(Minghui.org) Before the persecution of Falun Gong began, I was an English language teacher at the university level in China. My students often said to me, “It's such a blessing to have you as our teacher.”
Nowadays not many teachers care about doing it well. Especially in higher education, both institutions and the staff give more weight to research, as this directly impacts their personal gain.
Many teachers rush out as soon as their class is over, without having any additional interaction with the students. Some teachers come to class poorly prepared and just go through the motions. What they care most about is making extra income.
As a Falun Gong practitioner, I remind myself to follow the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” I have tried to let go of selfishness and think of others first.
Being Responsible for the Students' Learning
I always make sure that I am well-prepared for each class, often working deep into the night. I search the Internet for relevant material for the students. With more knowledge, they can develop their critical thinking and broaden their minds.
I believe that every student of mine has a predestined relationship with me, in one way or another. I sincerely hope that all my students will make good use of their time and do well in their studies. At the same time I also want them to develop the ability to think independently and become good citizens in society.
Very few teachers in higher education give students much homework, especially in learning English. Learning a foreign language well requires dedication and hard work, but most students would rather skip that part. There is too much distraction around them in society, so I set strict requirements for my class and assign regular homework.
For listening comprehension, I ask them to listen to and write transcripts of news broadcasts in the UK and the United States. I check and write comments on each student's homework even though I had 60 to 70 students in two classes.
In writing class, I gave them weekly assignments and check every single piece carefully, with written comments, even though that is extremely demanding and time-consuming on my part.
For the intensive reading class, I give students a quiz after each lesson. Each month I prepare a set of exam questions and check their answers. These teaching methods help students see their weak areas and encourage them to take more responsibility for their own studies. As a result, my students did much better than others in the Level 4 proficiency test given two years later.
I also focus on the students' mental well-being, as well. I divide my students into small groups for cooperative assignments and ask them to come to my office for help. As an adviser, I check their work and take the opportunity to talk with them about their daily life.
Sometimes students write to request advice on difficult issues. One female student was able to learn how to better interact with others after talking to me about problems with her roommates.
Guiding Students to Be Good People
The moral standard is very poor in China today, with degenerate behavior everywhere. I encourage my students to maintain their pure nature and be good people who can benefit themselves and others. I pay much attention to nurturing and developing their independent thinking and their ability to discern between good and bad, right and wrong.
I ask them provocative questions and join them in discussion. I prepare stories to encourage them to think and to check their conscience. They love those stories.
I also talk about the staged Tiananmen self-immolation and the spread of Falun Dafa around the world. Some students said to me after class, “Teacher, what you said to us has truly changed my views about Falun Gong. I wouldn't have known the facts if you hadn't told us.”
In an evaluation of teachers by students, all of my 150-160 students rated me highly. It is very unusual to get such a high rating from every single student for any teacher. My supervisors were very pleased and proud, but because of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the university suspended me.
Years later when some of my students saw me, they said, “Teacher, after you left, our whole class cried. No other teacher could compare with you!”
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Category: Improving Oneself
