J 说，他问剑桥的导师关于申请假期回亚洲做 field work 的事，譬如说什么时候应该开始申请，可以申请多久，有什么手续需要办理等等。导师看起来什么都不知道的样子，让J觉得很不满。
他的导师也曾经是我在剑桥时的导师。我对他说，我从来不问我的导师这些问题，J的问题应该去问系里的秘书才对。导师是一个很有学问的人，我对她是非常佩服的。任何关于学术的问题我都会去问她，也往往会得到满意的回答。可是，行政方面的事，我不认为她应该懂也不需要懂。
新加坡的学生都太 spoilt 了，总是认为我问老师什么老师都应该要回答，否则老师就是不尽责。小学中学高中的老师更是一脚踢，除了教书，还要做 administrator，甚至是校工的工作！——我以前教书的学校，有一个老师必须定期去检查有没有枯叶掉在排水管里造成阻塞的问题！
我尊重我的导师的专业是一个学者，尊重的方式就是，只问她关于学术的问题。其他的问题，我连问都不问。如果我不小心问了，我会觉得愧疚，还会向她道歉。
5 comments:
是，学者是可以也无需理会行政以外的问题。
但是，如果他稍微表达得关切一点，而非斩钉截铁的说不知道，对有困难的人来说不会这么失望。
如果学者连学术问题也无法给你解答的时候，你是不是要说学问是自己研究的，导师只稍作指引，不要期望太高。
什么都不期望，到底导师是用（这样措辞很不敬）来做什么的？
J不满是他的自然情绪，他应该会自己去解决问题，就不知道他对于导师还有什么想法？
如果问学术也没有答案的时候，你要建议J尊重导师的那一点？
辩来驳去，学生应该知道自己的身份，在这种权力关系当中，是无法较劲的！
“剑桥经验”与“南洋经验”正好参差对照。
英国绅士的疏离撞击岛国的炎日炽风，真是一个耐人寻味的文化课题:-P
道歉应该，这是对文化的不敏感；愧疚？你无愧于心，只是天真。
I am teaching, temporarily, a bunch of foreign students at a polytechnic right now.
The other day I was telling my colleagues I did not expect myself to be dealing with "private" matters of the students, like I used to in my previous secondary school, since they are almost 20 years old now.
The student in question was a girl who was being "bullied" by a classmate - nothing very serious, just 小孩子斗嘴, teasing sort of thing. But she took things quite so personally that she ran away from class halfway one day and told me, when I managed to get her back one hour later, that it was due to this "bullying" issue.
Then I realised, much as they are nearing adulthood, they are still not that matured in thinking.
Add to that the fact that they are in a foreign country (some for the very first time), she probably felt helpless, like there was no one she could turn to for help in solving this probem. Looking back, I felt a little angry with myself, that I had not really shown any genuine interest in the problem. It was so easy for me to whine about taking on "extra" work again, apart from teaching, which was what I really hated back in my former school.
Then I thought about it - much as I have hated and complained about having to "one-leg-kick" on every little thing in the school, ranging from being a nanny to the kids and dealing with hard-core parents to taking charge of endless nitty gritty administrative work, it got me thinking about just how much we teachers should get involved in our students' lives.
From that incident on, I started taking a personal interest in their life outside class, very much in the way a friend would. To me, it was just my little way of extending some comfort to them (some of whom may not have really adjusted well to their new life here), that here is a teacher who can offer help if needed, and even if he did not know the answer, he would try to find out from the administrative staff and get back to them.
Of course, it will probably still bother me if I had to, once again, deal with all the nitty gritties. I am just wondering, is a teacher, particulary one at a tertiary institution, simply an "imparter" of academic knowledge, or is he also a key player in the character development of his students, even if they are already adults?
bh
Sorry, I think I was a little off-track.
bh
bh, 你说得没错，无论是在哪一个阶段，小学中学或大学，老师的任务并不是纯粹的知识的传授，也在教学的过程中，直接或间接，对于学生的性格和情绪有所影响。
我的剑桥导师并不是一个书呆子，她让我看到要怎样做一个学者，认真、严谨、开放、创意等等。当我在剑桥时，我的母亲过世，她也在精神上给予我最大也最需要的支持。
我在这里说的，更多是从一个学生的角度，对于老师的要求和期望，有所反省。老师和学生的互动，有许多因素造成良性或恶性。如果朋友之间互动有问题，最多不做朋友。可是老师和学生并不是如此。双方面需要调整的地方很多也不容易。至少，是在师生关系仍然存在的期限之内。
新加坡目前的环境之中，往往造成老师在一个无助的位置上，这是相当可悲的。
Please do not blame the teacher for not helping the students in other matter rather then his teaching subject. His main objective is to teach and to guide but not to act as "nanny". The students should not expect the teacher to know everything. However, teachers should be helpful and caring but to a certain extend.
I always admire teachers who take great pains to teach and to transfer knowledge to his students. One must have a special interest and loving care to be a teacher. This is not an easy job.
I remember my son's kindergarten teacher complained to me that she had to sharpen pencils for the students. Well, she should teach them how to sharpen their own pencils. Our students are just too spoilt.
Teachers, let the students be more independent and students, stand up, do not blame the teachers when things go wrong.
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