【My Students】(3)

Author: Le Xu 　　Published 　　:
2017/12/7 Posted on: Forum 　　First
Publication: Yes 　　Word 　　Count
: 4823
**************** 　　... I looked at Zhang Jinghai and said, "That's right, teaching students is my duty. But sometimes, 　　when we teachers face students who don't want to learn, especially when our dignity as teachers is trampled on, 　　it's hard to uphold the teachings of a saint. I hope you can understand." 　　Zhang Jinghai flicked away his cigarette ash and said, "Of course I understand. Xiao Li, your professional abilities are recognized. The 　　student who got the highest score in the province last year was your student, wasn't he? I know my son best. My only 　　hope now is that he can get into a university, at least to have a basic degree. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for me to help him in the future 　　." 　　From his tone, it seemed he planned for his son to go into politics. I said, "Given Zhang Haoran's current 　　situation, the most realistic thing is to try for a third-tier university. This goal isn't that difficult. The key is attitude." 　　"So, if he reforms, Teacher Li is confident that he can get into a third-tier university?" 　　I shook my head, smiled, and said, "If Zhang Haoran is willing to study, I will certainly do my best. In the end, for the college entrance examination, 　　I can only say that I will do my best and leave the rest to fate." 　　"You're not quite right," Zhang Haoran corrected me. "My many years in politics have taught me one thing: if 　　you have to leave it to fate, it means there are still imperfections in the government's policies and our administration. Behind every coincidence 　　lies an inevitable factor." 　　I said, "County Chief Zhang, while that's true, this requirement of getting into a third-tier university 　　is a huge pressure for our teaching staff and your son." 　　"The college entrance exam isn't child's play; it's like thousands crossing a single-plank bridge. Pressure is to be expected," Zhang Jinghai said. " 　　I'm determined this time. It's my final year, and whether I succeed or fail as a father depends entirely on this 　　year. The pressure on me is immense." 　　"I will definitely do my best," I immediately declared. 　　"It takes two to tango, and I assure you that the next time I see Zhang Haoran, he will have reformed." 　　The saying "old habits die hard" certainly didn't apply to me. The conversation had become a mere formality 　　, like I was trying to appease a superior. I said, "I'd be thrilled to have a good student like him soon." 　　"This is no small matter," Zhang Jinghai said, pulling out his phone. "Xiao Li, what's your WeChat ID? 　　We'll inevitably need to form a united front." 　　I quickly took out my phone. "Let me scan yours." 　　After adding him on WeChat, Zhang Jinghai smiled and said, "I still prefer dealing with young people like you. At first, 　　I was worried my child's homeroom teacher would be a domineering old man." 　　"I lack experience too, so please don't blame me if I do anything wrong," 　　Zhang Jinghai waved his hand. "Let me tell you the second thing I came here for." 　　"Oh?" I asked. "Please go ahead." 　　“My wife has always spoiled our son too much. As for me, although I’ve made up my mind, things haven’t gone as planned,” 　　Zhang Jinghai sighed. “I’ll be going out to do research soon, and I’m afraid that if I’m not home, all this 　　work will be for nothing. After thinking it over, I think it would be best to find a teacher to help me discipline him. That way, I can feel at ease.” 　　Just as I was surprised, I heard Zhang Jinghai say, “I met Xiao Li today, and I think you’re the most suitable. You 　　’re a teacher, and my child is worst at math. I feel most at ease leaving him with you.” 　　“This…” I wanted to refuse. 　　Zhang Jinghai said again, "What do you think? I'll transfer the money to you first." 　　My phone beeped, and I looked down to see that Zhang Jinghai had already transferred 2,000 yuan via WeChat. I wanted to 　　refuse, but I didn't know how to say it. I immediately thought of an excuse and said, "County Chief Zhang, actually I 　　'd be happy to help, but you see, I need to talk to my wife and ask for her 　　opinion." 　　"Oh, of course," Zhang Jinghai said. "By the way, where's your wife? Why isn't she home so late?" 　　"She's a nurse. She's working tonight and probably won't be back until almost midnight." I was in a panic. Zhang 　　Jinghai had really given me a lot of trouble. Zhang Haoran and I were like oil and water before, and now he was coming to stay at my house? 　　What a joke! 　　"Nurses are the best at taking care of people. You're lucky." Zhang Jinghai stood up and said, "I've bothered you for too long today 　　. I'll wait for your good news." 　　"Not at all," I stood up and saw him to the door. 　　Zhang Jinghai suddenly turned to me and said, "By the way, Xiao Li, with your abilities, have you been promoted to senior teacher 　　?" 　　I replied helplessly, "There are so many outstanding teachers at No. 1 Middle School, it's not easy, and I'm still young." 　　"You're already in your thirties, it's time to make something of yourself," Zhang Jinghai said. " 　　Promotions are always based on ability, not age, don't underestimate yourself." 　　"But ability always needs to be proven by results." 　　I opened the door for him, and Zhang Jinghai put on his shoes and said to me, "If you can teach my son well 　　, what else is that but ability?" 　　These words felt like a needle piercing my heart. I saw Zhang Jinghai downstairs, and he said, "Xiao Li, 　　go back now, I'll wait for your good news tomorrow." 　　"Okay, take care, be careful on the road." 　　Watching Zhang Jinghai's back, I took out my own Furongwang cigarette, lit it, and pondered his 　　words. 　　It was 11:30 p.m. when my wife came home from work. By the time she finished showering and returned to the room, it was already 　　past midnight. Seeing me looking at her, Qin asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you asleep yet?" 　　"I have something to tell you."

