Responsibility and Learning

ONEofthewonderfulthingsaboutbeingaforeigneducatorinChina,isthatChinesestudentsaresoeagertolearnfromyou.Theyhavebeentrainedfromanearlyagetobeknowledgesponges,lookingtosoakupasmuchnewinformationfromtheirteachersastheycan.Secondly,Confucianeducationdemandsahighdegreeofrespectforteachers.Thetitle"LaoShi"isoneofreverenceinChinesesociety,thoughteacherstendtobepoorlypaid.EvengreateristherespectinChinaforforeignteachersor"foreignexperts"astheyarecalled.DespitethefactthatmostforeignexpertsinChinahavenopreviousexpertiseasteachersofEnglishasaforeignlanguagebutareemployedassuch,theChinesegovernmentwelcomestheircontributionbybestowingarespectfultitleuponthem.Thus,Chinesestudentsholdtheirforeignteachersespeciallyinhighregard,whichisperhapswhysomanypeoplewhocometoChinatoteachendupstayingherelonger.

ItwouldbehardtofindthislevelofappreciationforteachersamongAmericanstudents.YoungpeopleintheU.S.haveasomewhatdifferentattitudetowardeducators;theyaretaughttoquestion,notsimplyabsorb,sotheydecideforthemselvesifateacheriscredible.Americanstudentsmayrejecttheirteachers,confrontingthemandevenpubliclydisagreeingwiththemaspartofthelearningprocess.Americanyoungpeoplearelessacceptingofinformationatfacevalue,preferringtoevaluateforthemselvesastowhetherornotwhattheteachersaysistrueoruseful.

Thestatusoftheteacherineasternandwesterneducationhasamajorimpactonthewaystudentstakeresponsibilityfortheirlearning.Chinesestudentsbecomeheavilyreliantontheirteacherstogivethemthe"right"informationandcaneasilyblametheteacheriftheydonotdowellintheclassbysaying,"theteacherdidntteachmeenough."Americanstudentstendtobemoreindependentaslearners,andteachersencouragethemtodoresearchontheirown,formstudygroupsandseekanswersfromoutsidesources.ThisgivesAmericanstudentsmoreflexibilityingatheringinformation,andalsoencouragesthemtoberesponsiblefortheirlearning.Responsibilityinthiscontextdoesnotsimplymeanmemorizingthe"correct"answerstopassanexam,itreferstothesenseofownershipthatmakeslearningmeaningful.

InChinese,peopleexpressmodestybysayingthattheygavealltheirknowledgebacktotheteacher.Thisimpliesthatthepersonneverreallyownedtheknowledgeinthefirstplace,butsimplyborroweditfromtheteachertopasstheexam.Butitalsoimpliesthatthepersonnevercherishedthisknowledge,becauseheorsheneverownedit,andsotheyneglecteditandeventuallyforgotit.Itsjustlikethedifferencebetweenlivinginadormitoryandlivinginyourownhouse.Noonewholivesinadormtakesverygoodcareofit,especiallythepublicareas.Butonceyouownahome,youmakeitbeautifulandkeepitcleanbecauseithasgreatervaluetoyou.Thisisprideofownership,andwhatisownedischerished.Whatischerishedendures.

AsmuchasChinesestudentsappreciatetheirforeignteachers,theyshouldnotforgetthatresponsibilityforlearningcomesfromwithin,notfromwithout.Theteachercannot"give"someoneEnglish.Noonecan"get"Englishfromateacherorfromabooklikeonecangetacold.Responsibilityforlearningcanonlycomefromthelearner,whenheorshefreelychoosestoownthequalityofhisorherlearningexperience,versusrelyingonborrowedknowledgefromexperts.