The Student-Professor Bond, Chinese Style

I'm continually surprised by the student/professor relationship here. The level of respect is like nothing I've ever seen in the states, and I think my students there treat me with respect almost all the time. This is different, though. I feel like some kind of visiting dignitary some days. Maybe that's exactly how they regard me. For instance, when my student, Tracy, called me the other day to set up our sightseeing trip, I thanked her profusely for agreeing to spend the day taking me to see things she's likely seen dozens of times(and on her holiday weekend, too). She stopped me and said emphatically, "no! It is a very great honor for me to do this." Goodness!

Here's a different example. At the end of class on Thursday, a student raised her hand and told us that something in her life was very much like the story we had been discussing. Her brother had become distant from the family and was getting into trouble with a bad bunch of friends he was hanging around with, and she was worried. She looked at me so seriously and asked, "what do you recommend I do?". I tried to take what she said back to the literature, and talked about how the character had handled that situation, and the student said, "so do YOU recommend that I do these things?" The whole class sat looking at me, expecting me to offer my professional advice on the matter, to solve her problem. That's when I realized that professors here are treated differently. My opinion on things that have nothing to do with literature is respected in ways I never imagined. Don't get me wrong. I've had more than my share of American students ask me for advice privately on personal matters. But this exchange in class felt a little like a doctor must feel when a patient begs him to cure some painful condition. The difference, of course, is that doctors know how to treat painful conditions. I know how to analyze literary texts. I didn't make any great pronouncement on the student's situation. I felt grateful for her openness, though, and for the opportunity to think about the work I do. I suspect she left feeling a little let down.

After class on Thursday, another student stayed after class to tell me that one day this week, it would be her great honor to photograph me at various places around campus. Well, okay. I was taken by surprise, and blurted out something like, "why in the world would you want to do that?" She smiled sweetly and said, "for the memories, of course." Now, I'm not sure whose memory the photos will be for, hers or mine. It's possible that she just wants to help me make some images for my own China album. It's also possible that she'd like to create her own Sue album. Either way, I said yes. I've finally gotten used to the fact that I'm stared at and photographed. Nobody means any harm by it. It's just another one of those interesting student/professor differences between China and the US, I think. Honestly, I want to remember them, too, so we'll be heading out for a whole class photo shoot one of these days. My Chinese colleague tells me that the students will LOVE it if I ask them to do this. She says they'll be deeply honored. The pleasure will be all mine.




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