Teaching in China

I taught my first class yesterday. There were about 30 students in their second year of college. Any concern I had about the language barrier was gone once I asked them to write their names on a nametag with one word that best describes them. Almost everyone had chosen an English name. The words they chose to describe themselves were very deep for some. One student explained to me why “imperfection” best described her. She reasoned that imperfection always reminded her that it was her quest for perfection that drove her each day, and that she knew she always failed to reach her goal. Another student wrote “eccentric,” not because she like unique things, but that she, and many others in her generation in China, think differently than their older relatives. She has dreams that the older generation could never imagine. They call her strange. I call her inspiring.

Each class has a monitor. This is a student responsible for sweeping the floor and cleaning the blackboard to make the room ready for the professor. The monitor also writes down the name of each person and where they are sitting so that the professor can work more efficiently. I could get used to this at home. Can you just imagine me asking a student at Penn State to vacuum the carpet in the classroom before I begin class? OK, maybe you CAN imagine that, but can you imagine what the reaction would be?

The students are FASCINATED with American television and everything else American. They love our style, are envious of our way of life, and like many Americans, they are infatuated with President Obama. Even they say that Obama can really present himself well on television, but that China is waiting to see if his leadership matches his personality. They said they hope so. I asked, “why?”

“Because the American people deserve it.”