"What's ruined? What happened?" Zhou Yuanyuan was surprised. The morning reading habit had been in place since Chaoyang Middle School was founded, an activity developed through the students' initiative. It didn't bother anyone, so how could the school cancel it now?
"Yuanyuan, it's like this. The new secretary, Wen, said that the time spent on morning reading and early morning recitation combined is too long, and we must allocate time for physical exercise. Everyone knows that physical exercise is a good thing, but he stipulates that we must run for one and a half to two hours every morning. After such high-intensity exercise, everyone is almost exhausted, so how can we have the energy to study?" Chen Xiaoyan's face was bitter when she talked about this.
Around six in the morning, Chen Xiaoyan felt her memory was a point or two better than usual. She had always kept up the habit of morning reading since she started middle school, but this sudden new school rule had put her in a difficult position.
Is there such a weird rule? No studying allowed, running instead?
"Is physical exercise a mandatory requirement and not a free choice?" Zhou Yuanyuan opened her mouth in surprise.
Everyone's physical fitness is different. For Zhou Yuanyuan, running for 20 hours straight is no problem, not to mention two! But for a gym-shy person like Chen Xiaoyan, running for two hours would be like killing her. Can't physical exercise be taught gradually and individually?
"Anyway, there's so much to say, it's hard to put it into words!" Chen Xiaoyan saw Zhou Yuanyuan and wanted to say a lot of what she had been holding back. Chen Xiaoyan felt that if she continued like this, her academic career would be ruined, if not completely. She had bravely "ran into" Principal Xiao today, wanting to share some of the students' opinions and ask him to consider everyone's tolerance. After all, their high school curriculum was very intense, and if things continued like this, Chen Xiaoyan felt she would either transfer schools or simply quit.
"Xiaoyan, please tell me the details of the matter. I'm really confused." Seeing Chen Xiaoyan's expression, Zhou Yuanyuan knew that the girl must be under a lot of pressure recently. Asking her to talk about her depression is also a way to relieve stress.
"Let me first tell you about what Secretary Wen has done in the past two months that has angered everyone and heaven! There is no such thing as the most bizarre, only more bizarre!" Chen Xiaoyan and Zhou Yuanyuan simply stood in the middle of the playground and complained.
The new Secretary Wen is a middle-aged man in his forties. Chen Xiaoyan heard that he used to be an officer in the army and just retired in the second half of last year. His family has some background.
Speaking of Secretary Wen, Chen Xiaoyan was filled with resentment. Secretary Chen used to be so kind! As long as the students studied hard and didn't cause trouble at school, Secretary Chen would always look at every student with a kind smile.
But this secretary Wen has too many tricks.
Secretary Wen has been at Chaoyang Middle School for less than two months, and his innovations extend beyond reforming morning reading. Chen Xiaoyan heard from her uncle, Teacher Liu, that on his first day at work, Secretary Wen saw the students finishing their morning exercises, their brows furrowed so deeply they could be wrung out of water.
After morning exercises, Secretary Wen immediately summoned the Dean of Students, Wu Youwei, to his office and gave him a stern scolding: "Why are the students' clothes so tattered? White, blue, floral, red, all sorts of colors and styles. How can such untidy attire reflect the vibrant and progressive spirit of Chaoyang Middle School?"
After being scolded for half an hour by Secretary Wen, Director of Studies Wu Youwei returned to his office and issued a new rule: Within a week, each student at Chaoyang Middle School must buy two or three sets of school uniforms. From then on, students were not allowed to wear anything other than their school uniforms during the school day.
As soon as Wu Youwei's new regulations were announced, they immediately triggered a lot of wailing.
Kyoto City's elementary and middle schools all have uniforms. However, many schools haven't enforced the uniform requirement. Chaoyang Middle School was similarly tolerant of students' choices regarding uniforms. After all, at that time, the nation had only recently emerged from the days of "three years new, three years old, and three years of patching and mending."
While there were quite a few people in Kyoto who became wealthy first, most of their parents were ordinary workers. If both spouses worked, their family conditions would be better. If only one spouse worked, it would be good enough to provide for the family. After all, families in this era often had several children.
One child needs two or three sets of school uniforms, and if there are two children, the amount will be doubled. If the children are of similar age and are both in middle school, the total amount of money will be no small amount.
As soon as Wu Youwei's regulations were communicated to all class teachers, Principal Xiao Bin raised objections to Secretary Wen, who reportedly pushed back. Secretary Wen said that uniform clothing would strengthen students' sense of collective honor, and that Chaoyang Middle School, a top-tier middle school in Jingyang City, must enforce the uniformity.
When it comes to asking parents to pay, there's bound to be a lot of wrangling. Two weeks ago, the issue came to a close after several children without uniforms were stopped at the school gate by security. For the sake of their children, parents gritted their teeth and tightened their belts, and finally completed the task of buying uniforms.
After the uniform issue was finalized, Secretary Wen focused on physical education. He said that physical fitness was crucial for students. Only with a strong physique could they better serve society. Every morning, the air above Chaoyang Middle School was no longer filled with the usual sounds of reading; instead, the huffing and puffing of students running filled the air.
Chen Xiaoyan was also a top student, always in the top ten in her grade, but she was a complete slouch in gym. The week before last, Secretary Wen cracked down on gymnastics. After a one-and-a-half to two-hour workout, Chen Xiaoyan fainted from exhaustion on the first day and spent three days lying down at home before recovering. For the next week or so, Chen Xiaoyan persisted every day, but afterward, she was so exhausted she couldn't even concentrate on her morning classes. She had just finished her exam yesterday, and her grades had dropped significantly, from being in the top ten in her grade to around 100th.
Chen Xiaoyan felt miserable! She wasn't against the school's strict emphasis on physical education; she just wondered if the process couldn't be gradual. Even if she were to transition from fifteen minutes to half an hour, it would be better than such an inhumane two hours! Many students were complaining about being overwhelmed by such demanding training right from the start.
Chen Xiaoyan specifically told Zhou Yuanyuan all this so she could get someone to persuade Secretary Wen. Chen Xiaoyan knew that Zhou Yuanyuan was General Zhou's great-granddaughter.
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