Running from respect
如何为人之师 范跑跑事件引激辩 作者：21ST 时间：2008-06-12
来源：21世纪英文报第758期
Teachers need to do their best to safeguard the health and happiness of their students.
candor 坦白
conscientious 有良心的
cowardice 怯懦
ethical 与道德相关的
hail 赞扬
line 航线
maze 迷宫
objector 提出异议的人
perish 死亡
professionalism 专业精神
uphold 赞同
Bonus
Translation
On the Teacher (“师说“) is a Chinese classic on teacher-student relations. It was written by Han Yu, a literary master of Tang Dynasty. Let’s see how some of his words can be translated into English:
古之学者必有师。师者，所以传道受业解惑也。
In ancient times, scholars always had teachers. It takes a teacher to transmit the Way, impart knowledge and resolve doubts.
是故无贵无贱，无长无少，道之所存，师之所存也。
Irrespective therefore of the distinction between the high-born and the lowly, and between age and youth, where the Way is, there is my teacher.
孔子曰“三人行，则必有我师。”是故弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子。
Said Confucius, “Among three men who walk with me, there must be a teacher of mine”. The pupil is therefore not necessarily inferior to the teacher, and the teacher is not necessarily wiser than the pupil.
闻道有先后，术业有专攻，如是而已。
What makes the difference is that one has heard the Way before the other, and that one is more specialized in his craft and trade than the other– that is all.
Translated by Shih Shun Liu
SINCE Fan Meizhong, a teacher at Guangya School in Dujiangyan, revealed he had fled his classroom during the earthquake, educators and students have been debating the role of teachers during a crisis.
Last Saturday, Fan, nicknamed “Runner Fan” by netizens, defended his behavior on Phoenix TV. Heroism is not required in times of disaster, said the 1997 graduate of Peking University.
Some people, however, beg to disagree. Zhang Chaojun, a mathematics teacher at Kuche No 2 Middle School, Xinjiang, uses the concept of professionalism – rather than heroism – to explain why teachers should offer help in emergencies.
“Running away from danger is a human instinct,” said Zhang. “I won’t blame Fan for that, and I won’t ask teachers to die for their students. But teachers should pursue professionalism. To me, leaving your students alone to face danger is certainly not an act of professionalism.”
China has no laws or regulations that define professionalism in education. The Teachers’ Law, issued in 1993, reads, “Teachers should prevent acts that may harm students,” but it does not mention natural disasters.
While many teachers play down their role as a moral agent, the majority of the 12 million teachers in China would admit that teaching is more than passing on knowledge. Teachers have a code of conduct, explicit or implicit, that guides their behavior.
“Teachers are not perfect people. They have defects,” said Zhuang Zikun, a Chinese teacher with 28 years of experience at Shandong Rongcheng No 3 Middle School. “But there are moral and professional principles teachers have to follow in order to do their jobs properly.”
Heroic behavior among teachers is hailed universally. Last April, Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old professor at Virginia Tech University, became a national hero.
He blocked his classroom door so that many of his students escaped a gunman, who killed 32 students.
The US National Science Teachers Association expects its members to follow an ethical code of conduct. The code states, “As leaders of students, teachers of science must uphold the highest standards of ethical behavior and be positive role models.”
21ST
How others see Fan Meizhong’s behavior
The Guardian, June 4
Such candor [Fan’s admission that he fled] is rare. History does not abound with tales of men happy to record that they turned tail and ran because they were frightened. Even J Bruce Ismay, “the greatest coward in history”, who as managing director of the White Star line abandoned the Titanic as 1,500 of his passengers perished, never attempted such a bold justification of his actions. Cowardice is, in any case, a moral maze: how much courage does it take to be a conscientious objector? … But if, as Mark Twain said, “the human race is a race of cowards”, you have to be a pretty brave one to actually admit it.
Li Jianhua
20, sophomore at Shantou University
As a teacher, protecting and saving students in an emergency is great, but a teacher should not be faulted for running away. We can’t say that Fan is immoral. He is just dwarfed by those teachers who tried their best to save their students. …If my teacher leaves me behind in an earthquake, I will understand. But if I were him, I’d feel ashamed.
Interviews by Zhang Chunmei
|