Chapter 18 4.d Treat teachers correctly

When I first planned to write a series of articles about time for students to read, I thought carefully about what kind of attitude I should use to write.The most important thing is: I should definitely not use a high-level attitude, because I dare not be high-level, and it is possible to go to heaven after death.I tell myself every day, "Don't pretend, don't pretend. You have nothing to pretend." For teachers, prestige is of course very important.Almost all the teachers I know are very concerned about their prestige. They hope that their prestige will make their every sentence shine brightly, and it will be like a thunderbolt thrown into the sky, and it will shake the ground when it hits the ground.But majesty, dignity, credibility, and honor are all earned by actions, not by pretense or intimidation.Many teachers are actually not worthy of being teachers, because they obtain the illusion of superiority by pretending.Occasionally I meet teachers who are really bullshit, but more often than not, I see teachers who pretend to believe it.Some other teachers are really hateful because they are so guilty that they often win "awe" by intimidation, regardless of the large-scale and irreparable damage that may be caused to young hearts.These teachers deserve to be spanked, but unfortunately there is no adequate system in place to deal with them.

However, for students, it is more important to avoid another trap-don't refuse to study because you hate the teacher.This is one of the most common phenomena.Many students start to lose interest in learning English just because they hate the English teacher.According to the law of normal distribution, at a certain stage, you must only meet one best teacher, many mediocre teachers, and one or two teachers who may even make people hate-trust me, They hate you too, and if you hate them, everyone is very sensitive about that.Shouldn't you just take the course that you think is the best teacher taught seriously?To do so is patently absurd.Be sure to remember this sentence - "In any case, don't and should not punish yourself with other people's mistakes, it is not only wrong, but also stupid."

There are several other phenomena that must be mentioned.When many people are looking for a teacher, their ideas are too distorted.Many people waste too much time and opportunities because of the problematic way of looking at teachers. First of all, one should not rely too much on teachers.Sometimes, I can see that some students are not asking the teacher for help, but actually hope that the teacher is a fairy in a fairy tale, or a unique person in a martial arts novel.I don't think this kind of thinking is caused by watching too many stories-in fact, there is only one reason: the heart is fragile, unable to accept the reality but eager to get rid of the embarrassment, and at the same time unwilling to pay any price.Such a student doesn't even want the teacher to explain any truth to him in essence (even if the teacher tells him, he can only tell the truth that countless other teachers have already said one after another), what he hopes is to get a panacea, just After drinking a cup of cool white water, you will be different, refreshed, and be a new person.Don't rely too much on the teacher.Teachers are not gods.It is very reasonable to ask teachers to be dedicated, but it is not a matter of course to ask teachers to be responsible. In fact, even the best teacher can only do the part he can do well-try his best to teach well.

Second, understand that "doing best" and "teaching best" are often not the same thing at all.There are too many students, and the demands on teachers are too high.He hopes that his teacher is a top person, even top in every aspect.I have been teaching at New Oriental for several years, and I can often see a particularly interesting phenomenon: the poorer the class, the higher the students' demands on the teacher.When it comes to TOEFL classes and GRE classes, teachers with poor pronunciation like me can be very popular. You know, using my accent to teach new concepts or remedial classes for the CET-4 exam is very likely to be rejected. The students slammed down.Can you imagine why this is?The less knowledgeable people are, the more they like to use all their knowledge as the basis for judgment, and they completely ignore the limitations of their own knowledge, and they don't actually know that their knowledge has limitations.

The teacher who "teaches best" will definitely do it, but often it is not the one who "does it best". The people who "do it best" often may not even necessarily teach, let alone "teach best".Come to think of it, did Pavarotti's teacher sing better than Pavarotti? --Then the teacher may not be born with such a wide vocal range, right?However, he can teach Pavarotti.Can Tyson's coach beat Tyson? --The coach probably won't have such a fast punching speed, right?However, he can train boxing champion Tyson.Ronaldo's coaching skills must be better than Ronaldo? --Not necessarily?However, he not only taught Ronaldo, but also many stars are his students.

Finally, it is often incorrect to judge teachers by their own learning outcomes.Many people use their own learning effects to measure the teacher, as well as the learning methods and content taught by the teacher.This seems more reasonable.But the problem is that teachers are often to students what doctors are to patients.Sometimes, the doctor can cure the disease at hand: but another situation is also very common: whether the patient's disease can be cured is not up to the doctor to decide - the patient may have a terminal illness, or the prerequisite for the patient to recover is that he wants Actively cooperate with treatment.Therefore, as a patient, you may be able to say to the doctor, "Hurry up and find me some suitable medicine, so that my cold symptoms will disappear immediately!" However, the patient will definitely not and should not say to the doctor, "If you can't cure it within three months If my gastric ulcer is cured, you must not only refund my medical expenses, but also compensate me for my mental loss!"

