Study Planning

Parents and students alike would do well to spend some time understanding the new national curriculum standards and college admission policies—sooner rather than later.

Nearly every academic challenge that surfaces in high school traces back to gaps formed in elementary school—or even earlier: insufficient planning, weak foundational skills, or undeveloped habits.

Take English as an example. The new curriculum sharply reduces in-school instructional hours—but keeps the subject’s weight unchanged in exams. At the same time, difficulty has increased, with higher demands on integration, critical thinking, and vocabulary. The middle-school exam now expects mastery of 2,000 words. School-based instruction simply can’t meet these targets. That gap must be filled outside class.

Designing a study plan for your child starts with reading the new curriculum guidelines—and a few reputable interpretations. It takes little time, yet transforms you from a bystander into a capable, informed guide—saving both effort and missteps down the road.

Minimizing Regret

Try this exercise occasionally—it’s surprisingly illuminating.

Imagine you’re 80 years old, looking back on your life.
What regrets would you not want to carry?
What choices would you not second-guess?
What moments would stand out as your deepest sources of fulfillment?

This mental rehearsal offers powerful perspective on your present state.
It also acts as real-time accountability—helping you assess whether today’s actions truly align with what matters most over a lifetime.

The Gold Mine Next Door

A friend dropped by our office one lunchtime for a hotpot meal.

He’d come hoping to find new student recruitment channels for his family’s business—hoping to earn some referral fees.

I asked, “Do you really need to look elsewhere?”

He replied, “Yes—we need income. Earning money has gotten harder these past two years.”

He’s a strategic consultant. In good years, he earned well—but consulting isn’t a steady, essential service.

Meanwhile, his wife runs an education institution with a large, established student base.

Why not launch a small internal expansion—say, adding a new subject track—within her existing operation? For him, it would mean modest, reliable earnings—far more realistic than chasing unfamiliar, low-leverage opportunities.

It’s often wiser to mine what’s already close at hand than to dig blindly elsewhere.

Affordable Native English Tutors

Without a bilingual home environment, developing spoken English is especially tough for children.

A common solution: structured conversational practice with native English speakers from English-speaking countries.

Here are two low-cost options:

First, the app HelloTalk—recently popular, with many native speakers offering private lessons for ¥40–60 per session.

Second, former VIPKid teachers (many still actively teaching) now take students independently—via referrals, Twitter, or other informal channels—at ¥50–80 per lesson.

A friend shared his experience: through a mutual contact, he found a British man in his fifties who lives on a farm and isn’t formally employed. They schedule daily video calls with his child. He structures simple, engaging conversations—and charges just ¥70 per session. That’s less than the UK’s minimum wage.

That’s just how things are right now.

How to Make a Book More Compelling

Overall, tutoring costs today are roughly half what they were before the “Double Reduction” policy—meaning about half the fee previously went to platform overhead.

From a neuroscience standpoint, here’s what makes a book genuinely engaging—based on how our brains actually work:

  1. The brain trusts authority: Cite respected figures, include expert endorsements or quotes.
  2. The brain loves images: Use photos, charts, infographics, and mind maps—not just to fill pages, but to lower cognitive load.
  3. The brain prefers the concrete: Anchor ideas with specific numbers and real examples.
  4. The brain seeks familiarity: Prioritize resonance—content that feels true to the reader’s lived experience.
  5. The brain craves stories: Weave in parent anecdotes and classic, well-told narratives.
  6. The brain values context: Explain background—e.g., cite key psychology experiments—to ground ideas.
  7. The brain rewards novelty: Offer insights that shift perspective—ideas that feel fresh, unexpected, and useful.
  8. The brain avoids effort: Write plainly—use everyday language, not jargon or abstraction.
  9. The brain seeks safety and hope: When highlighting risks or problems, always pair them with actionable, hopeful solutions.

In short: pack your book with quotes, vivid stories, visuals, experimental context, plain language, hopeful pathways, surprising ideas—and mind maps.

Remember: avoiding deep thought isn’t laziness—it’s how our brains are wired.