This is how we do it … in China.

So now that I feel more comfortable teaching in China, I gotta tell you there are a couple of things that I had to get used to. So Mao Zedong, (“http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/mao_zedong.shtml”) the leader of China during its cultural revolution had two pieces of advise for his students.

One, it is okay for students to cheat on their homework and tests. If you do not know the answer then it is okay for a student to look at someone’s work to get the answers.

Two, if you are tired during class, then it is okay to sleep during class. If you are too tired for class, then it is important to get rest in order to be ready for the rest of the day.

Are you kidding me? I could not believed that I walked into the teacher’s version of the lion den. As a student, it must be great to just be able to put your head down at your desk and pass out for a period. As a teacher, I just wanted to throw objects in their direction to get them to wake up and pay attention. You ever have that feeling that if you punched a person in the chest hard enough, you would change their behavior for the rest of their lives? If only I could find a way to figuratively punch a person in the chest.

Well… I’ve had to adjust to this lifestyle of teaching in China.