Editor-in-Chief Chloe Hsu explains why Model UN does not help with public speaking and critical thinking skills as much as it advertises.
Public Speaking is Better than MUN | Emily Liao – Grade 10
Staff Writer Emily Liao offers insight on why public speaking is better than Model United Nations for high school students.
3 reasons why group projects suck | Jewel Chen – Grade 11
Staff Writer Jewel Chen explains why group projects are inefficient, a waste of time, and unfair to students.
Applying to college as an Asian American | Kate Huang – Grade 11
Associate Editor Kate Huang explores the debate around on Asian Americans are affected by affirmative action.
Is the 108 Curriculum good or bad for students? | Zoe Chen – Grade 8
Staff writer Zoe Chen discusses both the pros and cons of the national curriculum of Taiwan—the 108 curriculum.
Top-ranked schools are more stressful | Zoe Chen – Grade 8
Staff writer Zoe Chen shares her experiences as a current student in a top-ranked school, and how it’s more stressful.
Taiwanese education hampers critical thinking | Kate Huang – Grade 10
Taiwanese people, both parents and students, are heavily invested in education. According to reputable sources like the National Center of Education, Taiwan is one of the top-performing countries in terms of education. Taiwan’s academic performance, especially in...
Why studying at a girl’s high school is awesome | Jewel Chen – Grade 10
Staff writer Jewel Chen writes about her experience in an all-girls high school, and explains how attending this type of school is awesome.
Four reasons why high school sucks | Kate Huang – Grade 10
Associate Editor Kate Huang talks about how the feeling of inadequacy, stress, drama, and judgement make high school an unpleasant experience.
Private school survival tips | Charlotte Lin – Grade 10
Staff Writer Charlotte Lin provides study and friendship-related tips for transfer students who are adapting to new school environments.
Helpful apps for students | Zoe Chen – Grade 8
Staff Writer Zoe Chen provides a list of helpful apps students can use to help them use their devices responsibly.
Do STEM subjects offer better career opportunities? | Kate Huang – Grade 10
If you’re a student struggling to choose between studying STEM subjects, non-STEM subjects, or both, this article is for you. STEM – an abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – is the group of subjects most people regard as better...
Clubs students should join in junior high | Zoe Chen – Grade 8
Joining a club is a way for students to take a break from studying. Clubs allow students to choose a class according to their liking and be devoted to it. Some people may want to use this period to be productive and increase their knowledge, while some want to join...
Why Taiwanese students are not getting enough sleep | Charlotte Lin – Grade 10
According to the Children Welfare League Foundation, Taiwanese students sleep 6.9 hours a night on average when they should be sleeping at least eight hours every night. The reason why students stay up late is mainly due to heavy school work loads. To make matters...
Do parents know what their children need in their studies? | Kira Lei Chen – Grade 8
The answer is no. Parents think that they know what their child needs, but in reality they are forcing their child to become something that the parents want, molding their child into the perfect student who is a prodigy in class. This is actually the most ineffective...
Schools should teach students about money and financial education | Kate Huang – Grade 9
There is one subject that will be useful throughout your entire life, but schools rarely teach you about it – money. While money seems like a topic that isn’t a concern in your teenage years, starting your financial education early is beneficial for your...
How students can improve relationships with their teachers | Victor Lu – Grade 12
Teachers are central to education. They guide students in their lessons and cultivate passion for learning. Because teachers are supportive in students’ education, it is vital for students to build positive relationships with their teachers, and good teacher-student...
Homeschooling and why it is better than normal schools | Kira Lei Chen – Grade 7
Homeschooling is an education system for students that do not fit into ordinary education systems such as traditional public schools. Homeschooling helps every individual student because the student’s curriculum is custom-made and chosen to fit what the student needs....
Sexism in the education system | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10
Sexism in the education system? Didn’t we leave sexism back in the 1900s? We did, but we also didn’t. Sexism has always been something people are sensitive to, and women have long strived for gender equality. While nowadays, things are much better than a few decades...
Schools should pay more attention to student mental health | Kate Huang – Grade 9
When you see a student going up the stairs on crutches, you will give them a hand. However, when you see a depressed student in your class, you ignore the possibility that they are suffering from mental illnesses, assuming that they’re simply having a bad day....