Qin burrowed under the covers, asking suspiciously, "What's wrong?"
"Don't be nervous," I said, brushing the hair from her forehead. "Zhang Jinghai brought Zhang Haoran home today
. And let me tell you, Zhang Jinghai really surprised me today."
"How so?"
"I always thought his son was a little rascal, so he was pretty much an old rascal too. But today, his
manners and speech were so upright; I almost felt sorry for him having such a good-for-nothing son."
"Tch," Qin scoffed. "Which official doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve? You think he's won you over like that?"
"What do you mean, 'won over'?" I said.
"Officials have two mouths; they're all talk and no action. Who knows what they're really doing behind closed doors?"
I retorted, unconvinced. "You're spouting conspiracy theories."
Qin blinked playfully and said, "Isn't the current policy of cracking down on both tigers and flies? Let's wait and see."
I said, "We can't interfere with that kind of thing. Speaking of which, as a father myself, I could feel
his heartache today, and I could see he genuinely wanted his son back on the right path. He made Zhang Haoran apologize to me, and even
slapped his son hard right in front of me—a really hard slap. Don't you think that's a 'self-inflicted injury' ruse?"
Qin said, "Even a 'self-inflicted injury' ruse has an ulterior motive. What does he want from you?"
"There really is," I said cautiously. "He wants his son to stay with us."
Before I could finish, my wife immediately objected, "No way!"
I continued, "He said he has to go on a business trip, and Zhang Haoran's mother has always spoiled him. He's afraid that having him stay at home would ruin everything
, so he wants to find a tutor to help discipline him."
Qin's face hardened. "Is that exactly what he said?"
"Of course…that's the gist of it."
Qin suddenly sat up and asked me, "Tell me first, did you agree?"
I smiled wryly, sat up, put my arm around my wife, and said, "How could I dare? But I didn't dare refuse him outright either.
I used you as a shield, saying I wanted to ask for your opinion."
"According to him, it's not like he absolutely needs you. Let him find someone else. Besides, what kind of society
is this now? Who does he think he is, letting his son live in whose house he wants?" Qin said angrily. "The
three of us are living perfectly well. What kind of nonsense is this, suddenly having another person in the house?"
Seeing his wife's intense reaction, I went along with her and said, "That's what I think too. If Zhang Haoran moved into my
house, I'd go crazy. But I used you as a shield, Qin, you don't mind, do you?"
Qin snorted . "I'm a nurse, he's in charge of education, we're completely unrelated, of course I'm not afraid of him. But
he's not stupid, even if he doesn't know whose idea it was, he can subjectively assume you're using your
wife to fool him."
Qin lay down again, "You, you're still a bit lacking in cunning. Excuses are an art."
I scratched my head, humbly accepting the criticism, before lying down again. Suddenly remembering the money, I said, "Right, today
he transferred 2000 yuan to me without informing me first, via WeChat."
"My God." Qin covered her face, "You really are... Putting aside whether Zhang Haoran ended up staying at my house or not,
you can't accept this money now."
"Why?" I asked.
Qin pushed my face away, "Silly husband, you figure it out yourself. The hospital didn't kill me, but you'll kill me
with stupidity when I get back. Stop bothering me, go to sleep, go to sleep!" Qin turned off the bedside lamp.
The only light in the room came from the window, and for some reason, it seemed
particularly glaring. I got up and quickly closed the curtains. When I turned back, the room was completely dark
; I couldn't even see where the bed was.
Facing the endless darkness, I remembered Zhang Jinghai's last words to me, and I ultimately didn't tell
my wife.
In the morning, I made a simple breakfast. After the family ate, my wife drove our daughter to school.
