How to Be a Teacher Today - Commenting on 100 Educational Cases (Secondary School)

Author: Wang Xiaochun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: The "Education Online" website, chaired by Teacher Li Zhenxi, is where I frequently visit. There, discussions are lively and debates are fervent, primarily revolving around the question: How should we be teachers today? Many people find it difficult to be a teacher now and often feel lost and overwhelmed. I have contributed to these discussions, which has garnered some attention from netizens. In October last year, Teacher Jinshi, the forum moderator of the "Homeroom Teacher Forum" on Education Online, sent me a message asking if I could start a small column to answer questions that young homeroom teachers are confused about and provide commentary on some cases. I agreed. As a result, a pinned post titled "Guidance from the Elder—Wang Xiaochun Teacher Points Us!" appeared on the "Homeroom Teacher Forum," signed "Jinshi." In the opening remarks, Jinshi wrote, "Today, I will use this post as a growth ground for our homeroom teacher case studies and as Wang Teacher's personal space for guiding us young teachers." On this website, there aren't many people my age (sixty-something), so when they call me a '' (elder), I have to admit it, though I feel '' (guidance) and '' (guidance) are too grand for me. With the young teachers' humility in discussing issues, I reluctantly bite the bullet and don't elaborate. I remind myself that when discussing issues, I am merely a speaker. I will speak frankly, but I must strive to avoid a lecturing tone. When others say '' (guidance), it is a courtesy, and if I take it seriously, I would be too naive. In short, this '' (personal space) of mine has begun to be cultivated. The weather has been favorable, and the crops are growing well. In less than half a year, I have commented on nearly 200 educational cases, with over 15,000 clicks. It's quite 'lush'!
In March 2005, Mr. Wu Fayuan, an editor at East China Normal University Press, sent me an email saying that a fellow named He Ping (a netizen I've never met, author of "The Art of Managing Homeroom Teachers," whom I have offered some differing opinions) had recommended me to him. Mr. Wu had also read some of my case commentaries and found them interesting, asking if I could compile a book of case commentaries. I agreed, and thus this book came into being for the readers. The cases selected in this book, except for a few, are from middle and high schools, totaling 100 cases. Some were brought to me, while others I chose myself. For cases where I did not (specify the source) but only noted the author (netname), they were selected from "Education Online," primarily from the "Homeroom Teacher Forum," but also from other sections such as "School Management Forum," "Macro Educational Thinking," "Teacher's Friend Forum," "Li Zhenxi's Home," and "Teacher's Reflections." I have also visited the K12 educational teaching forums frequently and selected some cases from there. To save readers' time, I have abridged or excerpted longer cases. Here, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all these netizens and moderators.
After commenting on so many cases, my overall impression is that a significant number of primary and secondary school teachers' work methods are too simplistic and have remained unchanged for years. Essentially, they combine "strict discipline" with "dedicated love." When strict discipline fails, they try to win students over with love. If love doesn't work, they resort to even stricter discipline. If that still doesn't help, they turn to parents to "fix" the problem. However, students that schools struggle to manage are often already out of control at home, with parents still expecting teachers to handle their children. At that point, there's nothing left to do but vent frustrations, feel helpless, and become exhausted. Moreover, the simpler the work method, the more tired the teacher feels, because low-tech, inefficient repetitive labor wears down the soul. With such professional capabilities, it's inevitable that teachers will struggle to keep up with the ever-changing society and the increasingly unpredictable new generation. Why are their work methods so simplistic? Because their thinking is too simplistic. The subjective impressions in their work methods far outweigh wisdom, creating a severe imbalance. When teachers encounter student issues, they rarely consider multiple possibilities and instead make single attributions, applying the same approach to everyone. In many cases, they don't even ask for reasons or even care about them. As long as students don't meet their expectations, they immediately start disciplining or criticizing them. As a result, their educational methods lack a professional touch, meaning even someone without an education degree could work this way. For example, losing one's temper, making comparisons, punishing homework copying, denying students the right to go home, expelling them from class, or calling parents to complain. This is "non-research-based education," "non-professional education." To say this is education is an overstatement; it's more like "managing children."
Therefore, to be a teacher who keeps pace with the times and improves professional competence, it is imperative to enhance the "technology content" and "wisdom content" of their work. To improve teachers' professional skills, simply assigning work quotas or using various rules and regulations to control, restrict, or pressure teachers is not enough. Neither is emotional moralistic preaching about teacher ethics. These are all "peripheral warfare." Just as loudly emphasizing medical ethics and rigidly enforcing strict management systems in hospitals doesn't improve doctors' medical skills, many leaders keep trying to solve professional skill issues with purely administrative means—a dead end. Academic problems must be solved with academic methods. Administrative management can only help create some conditions.
There are many ways to improve teachers' professional skills, and I believe case studies are one of the best and worth promoting. The current situation is that, on one end, experts often lecture on abstract theories that leave teachers drowsy; on the other end, teachers are busy summarizing superficial, surface-level experiences. The two are on parallel tracks, going their separate ways. Case studies, however, can bridge the gap between the two. The characteristic of case studies is "discussing principles based on facts." Because they start with "facts," they remain grounded in reality, making them relatable to teachers. Yet because they must "discuss principles," they must draw rational conclusions from the cases, ensuring they are not just descriptive. They discuss commonplace things, but the conclusions often differ greatly from teachers' usual thinking, leading to enlightenment after being shaken. "Discussing principles based on facts" is the approach of this book.
Case studies differ from formal case studies. In formal case studies, researchers often participate directly in the cases. However, none of the cases in this book are based on my personal observations or experiences. I can only understand the situations indirectly through teachers' narratives. This is a drawback, increasing the possibility of judgment errors. Therefore, I warmly welcome readers' criticisms.
How should we be teachers today? In a word: good moral character is not enough, nor is passion alone. We must also have scientific thinking and true professional competence.
Wang Xiaochun
May 23, 2005