By Wang Changwei
Translated by Chen Shuling
There is no exception for the schools' vocation to impart knowledge and educate people in modern or ancient times, in China or elsewhere. However in the schools nowadays, although quality-oriented education is orally emphasized, it's becoming increasingly intensified that more emphases are put on teaching lessons but less on educating students. The education function of schools is fading gradually or even may being lost. It's not imaginary fear. This can be clearly demonstrated in the rules about head teachers' rights to criticize students in the concerned documents released by the Ministry of Education recently. Chinese Version>>
In the document 'Work Rules of Head Teachers in Primary and Secondary Schools', it's pointed out definitely that in daily education and management, head teachers have the right to criticize students in proper ways. This rule led to society's attention and heated discussion at once. As teachers are educators and students are educatees, it's teachers' duty and right to criticize students, which is quite natural. Why must the Ministry of Education release the document to rule it? It may be the only case in the education history both in China and abroad. Furthermore, the diction of the document was very cautious. Even though, 'faults' can still be found in it. First, as 'head teachers have the right', what about other teachers? Unfortunately, they don't have the right according to the rule. So, for other teachers, they don't need to know or care whether the students listen to their classes or whether they attend their classes. In case they saw students fighting or abusing with each other or destroying public properties, they had to turn a blind eye to it. Second, even if the head teachers had the right, they couldn't criticize students unless they'd found the 'proper ways'. In this way, how can teachers have the activity to educate students? How much education function does there left for schools? Is it just so in reality?
Teachers are always praised as gardeners. What kind of job do gardeners do? They have to fertilize and water the plants, to prune trees and to eradicate pests, in order to help flowers and trees grow more beautiful and stronger. That is what teachers' criticizing students mean. In addition, criticism or self-criticism is the essential motive for either an individual or a group to grow up healthily, which is always advocated by society. Why only after the Ministry of Education give the authority would teachers be entitled to criticize students? Maybe the education authorities are forced to do so under the current situation, otherwise there is no settlement for the difficulties and problems that schools and teachers are facing. This can just show the reality of our schools' education of students.
It must be admitted that it's not because of teachers themselves who dare not to or even give up the responsibility to criticize students. Nowadays there are many misunderstandings about teenager education. In terms of the country, schools are asked to 'cultivate qualified builders and successors', but it emphasizes too much on students' so-called 'dominant position' which made the leading role of education become a minor one. Many parents want the best for their children so eagerly that the children are spoilt. In such environment, some teachers' normal and kind criticism is not supported but provokes censure, retaliation or even danger. Why should they ask for so much trouble? Just like a middle school teacher's saying that 'I criticize student for being responsible for him, for his family, for the country and society. But it became all my fault. Why must I do it as I wouldn't get any extra salary!' It sounds a little passive, but isn't it the society guide?
School education is the most basic and important education of national quality. The nation wouldn't be of high quality without enough emphasis on schools' education function. How could a person who wouldn't even listen to his teacher's criticism face the criticism from superiors, community and colleagues in a right way? How would there be harmonious personal relationship in our society? Now the rate of teenager offense keeps high, and the society is not in good order in many places while the civilization and politeness of the whole society are not ideal. This is somewhat related with school education.
By the rule released by the Ministry of Education we can find the confusion of the thoughts in educational field. There's the saying that it's the father's fault to bring up the child but not educate him, and the teacher is lazy if he doesn't teach students strictly. In the previous days, parents urged us to obey teachers' words again and again. When visiting students' homes, teachers were usually required by parents to treat their children strictly. It was never heard that students refused teachers' criticism, not to say that parents went to the teacher's home to blame him for his criticism of the student. But all these things are quite common now. This kind of abnormally may stem from the Cultural Revolution when the 'teacher dignity' was denied, teachers were forced to accept students' 're-education', 'no-answer hero' was advocated and the young students were agitated to bring down their teachers. What was the result? The schools were not cultivating talents but 'illiterates and rascals' which ruined generations of people. Now, such lesson shouldn't be forgot with the excuse of fashion.
A simple rule released by the Ministry of Education can't really solve the problem. In order to make teachers criticize students boldly and effectively, the thoughts of education should be adjusted and the corresponding environment and atmosphere need to be created in the whole society, especially that schools' education function must be defined and intensified.