Qkids Blog

Why are we all wearing ugly sweaters?



We are all guilty of it. Every year around December they start popping up in offices, clothes shops, your friends and worst of all, your family. Ugly Christmas Sweaters! But why? Where did this trend come from and more importantly why won't it go away?!?
OK, so I am engaging in a little bit of hyperbole here. To be honest, at Qkids we love Christmas sweaters, the uglier the better. But here in China, it is not very common and we had literally no idea why at this time of year people all across America and Canada seem to don the item in question, seemingly trying to out-do each other in how garish they look. But we had to find out. Here is what we learned.

The start of the ugly sweater trend
Apparently, they started off known as ‘jingle bell sweaters’ back in the 1950s. It probably won't surprise you that this was a cold faced cash grab at the time Christmas was becoming commercialized and people started having money to spend on frivolous thin…

"I knew I loved teaching the kids online but it was nothing compared to when I got to really know them in person. We really formed a special connection over that week and I'll always remember it as such a wonderful experience." - Teacher Suzanne Memories, Campfires, and Marine ActivitiesThroughout the week we have seen our students and teachers grow in ways nobody had imagined. Our students performed a talent show and mastered English concepts in teams, while our teachers experienced a unique culture exchange. Things were different in camp, but yet it still felt like a vacation to our participants.

Despite all the fun, sometimes even the best of a vacation can leave those in it feeling homesick. That was our objective today. At the end, we scheduled an evening campfire experience that involved students sharing thoughts, feelings, and opening letters of love from their families.
Morning-time English & Objective MasteryWe began the day by stretching and acting like animals…

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Have you ever tried to tell someone about online teaching and they were like, "What is that?"

This year, Qkids noticed the same thing happening here in China. After school education is a huge cultural phenomenon here in China where competition for university places and jobs is fierce. So many parents drive their kids to and from extra classes, most days of the week. But why? With learning platforms like Qkids, their kids could study from home and get a better experience than one spent with 30 other kids in a classroom. Maybe they just don’t know?!?

So this fall we got busy campaigning on national and local news channels to spread the word about online education and to show more families the benefits of online lessons. The response has been huge and with growing awareness, we think its very likely that a big increase in new students will be just around the corner. Many new families will be taking up this opportunity to try out online lesson…