The misunderstandings mentioned above are definitely not limited to a small number of students.In fact, most students are like this.It is a bit abstract to say, but it is true: the existence and activities of each individual affect the existence and activities of another or more individuals or even groups.These misunderstandings of students have directly or indirectly triggered the response of a considerable part of the teacher group - some teachers always try their best to deceive them, making students feel that they are superior to others, and the ultimate victims are the students themselves - but it is ridiculous What's more sad is that after careful observation, it turned out that it was Zhou Yu who beat Huang Gai.Therefore, the teachers are all selfless and noble, and they all keep themselves clean and stick to principles... But is it possible?Teachers are also human beings, especially as a group, there are bound to be various manifestations of human nature-but under the "superhuman standards" of students, parents, colleagues, leaders, and the entire society, the degree of distortion cannot be increased.Many scholars bluntly say that the top three most hypocritical groups in the world are: clergy, teachers, and politicians.

It also needs to be added that no matter which teacher it is, there are times when mistakes are made.Many times, I tell my students, "Please, don't call me Teacher Li, it sounds like Master Li--Li Xzhi." It sounds like a joke, but in fact, this sentence actually contains I have a bitter and sweet wish: Can you just judge whether what I said makes sense?Listen to what you have, let it go if you don't -- of course, I have my own work ethic, and I won't talk about things that don't make sense.And if I'm wrong, believe me, I didn't mean to - I do everything I can to avoid it every day.However, no matter how careful I was, I made mistakes—something that would never be different just because I was a teacher.

I miss a lot of words--I have a notebook that records more than 200 words that I have missed. Let me just say one as an example: facade, which I used to pronounce as ['faekeid] (actually [f3' sa:d]); Two days ago, I also met another teacher who gave a good lecture and read specific as ['spesifik] (actually [sp3'sifik]), but this does not mean anything more, this One of the most penetrating teachers I have ever met. I have mentioned countless times in class that the reason why the distance between American railroad tracks is 4 feet 8 inches is actually related to the width of the buttocks of the Romans' horses two thousand years ago--take this as an example to warn students , today's mistakes will inevitably lead to tomorrow's embarrassment.However, today I searched for information in order to write an article, and accidentally discovered that this example is simply spreading rumors!

I will always remember one scene.That was a few years ago, less than three months after my first book "21-Day Breakthrough of TOEFL Core Vocabulary" was published.A little girl with an aggrieved face took my book, walked up to the podium and asked me: "Teacher, are there any mistakes in this book?" I didn't hesitate for a second: "Of course!" I clearly remember She was stunned for a moment, and turned back without saying anything.For some complicated reason, I didn't call her back at that time, but just let her go. So many dictionaries that have been revised countless times by top experts will still have frequent errors (whether it is a clerical error or a typographical error). How can something written by an ordinary person like me be error-free?So, I mentioned in the reprint note of that book: "Writing a book is not too difficult. What is really difficult is to write a book without mistakes-in fact, it is basically impossible. However, my luck lies in having Enthusiastic readers -- it makes me feel that there is at least some hope for things that were impossible." To this day, every time that book is reprinted, it needs to be revised, and I guess it will still need to be revised next time.

