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A Scene of the Classroom: A Great Person or Not?
These days we are having a unit concerning great people. As usual, I did a warming up to prepare the students before actually learning the new unit. I asked them what qualities a great person has or what kind of people can be regarded as great persons. To make it easy, I gave them some adjectives such as hard-working, smart, generous, easy-going, determined, mean, lazy, selfless, selfish, and stubborn. I reminded them that they could also try to think of other words that were suitable to describe a great person.
To my great surprise, they all unanimously chose the positive adjectives, without including any negative ones. One student even said a great person must have great qualities, without which how he can be called a great person. Only at this point did I realize how deep-rooted a stereotype could be once it was formed. It took me quite a while to explain that no one is perfect in the world. As a human, he/she is sure to have shortcomings and will make mistakes. The great person who you think has no faults doesn’t exist at all.
With that settled, I asked some of them to describe “a great person in my eyes”. This time they all added some “bad or not-so-desirable qualities”. However, I found that most of them said something like “well-known or very famous”. Quite a few of their idols were singers like Song Zuying, sports stars like Yao Ming or successful businesspeople. Seeing them falling into another trap, I asked, “What about Edison Chen(陈冠希) and Sister Lotus(芙蓉姐姐)?” “They’re famous for sure; are they great people?” They seemed suddenly to see the light. Then I explained that being famous is not a personal quality. Many great people are also famous but famous people are not necessarily great persons. Working in films or the media, you could be famous overnight if you are fortunate. And being rich or holding an important position doesn’t mean you’re a great person, either.
“Now let’s come to the key point,” said I, “What is the definition of a great person?” “There must be something special or truly great to be a great person.” I added. “Some great people are universally recognized like Martin Luther King Junior of the United States, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Sun Yat-sen of China, to name just a few. Is there something in common between these people?” After a short discussion, they finally came to realize that a great person is someone who has made great contributions to society or even the whole world. These people may have weaknesses like a short temper or may have weird hobbies, but they all devote their lives to helping others and positively change people’s lives.
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Post comment Comment (12 replies)
- Reply bluephoebe
- i remembered when i was in school, my teacher asked us the similar question: Who is the person you admire the most? Most of my classmates mentioned the celebrities, however, i said it's my grandfather because he kept climbing back up no matter how many times get knocked down on his knees. I got the highest score for that assignment, now i know why
- Reply sophia_2011
- I like the method you are using to instruct student to broaden their view.
- Reply rich
- bluephoebe: i remembered when i was in school, my teacher asked us the similar question: Who is the person you admire the most? Most of my classmates mentioned thactually we cannot blame the kides. we are all unconsciously influenced by the media and the society. celebrities may have achieved some personal success in a certan area, but they usu dont sacrifice anything. and some famous people are created for commercial purposes. i would feel good if i have made that clear enough to the kids. hehe.
- Reply rich
- sophia_2011: I like the method you are using to instruct student to broaden their view.thank you. i just try and hope they can learn something each day in my class. language teachng is far more than the language itself. it actually involves many aspects, esp. culture and the perspective we take to look at the world.
- Reply ruth.123456
- i know you are a teacher now,i think you are also a great person,burning your life to students from one generation to anther.
- Reply rich
- ruth.123456: i know you are a teacher now,i think you are also a great person,burning your life to students from one generation to anther.hehe. so the cat is let out of the bag. teachers are often compared to candles, burning itself till the last drop. to tell you the truth i don't like it. yes we're supposed to teach well, but we dont have to sacrifice everything. personally i believe we should have our own life and our own dreams. nice to meet you here, my friend!
- Reply lushanshan9010
- frankly ,i hate the educational system in china not buz i adore exotic things but buz the thought formed is deep into our heart and dies hard ,which enables students not to think out of the box and nip their creative spirits out in the bud . that ,comperatively speaking ,is why i see much sparks from all-round-developing educational systems rather than exam-oritated one . maybe i ve gone too far . but anyways , i have to say ,students are "greatly impacted" by society and people around them .
- Reply 2010jj
- For most of senior students, they are not sure what kind of person can be a great person. Actually, you do well in leading them know the difference between the famous persons and the great ones.
- Reply rich
- lushanshan9010: frankly ,i hate the educational system in china not buz i adore exotic things but buz the thought formed is deep into our heart and dies hard ,which e100% agree. i think many other poeple also see the problem with our education system. the question is that it seems hard to find a better one. it would be terrible once one's thinking is stereotyped. so teachers should have a clear mind, not blindly pursuing good exam results. at the same time help students learn to observe things from multi-perspective, not just one. it is truly a dilemma we are in.
- Reply rich
- 2010jj: For most of senior students, they are not sure what kind of person can be a great person. Actually, you do well in leading them know the difference beyes you're right. sometimes our mind is used to thinking inside the box, not realizing the outside world. on the other hand we're also influenced by the mass media. just think how many poeple want to be famous, willing to pay any price. alas!
- Reply Edelweiss
- rich: hehe. so the cat is let out of the bag. teachers are often compared to candles, burning itself till the last drop. to tell you the truth i don't likeagree.
