A Teacher in China 

Personnel in the hotel dining room accord me extreme respect, which is slightly embarrassing. At the buffet breakfast, they put extra food on my plate, and if they see me choose tea, they offer me coffee which they think I prefer.  They will not call me ‘Gan Mei,” my Chinese name; instead they call me “Laoshi” which means teacher.  The term conveys an esteem far exceeding “Doctor” or “Professor.”  Laoshi is what Confucius was called. 

This profound regard for teachers contrasts sharply with the American attitude, where teachers are accused of falling down on the job when tests scores decline. Here, if students do not perform well, the students are told to work harder, and teachers don’t receive blame.

In this time of increasing affluence, China has been increasing the pay of teachers, in recognition of what they do.