strong work ethic (职业道德), according to Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author of How to Raise an Adult. “The earlier you started, the better ... A roll-up-your-sleeves-and-pitch-in mindset (挽起袖子开干的心态) can get you ahead in the workplace,” Lythcott-Haims said. According to Northwest Educational Service, chores can also teach teamwork, problem-solving skills and give people a sense of pride in a job well done.
但做家务并不会令青少年分心。《怎样养育一个成人》一书的作者朱莉·利斯科特-海姆斯认为，做家务对于培养良好的职业道德至关重要。“越早开始做家务越好……挽起袖子开干的心态能让你在职场上脱颖而出，”利斯科特-海姆斯表示。西北教育服务则认为，做家务能培养团队合作精神、解决问题的技巧，出色完成工作还能给人一种自豪感。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一797期