I'm sorry, but not in my classroom

I used the plural for “classroom” at the end of the first sentence above because, by calling attention to conduct in the single classroom she spoke of, Professor Hung effectively gave instructors like me an opportunity to discuss scenes we witness, if not in our own classes, in those of colleagues on our campuses.

The subject of a breaching of decorum among university students is not easy to tackle. Most of us who earn a living in this profession consider teaching our calling, and not simply a job. At times we may tire, and may feel frustrated or even close to being burned out. But as we prepare work for our classes and meet eye to eye with various groups of students, most of the time our work is meaningful to us. Most of us like our students. Inspiration in education can never only be a one-way street. As we educators do our best to share knowledge and values, our young friends, these students of ours, lift and fill our spirits by the examples of their hard work, their creativity, their thirst for excellence.

But, like ourselves, our students are only human. Like some of us, some of them occasionally lack common sense.

My hunch is that hundreds of university instructors let loose in their minds with a “Give 'em hell, Professor Hung. Tell it like it is!” when they learned of her words in the media. Hung wondered aloud if students who misbehave in class should give up their highly desirable opportunities and make room for more appreciative students. Well, my source (The China Post, November 16, page 20) used the term “more serious students.” I prefer “appreciative.” After all, study in highly competitive programs is indeed a privilege, not a right.

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