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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Happy Teachers Day From China  I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers. Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) It is Teachers Day today (Saturday) in China. It once again brought to mind my feelings on education and on my thousands of days as both a professor and a student. I have always remained grateful to two teachers in my life: Kenneth Fouts and Doug Tureck. They taught me to value education and they gave me faith in my ability to learn. There were the antithesis of the people in the quotation above. I will never stop thanking them. Can any teacher ever hope to receive more? And yes, I am even thankful for the scoundrels in my life. I often receive emails from former students and I am humbled and grateful for the correspondence. I am always eager to know whether or not they are happy, for that is how I measure success. Last year I received an email from a student whom I taught more than twenty years ago. It simply read, "Thank you for changing my life." Another student, whose life has blossomed, sent me photos (congrats Sandy!) of her newborn. No, I don't feel old, I feel invigorated! Can a teacher ever hear anything that means more than this? Students in mainland China toil under the most difficult of circumstances: They carry the weight of continuing the early success of their country's great economic growth. They carry the burden of hopeful families, who gave their life's savings to send them to college while living on an average income of $1800 a year. My rural students from last year study in classrooms without air conditioning when the heat sometimes exceeds 100 degrees. They live in dorms, sometimes eight to a small room, also without minimal amenities. They hang dry their clothes, eat Ramen Noodles and hope for summer jobs that will pay them $60 or $70 dollars a month so they will have "disposable income" in the fall. China's "Baby Boom" generation is here (the one-child policy is not as old as you think) and schools are experiencing explosive growth. Teachers and administrators have an incredible task at hand. But, it is not books or air conditioning or fancy multimedia displays that create a worthy learning environment. It is the teacher. Administrations, Chinese or otherwise, will always be slow to change and to recognize the need to raise the morale of existing teachers, and there will never be enough money or resources to give them the tools and working conditions to do the best of jobs. A dedicated, well informed, caring teacher can, and will, teach from a janitor's closet with only a broken pencil and a scrap of paper. I do care. And it has always been a privilege and an honor to teach students. Yes, I long for better pay and more tools, but any discontent I feel has no place in the classroom. I received emails from past students this weekend. I again heard from the rural students who last year called me, emailed me, and invited me to many activities as their guest. They gave me cards and plants they could ill afford. That the administration last year did nothing for us suddenly did not matter. I know for certain that students have changed my life far more than I have affected theirs, so in return I will strive to be better. And I will never forget the kindness and (Lord knows) patience of my early mentors. I will do things to create stories or elegies for my funereal, but instead I will find a way to become content as I guide learners toward becoming more than they had hoped to be--by their OWN best efforts. Last year one teacher here, a man in his sixties with a remarkable education and an illustrious career behind him, asked me how he could teach his classes here better and how he could create more motivation in his students. THIS was, this IS, a teacher, the kind of educator I hope I will be in the next decade and long beyond. This is exemplifies the spirit I hope pervades my students: to always learn and to always strive for perfection. If you are a student: Call a former teacher that gave you something you needed in life, no matter how small. Believe it or not they may never have heard the words "Thank You." Forgive those who If you are a teacher: Remember that anything you say and do, at any moment in a classroom or hallway, can impact the outcome of a life forever. Forever. For the teacher who cares, it is Teachers Day every day. by Lonnie Hodge Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by Lonnie at 8:17 PM |
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