A middle school in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, set up an "emotion venting room" recently, placing punching bags that students could hit to vent their feelings of anger, resentment, frustration and depression. On the bags were painted faces of the school's headmaster and other officials.
I understand why the teachers did so and admire their courage to take such great pains to educate the kids. But the practice has left me worried, too, because I'm not sure about its consequences. The students will undoubtedly feel relieved from the pressure or frustration created by the tough study schedule and their teachers' stern criticism. It, however, seems the side effects of such a practice would be greater than the benefits.
What did the kids have in mind when they punched the teachers' images? Weren't they pleased to vent their anger and frustration on their teachers? In fact, the kids did think so. According to a media report, the students uttered words such as "this punch is to punish you for your bad remarks" and "you need a hard blow to remember not to be harsh on me again" as they hit the punching bags.
Another unwelcome result of the punching bags is that it could encourage students to be disrespectful toward their teachers. If the portrait of a teacher becomes a target of violence, how can you expect students to respect him or her?
Respect for teachers has been an integral part of Chinese culture. This tradition has played an important role in advancing Chinese civilization. But nowadays more and more students and parents seem to disregard this practice. Several factors could have led students and parents to be less respectful toward teachers. The improper behavior of some teachers and changes in social values are just two of them. But there's no denying that undue emphasis on students' independent thinking in challenging teachers' authority has played a big part in the loss of respect for teachers.
In recent years, educators have been campaigning for "protecting students' right" against corporal punishment. This is welcome. But things seem to be going to the other extreme. There have been more and more reports of students defiantly quarrelling with, and even insulting, teachers in class.
The most tragic incident took place in a Chongqing vocational school in June 2007.
A 30-year-old woman teacher died of anger-induced heart attack after a student insulted her by calling her names because she had tried to stop him from playing cards in class.
A few days earlier, a case of students humiliating a teacher was reported from Beijing. A student yanked off the hat of a 70-year-old teacher, while another threw an empty bottle at him in class. What hurt us more is the fact that none of the other students protested against the insult to the teacher. Instead, they encouraged the two to go on.
The two incidents are not isolated cases. In thousands of online comments, many netizens have said that teachers now don't dare to criticize students. There have also been reports of parents rushing to schools to beat up teachers after their children complained against them because they tried to instill discipline in class. Such incidents may not be common across the country but the problem seems serious.
Reforming our traditional education philosophy to grant students more freedom in class would help them think independently and become more creative. But that does not mean they should be allowed to do whatever they like, let alone encourage them to confront teachers in hostile manners. Kids have to be taught and guided. Let us not misguide them by teaching them to disrespect teachers and vent their frustration through violence.
雅思听力五大备考的技巧
雅思听力答题的技巧
雅思听力场景题关键词的分析
雅思听力的7大注意事项
雅思听力词汇的背诵方法
雅思听力必备的20大词组整理
2015雅思听力观点题解题技巧
2015雅思听力三大解题思路
该怎么制定雅思听力备考的计划
雅思听力租房场景的讲解
提高雅思听力成绩的五大要点
怎样背诵雅思听力机经
2015雅思听力考试猜题技巧
雅思听力考试的原则:技巧加应用
2015雅思听力考试题型
雅思听力旅游场景常见的考点
雅思听力选择题填空题答题的技巧
雅思听力流程图题考试的要求
雅思听力的审题机经
雅思听力考试必备的词汇表
2015零基础雅思学习方法
2015雅思听力选择题考试形式
2015雅思听力学习方法
雅思听力的技巧:读+猜
2015雅思听力训练技巧
怎样巧用BBC练习雅思听力
突破雅思听力对话加独白
雅思听力信号词的总结
雅思听力选择题答题的技巧
一周突破雅思听力的难关
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |