TedM (UK)

My advice to parents whose kids are sitting for the national college entrance exam: maintain a healthy balance between study time and quality family and social time. Leisure time is not time wasted. It enables a person to reflect on what has been learned, internalize it and discuss it casually. It refreshes the capacity to learn and turns a student into a happy learner; keen to learn as a pleasurable activity. Encourage your child to do his or her best, but without the stress and pressure which often results in a worse performance. Failing the gaokao is not failing as an intelligent and useful person. These days a person can succeed and aim for their dreams without it.