Ralph Jennings is a journalist and long time resident of China. He currently lives in Taipei. From mid-2000 to 2006, he had an advice column in the 21st Century weekly newspaper in which he answered letters from thousands of students and young professionals. Below is a letter from the archive, with an introduction by Jennings.
Why study English in China vexes the masses who study for years without mastery. It baffles foreigners in China who find it hard to communicate even with college grads who have studied the language for more than a decade. This despondent letter from a cynical Chinese guy teaching English to fellow country people suggests that mastery isn’t the point. Language study is about memorizing just enough of it to pass standardized tests, and teaching means taking whatever steps needed to get there.
Student letters to a foreign agony uncle
Dear Ralph,
I’ve been teaching in my hometown for four years. I don’t like this job. Because the students here are rude, and since I’m not a harsh person, I get nothing from them except low scores, which are a shame. At this school, there is ONLY one criterion to judge a teacher’s talent — his or her students’ scores. So the result has embarrassed me, though I work harder than my colleagues. And the harder I work, the lower the scores are. I studied hard to get this job. I really doubt by ability and think this job may not suit me. The facts make me disappointed again and again. I don’t know how long I can tolerate it. Just three years ago, I thought I could do my job well and can leave this small town to develop my career. Now it’s impossible. What can I do?
York, December 2003