The reason why I will always remember that scene is because I saw the disappointment of the child in that moment.I understand at her age how much one wishes for a direction and guidance that is 100% correct?Maybe it was my strength on the podium that made her hopeful and felt that she had finally found something.However, it turned out that there were mistakes in my book!She stepped up to ask me that question more or less unwillingly, but it was actually a last-ditch struggle, and I simply answered "Of course!" I don't know how disappointed she will be. I am very sad about it.But I'm quite powerless - I can't lie just to avoid hurting her? !To the extent possible, being a real human being is a long-standing desire of mine.What I hate most are those who cover up the truth.Although not all truths should be made public, there are always some truths that should be made public.In many cases, ignorance of the truth is the ultimate root of all distorted psychology. Once I saw news that some parents thought "The Legend of the Red Cat and Blue Rabbit" was too violent and bloody and posted on the Internet, which eventually led to the animation "Legend of the Seven Heroes of the Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit" being discontinued on February 26, 2007. broadcast.My opinion is that the thoughts and practices of these parents are certainly understandable, but is it useful?Surely it's okay to put the child in the glass cover?Then, if "Prison Break", "The Sopranos", and "Big Love" are played all day long on American TV, will America be in chaos?Are the children all polluted?Are the children not growing up healthily?Why is there so much fear of children learning the truth about the world?No matter how you cover it up, sooner or later they will know.It's even worse if they don't know - because all they end up with is a twisted truth. I must admit that I am average.Many students like me, even like me very much.They would give me the highest marks on the evaluation form - so, I also often brag that I am the most popular teacher, and then I want to emphasize: note that there is no "one".The bragging just now was just a way for me to make fun of myself.However, in fact, I often tell myself compulsively - don't hallucinate!What most students like is not me, but what they see on the podium.If there are at least three versions of a story: yours, mine, and the real one.Then I guess there are at least three versions of me: the one off the stage, the one on the stage, and the one seen by the students.So, I have to accept the fact that most of the time, that kind of liking and that kind of evaluation are actually just based on misunderstanding. I should even say more frankly that I affirm that my qualifications are really average in every respect.I am ugly, not tall; my voice is ugly, and my singing is out of tune; I have memorized a lot of English words, but my pronunciation may not be standard and pleasant for the rest of my life; my intelligence is average, and the parts of the TOEFL test other than composition can not always get full marks. The full score for the composition is because the ETS question bank is public, so I can prepare completely in advance; I work very hard and do things very hard, but at the age of 35, I have just escaped poverty for a few years, and I have not yet escaped from the poverty of the middle class. identity; I even have to admit that my character is mediocre, at least not that noble, and it was not until I was thirty that I started to have the ability to have the capital to slowly eliminate some despicable thoughts; of course, until today I have to struggle from time to time--often need to calm down Alone "fighting private words for a moment". However, my aptitude generally does not affect, at least not entirely, my ability to think.In fact, if you are willing to observe carefully, it is easy to understand: IQ and thinking ability do not seem to be completely related. I've been struggling since I accidentally discovered at 26 that I can't think - every day.Thus, my aptitude generally does not prevent the results of my thinking from making sense.The reason why I write these things is nothing more than that I think my writing ability can basically write out the things I think clearly. The last thing to emphasize is that in many cases, whether the teacher's speech is wonderful or not has a great relationship with the students themselves.In the book, psychologist Scott Parker spends a lot of pen and ink describing his own experience of attending a class. ...Not long ago, I went to listen to a famous person's speech, which was about a topic that I was particularly interested in, and I had already dabbled and thought about it.It didn't take long for the speaker to speak before I realized that he was no ordinary person, and that what he said was always insightful, and he provided a lot of concrete and vivid examples.I listened very attentively. He talked for about an hour and a half. I was sweating profusely and took notes desperately.The content he said is rich and profound. I guess I can absorb less than half of it at most, but I have benefited a lot. After the speeches, the audience all went to a tea party.I walked among the cultural figures at the tea party venue, listening to their feelings and opinions.I find that most people are disappointed by the speeches, they come for the name, but feel that they get nothing.They don't understand much of the speech and don't think the speaker is the top-notch speaker they hoped for.One woman even said, "What the hell did he say? He didn't say anything of value!" The people next to him also nodded in agreement with what he said. I cannot agree with them. (The difference may be that) I am very interested in the topic of his speech and hope to improve my cognition by listening to the speech.I am willing to think about every word of the speaker, to recognize his efforts for the speech, and I am willing to work hard for the maturity of the mind... I have to admit that there are indeed some teachers who are not very popular, but just like when we go to the bookstore to buy books, how can it be possible that every book we buy is the most exciting?Even in those wonderful books, how can every word be worth a fortune and every word be pearls?In fact, even if there is one sentence in a book that brings us surprises, thinking, and changes, it is already worth the price of the book.So, sometimes, pay attention to your mentality.There is a dialogue about Chan Master Foyin and Su Dongpo sitting in meditation, which says the same reasoning. One day, Zen master Foyin taught Su Dongpo to sit in meditation.The two sat opposite each other for a while, Su Dongpo turned his head and asked Chan Master Foyin: "Look at me sitting, what do I look like?" "Like a Buddha!" ​​Chan Master Foyin replied calmly. When Su Dongpo was feeling proud, it happened that Zen Master Foyin asked Su Dongpo again: "What do you think I look like?" Su Dongpo thought he had seized the opportunity, and replied: "Like a pile of cow dung." After Su Dongpo returned home, he told his sister Su Xiaomei how he had humiliated Foyin. Knowing that the younger sister heard it, she shook her head, sighed, and said to him: "Brother! You lost again! Master Foyin thinks of Buddha in his heart, so he sees you as a Buddha. Brother, what you think of in your heart is cow dung, so you see Master as a pile of cow dung. A Buddha came out of Master's mouth , Brother, you pulled a pile of cow dung out of your mouth." I once mocked certain teachers like this: Some people are not fully evolved.But they turned out to be teachers.It is impossible to imagine such a picture, a big monkey teaching a group of small monkeys - can imagine how much torture those few small monkeys who actually have the potential to evolve into adults in the future will suffer? ! However, if you happen to be that potential little monkey being tormented, be sure to follow my advice: First of all, those old monkeys, big monkeys, and little monkeys who are destined to be monkeys forever, if they are torturing you, they really don't mean it. Second, those old monkeys, the big monkeys, and the little monkeys who are destined to be monkeys forever can't stop you from evolving at all, unless you are willing to be blocked by them and eventually become like them. Finally, if nothing else happens, no matter where you are and what level you are in this life, you will inevitably meet countless old monkeys, big monkeys, and little monkeys who are destined to be monkeys forever. Don't be afraid, eventually you'll make a little monkey too, and then it's up to you what you are. Therefore, it is not terrible to meet a monkey. What is terrible is that because of hatred or disgust, you give up the right and willingness to self-evolution, and in the end you are nothing but a monkey to death.Also, do remember that even monkeys are very right sometimes.