Straits Times news, 31st January 2008, reported that a 37 years-old teacher caught a student using mp3 player when she was conducting the lesson. The teacher promptly confiscated the student’s mp3 player, but later the student confronted the teacher to claim his item back. Upon being refused, the student used vulgarities and abusive words on the teacher, and rummaged her handbag in search for his mp3 player. A few days later the teacher made a police report and the student was brought to the court. He was ordered by the community court judge to write a letter of apology to the teacher sincerely. (Click here for the news article.)
Upon hearing this news, I was so shocked that I immerge myself into the thoughts of what happened to our students today that made them so very disrespectful to a teacher?
I came from China, and one thing very different I discovered about the students in Singapore as compared to those in China is their respect for teachers. I have been in Singapore for a few years, and had encountered many events of students being disrespectful to teachers. For example in MRT train, there was a female teacher sitting near me. The train was full then and when a group of students boarded, one of them, apparently her student, approached her and said: “Ms **, can you give the seat to me as I want to sit down?” I was so astonished. How could a student request his teacher to give up the seat for him to seat?! It is utter rudeness.
Meanwhile back in China, there could be students not doing their homework but there is no students who would shout at a teacher, and being disrespectful. As we are deeply influenced by the Confucius teachings, such that teacher is held at very high regards by all part of the society and to the students, almost at a supreme position in school. As reflected in a Chinese old saying: being teacher for a day is being father for life”, this shows how much we respect the teachers.
I feel that this general attitude of students is really wrong and it should be changed. I always feel that the education on respecting teachers is not successful as the teachers in Singapore do not get the amount of respect which they should. I found out that many students did not treat teachers as teachers but as employees or workers hired with their money. Indeed you can say that equality is important to be upheld but isn’t it a supposed-thing for younger to show respect to the elders, and especially when they are the ones giving you the invaluable knowledge and ironically, they are the ones usually taught you to be respectful.
At last, I think it is important that the schools and parents should focus more on transferring the correct values to the children and teach them to be humble and sensitive, so as to cultivate a better personality in the children.
Source:
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Courts%2Band%2BCrime/STIStory_202082.html?vgnmr=1
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2 comments:
Du Yan, can you update your link to my website. It is
http://www.3e07-gaobo07.blogspot.com
1. Great analogy between Singapore students and China's students.
2. Usage of chinese-translated proverbs were applied as well so as to spice up the commentary.
3. But tone down on your constant usage of rhetorical questions to support your point.
4. Grammatical errors are present, so perhaps you can check through once more
5. But nevertheless, it is still a good piece of social commentary well-substantiated with evidences, strongly reflecting the moral and cultural values of Singapore students vis-à-vis China students.
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