Are cram schools for kids, or are they really for parents? | Kira Lei Chen – Grade 7
Almost every single student in Taiwan has been to a cram school, regardless of their age and their abilities. Cram schools, called buxibans, are part of the modern day Taiwanese culture, and without it the Taiwanese education system wouldn’t be what it is today....
6 lessons I learned doing my college applications | Victor Lu – Grade 12
Twelfth grade is stressful. Most students have to apply for college, maintain their grades at school, and deal with tremendous pressure from both, especially from college applications. However, the college application process is still a valuable opportunity for...
Taiwan should abolish “The Test”: ‘HuiKao’ | Una Chuang – Grade 10
Taiwanese junior high students have three years to prepare for a high school entrance exam, called the HuiKao, which I will refer to as “The Test”. Students are tested on academics learned in middle school, and apply to schools according to the scores they get. You...
Reasons for applying for UWC | Cynthia Lin – Grade 10
Imagine having royalty from England, Jordan, Spain, Netherlands, Holland, or Belgium as alumni. You must think that this school is for royalty, or at least, an expensive school that barely anyone can afford, right? The reality is the high school they attend has people...
Problems with education in rural Taiwan | Victor Lu – Grade 11
Education helps people to get high paying jobs, become better citizens, and enjoy higher quality lifestyles. In 2015, the United Nations proposed 17 sustainable development goals, one of which is quality education. Although education plays a crucial role in society,...
Why single gender schools are a bad idea | Edwina Tong – Grade 8
When it comes to choosing schools, parents consider whether they should send their kids to single gender schools or not. However, parents do not know that separating boys and girls in school may harm kids in ways that may not be noticeable. So obviously, kids...
Cramming, tests, and homework are a cancer on Taiwanese students | Stephanie Wang – Grade 11
Students in Taiwan have to face a ton of tests and assignments every day; the cramming system students learn is making them suffer from pain and killing them. Cramming, tests, and homework are a cancer on Taiwanese students. Too much work and pressure leads to...
Schools should teach more sex education | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9
I’m sure everyone has at least has had one class of sex education in their lives before. It could be in a health class or in a lecture from the teacher because someone got pregnant. But have you ever realized that those classes were never detailed enough? At least...
Participating in the Taiwan Geography Olympiad | Victor Lu – Grade 11
As I have explored human cultures and their long histories, I have become fascinated by geography. Why does a specific group find itself on the Mongolian Steppe or in the valleys of Peru? How have their cultures developed in relation to those around them? How has...
Opinion: Why Taiwanese parents prefer private school over public | Cynthia Lin – Grade 9
Parents love their kids, so they always want to give their kids the biggest advantage, especially when it comes to school. In Taiwan, many parents prefer private school over public school because private schools tend to be better for the future prospects of their...
4 benefits students get from working part-time jobs | Una Chuang – Grade 9
Many students wonder if they should start working while they are in school. They think, “It would be awesome to start saving, but my friends would rather chat on Insta and watch YouTube. Would working help me? Or is it just a waste of time?” Working does benefit...
The dumbest school rules | Felix Tsai – Grade 9
Schools are in charge of passing on important knowledge to students that they will need for the rest of their lives. To do this effectively and efficiently, schools use a wide array of regulations and rules to make sure students learn well and can focus on their work....
Op-ed: Private schools shouldn’t exist | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9
What does it take to go to a private school? You might say you need to be smart or hardworking or you have to pass tests; however, you are missing something - money. Without money, no matter how smart and hardworking a person is, they would never, ever, get the chance...
Students shouldn’t freak out about test scores | Vera Huang – Grade 10
Test scores - something that students care about on a daily basis - scare students every time they are announced. Parents tell students all day long: “Work harder, your grades are not good at all”, “Are you even reviewing?” and all sorts of scolding. This creates a...
The benefits of being a Taipei Teen Tribune writer | Victor Lu – Grade 10
Taipei Teen Tribune (TTT) is a special class at Englist, and students who are in this class write about the topics they care about instead of writing about topics that their teachers assign them. The primary goal of this class is to train students to write high...
