“貴/便宜”有它的主觀性，也有客觀性。
“貴”可能是因為(wei) 相比於(yu) 收入，相比於(yu) 如果在美國接受同等質量的教育，或者相比於(yu) 在中國可以有的公立學校的教育。
標題裏的老外叫 Heather Kaye，是一位在上海生活了16年的設計師，她的兩(liang) 個(ge) 女兒(er) 一直到2022年都在上海接受教育。
Heather Kaye is an American fashion designer who lived for 16 years in China, where she and her husband raised two daughters.
教育的選擇，特別是在我們(men) 的儒家社會(hui) 裏，在條件允許的情況下，都會(hui) 是一個(ge) 家庭的慎重考慮。
作者最終讓自己的孩子選擇了上海的公立學校，一部分是因為(wei) 在上海的國際學校太貴了，一部分也是因為(wei) 想在公立學校裏讓孩子接觸中國社會(hui) ，有國際視野（這當然是從(cong) 一個(ge) 美國人的角度，對於(yu) 我們(men) 來說有國際視野是走出去，融入和我們(men) 不同的社會(hui) ）。
以下為(wei) 文章節選，我們(men) 在看的時候當然沒必要放大解讀，這就是某一個(ge) 美國家長有孩子在上海的某一所公立學校就讀的體(ti) 驗，換一個(ge) 美國家長，或者換一個(ge) 學校可能都是不同的體(ti) 驗了。
但裏麵關(guan) 於(yu) 中國文化的部分，可以來學習(xi) 下表達，了解如何介紹自己成長過程中的一些習(xi) 慣；
關(guan) 於(yu) 中美教育的部分，可以積累多一個(ge) 視角，未來做相關(guan) 決(jue) 定的時候，或許會(hui) 有幫助。
作者因為(wei) 工作在2006年來到上海，一呆就是16年。
My work in the fashion industry took my husband and me to Shanghai in 2006, where we spent the next 16 years and started a family.
作者在懷孕期間，在上海感覺到的文化差異，比如大家會(hui) 看著你的肚子告訴你懷的是男孩還是女孩，以及餐廳不會(hui) 給孕婦提供冷水，以及中國人對於(yu) 熱水的執念。
But I had to accept that my growing belly had become community property, subject to unsolicited rubbing and sidewalk commentary (“It’s a boy. I can tell!”), and that restaurants would refuse to serve me cold beverages. Chinese people ascribe medicinal properties to simple hot water, rooted in hygiene concerns and the belief that it maintains a healthy balance in yin and yang. I dreaded the earful I would get each time I ordered an iced latte — though it was usually served with a warm smile.
2008年和2010年作者的兩(liang) 個(ge) 女兒(er) 出生了，自然麵對教育和擇校的問題
In 2008 and 2010 we delivered two healthy daughters in Shanghai and faced the choice of all expatriate parents in China: between pricey international schools and enrollment in local schools, overseen by the government and with an immersion in Chinese culture and values.
權衡之下，作者選擇了公立學校
We weighed the pros of the Chinese route (our girls would learn fluent Mandarin and, hopefully, a broadened worldview) and the cons (exposure to ...... and potential social isolation of being foreigners in a group of Chinese students). We took the plunge.
學校非常負責，孩子在學校和在家裏的時間都被安排好了。做早操的那個(ge) 表達可以特別注意下 performed calisthenics / ˌkæləsˈθɛnɪks/
Our stringent government co-parent quickly made its presence felt. The girls’ Chinese kindergarten lectured us on everything, including how many hours our daughters should sleep, what they should eat and their optimal weight. Each morning all of the students performed calisthenics in straight rows and raised China’s red flag while singing the national anthem. Classroom windows were usually kept open to increase air circulation and prevent contamination by airborne illnesses, even during winter, when the kids would attend class wearing their coats.
在這樣的環境下，孩子倒是培養(yang) 起來了更多的紀律性，學習(xi) 也很主動。【可能老美的主動和我們(men) 定義(yi) 的主動還是有不同】
Over time, the benefits kicked in. Constantly served up moral, history and culture lessons on pulling together for the sake of the Chinese nation, our girls came home discussing self-discipline, integrity and respect for elders. With school instilling a solid work ethic and a total drive for academic excellence, my husband and I didn’t need to push the girls to complete homework; the shame of letting their teachers and classmates down was enough to light their fires.
學校的壓力很大，所以家裏給了一個(ge) 相對放鬆的環境來中和下
At the end of the day, our less demanding American family culture helped keep the balance.
孩子在上海的生活，作者也很放心。
... our daughters were riding the subway unsupervised in a city of around 26 million people from the age of 11. A constant but benign (and mostly unarmed) police presence kept order; streets and the green spaces around every corner were kept immaculate, and the sense of civic pride was palpable.
去年6月，因為(wei) 疫情，作者一家回去了D.C.
... moved to Washington, D.C., last June.
當時D.C. 給的culture shock 感覺比當年去上海的時候都大。
In some ways, the culture shock coming home feels stronger than when we first arrived in China. ... For the first time, I’m a parent in America of two daughters navigating their middle and high school years. Resilient, open-minded and independent, they are thriving here, but it’s been an adjustment.
文化與(yu) 文化的不同，社會(hui) 與(yu) 社會(hui) 的不同，不會(hui) 是一個(ge) 簡單的答案，哪怕沉浸過，也隻是感受了其中一個(ge) 視角，大可不必去評價(jia) 整個(ge) 文化或社會(hui) 。但希望保持接觸，保持了解，避免簡單化觀點輸出。
... my family’s experience in China taught us that immersion in a culture with different answers to everyday questions alters how one sees the world. Practices that used to seem clearly right or wrong took on complexity and dimension.
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