Middle Kingdom Life

Chinese students are typically overworked as well as both physically and mentally exhausted and about the last thing they want to do is spend what little free time they have learning how to speak English: In about 90% of all cases, primary and secondary school students are attending private English language schools because their parents told them that they have no choice in the matter.

Oppressed group behavior is not a new concept. It has been studied for many years and is often used to explain the very types of behaviors that can be observed among members of minority groups as well as what are referred to as the “semi-professions” (the most notable of which are nursing, teaching and social work).

I recently had a long talk, actually a series of long talks, with one of our younger foreign teachers about what it means to be considered a “good teacher” in China by one’s administrators and school owners.