Taiwanese students should ask more questions and be willing to express their opinions | Victor Lu – Grade 10
Taiwanese classrooms are famous for students’ silence. Compared to students from other countries like the U.S., Taiwanese students rarely ask questions and express their opinions during class. Even though teachers ask their students if they have questions or if they...
Best extracurricular activities for students to participate in | Timothie Hsiao – Grade 11
It is important for students to participate in extracurricular activities since they can enrich students’ lives. There are some skills and traits that can’t be taught and trained in class. Here are some of the best extracurricular activities for students. Volunteer...
5 reasons why cram school sucks | Timothie Hsiao – Grade 10
Cram school culture is common in Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Although Asian parents believe that by sending their kids to cram schools kids can improve their academic performance, cram school culture is hurting both kids and parents in...
PE class is dumb | Leo Lin – Grade 7
PE class, short for “Physical Education”, is one of the worst subjects ever. Here are 5 reasons why PE class is dumb: 1. Students get grades based on worksheets Have you ever had that one PE class where your boomer teacher that can’t even play sports just makes you do...
Bullying in School – Chloe Hsu (Grade 9) & Sidney Chen (Grade 9)
TTT Media staffers were asked to research a subject about something that concerns teenagers in Taiwan. Staffers Chloe Hsu and Sidney Chen chose the topic of bullying, which is still a prevalent and concerning issue in Taiwan middle schools.
7 reasons homework should be banned | Vera Huang – Grade 9
Homework takes up a big part of children’s lives. The 21st century has been a homework-heavy era. Kids spend days and nights on book reports, math problems, literature essays, and science posters. Therefore, homework is an inevitable part of the educational...
School subjects that should be replaced | Felix Tsai – Grade 8
Everybody has to go to school, however, not all of the subjects schools decide to teach will be used in the future. There are certain skills that everybody will need as adults, but despite the long hours students spend at school, they still refuse to teach students...
Problems with Taiwan’s education culture | Victor Lu – Grade 10
Taiwan's education culture is harmful to most students. For years, complaints from children and parents about problems with Taiwan's education have been common. Education in Taiwan is flawed in some significant ways and should be fixed as soon as possible. Always...
Chinese is the most difficult subject to learn | Victor Lu – Grade 10
Chinese is one of the most popular languages in the world, and it is one of the most complicated. Today, most schools in Taiwan require all students to attend Chinese classes in order to train their basic knowledge and language skills of Chinese. However, learning...
Education in Taiwan vs. Japan | Estella Tong – Grade 10
Japan is considered to have one of the best education systems in the world. Though the basic school system in Japan is literally the same as Taiwan’s (which is six years of elementary school, three years in both junior and senior high school, and four years for...
How students actually approach their writing assignments | Phil Wang – Grade 11
The clock on the wall ticks, trying to reach the number 12; the sound of typing fills the quiet atmosphere as if the keyboard is going to break any second; the congested eyes of the student stick to the screen. All of these phenomena occur due to an essay due at...
Learning how to write essays is the hardest thing | Alex Sun – Grade 5
Writing well is daunting even to those who are native English speakers, so it is gratifying when we see students apply the methods they've learned at Englist to convey their thoughts, opinions, and arguments coherently in an English essay. In doing so, they also find...
Taiwan’s new education format | Estella Tong – Grade 8
Education in Taiwan is a controversial topic. With its test-based system, teaching methods, the amount of homework and political issues, complaints come from all directions. Taiwan is famous for its students spending time after school at cram schools, which means...
Taiwan’s Department of Education must limit the number of tests students take | Kyle Huang – Grade 9
Lengthy tests and numerous exams can have a severe psychological impact on students. Surveys conducted by United Daily News show 4 out of 35 students in Taipei have depression or suicidal thoughts. Department of Health statistics indicate that suicide attempts caused by pressure in school are the second largest factor leading to teenage deaths. Tests […]
Woodpecker Learning – a review | Lily Chen – Grade 9
Learning a new language requires a huge investment of time, but it doesn’t necessarily cost much money. Simply downloading an app on your smartphone can be your unlimited access pass to the world of languages. Woodpecker, which is an app invented by Woodpecker Learning allows language learners to acquire a foreign language naturally by watching […]
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