Before leaving, she reminded me to pay back the money quickly.
The high school was close to home, and I always walked to work. On the way, I held my phone, wondering how to
tell County Head Zhang, thinking he might not even be awake yet. When I arrived at school, I ran into Zhang Haoran. He saw
me first and called out from afar, "Teacher Li."
I responded and checked the time; there was still half an hour before morning self-study. I asked, "Why are you here so
early today?"
He seemed a little embarrassed and said, "My dad makes me get up at 6 a.m. every day."
"Getting up early is a good thing, but 6 a.m. is too early. Go back and tell your dad that rest is also very important. 6:30
a.m. would be more reasonable."
"Okay." Zhang Haoran hesitated for a moment and then said, "Um, Teacher Li, could you
tell my dad yourself? If I do, he might beat me."
"Okay. I'll mention it when I have the chance."
When I got to the office, I thought that this money matter couldn't be delayed, so I transferred
2,000 yuan to Zhang Jinghai via WeChat and then called him.
"Hello."
"Hello, County Chief Zhang, do you have a moment to spare?"
"Xiao Li, go ahead."
"Well... I'm really sorry, I talked to my wife about it yesterday, but she disagreed. I can never win an argument
with her, so..."
"Why doesn't she agree?"
It seems I still need to find an excuse. "We're usually so busy, we don't have time to take care of our daughter, so my
wife is planning to bring her parents over to help. That means we won't have enough room at home."
"That's a real pity..." "
I'm sorry." "
It's Haoran's bad luck. I'm busy, I'll hang up now."
I now think my wife might have a prejudice against Zhang Jinghai. From what I can see now, Zhang Jinghai seems like
a decent person.
The first class was Chinese class taught by Teacher Long. Since I didn't have any classes, I
walked around the corridor outside the window as usual, making my rounds. I noticed that Zhang Haoran had been punished and made to stand at the back of the classroom. I sneered inwardly. Sure
enough, this kid wouldn't change so easily. They say it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Not agreeing with Zhang Jinghai is the right thing to do.
Well, what good is it for him to stay at my house except to cause me trouble? The whole "teaching him to a bachelor's degree" thing is a joke.
During the second period, I went to check on him as usual and found Zhang Haoran still standing at the back.
I didn't think much of it. The third and fourth periods were my math classes in the top-tier science class 2. The class teacher
was Gu Qingsong, five years older than me, who taught physics. He was usually very authoritative and often put pressure on us teachers
, making all sorts of demands. He was probably the most unpleasant class teacher I'd ever worked with.
Under Gu Qingsong's demands, my math classes were forced to speed up the pace. The top-tier class was
different from the regular class; not only was the pressure high, but the workload was also heavy. The students there were not easy to deal with, and it was common for them to ask me
questions.
So, I always had to prepare well the night before before each class, but yesterday Zhang Jinghai
had ruined my mood. For this class, I simply handed out a test paper and gave them a pop quiz.
Because it was a double-term exam, there was no break between classes. Gu Qingsong came over to find me during the break.
Gu Qingsong casually asked how the class's math was going lately.
I said, "You asked me about it just last week."
"Isn't it because I'm concerned?" Gu Qingsong said, "Everyone says that the English score might drop to 120 next year, and then
Chinese and math will be the two remaining major subjects. How can I not be concerned?"
I sighed. This is probably the difference between a homeroom teacher of a regular class and a homeroom teacher of a top-performing class. So I said,
"Let's take a look at this test first. Our class is much faster than the first-best class. I'm a little worried that the foundation isn't solid enough.
Anyway, let's see."
"It's good that you have a good idea of what's going on." Gu Qingsong patted my shoulder.
This is what I don't like about him. His tone always implies that he's done everything, and if the results
aren't as expected, it's all the fault of the subject teacher.
After the fourth period, I collected the test papers and returned to the office. The teachers were getting ready to go to lunch.
I asked Teacher Long, "I saw you made Zhang Haoran stand at the back of the classroom for two lessons. What did he do this time?"
Teacher Long laughed and said, "I was just standing up for Xiao Fang. I called on him to answer a question I've explained countless times
, and he couldn't answer it, so I made him stand."
Guo Fang whispered, "Teacher Long, you don't need to do that."
I was also amused and exasperated, but from a professional ethics standpoint, it was still inappropriate to do it this way. So I said, "Yesterday,
his dad brought him to my house, and his dad beat Zhang Haoran in front of me. Let's just let it go."
Teacher Long joked, "If he really had the heart to beat him, Zhang Haoran would have been beaten to death long ago."
I didn't want to argue, so I said to Guo Fang, "Let me treat you to lunch today. As your homeroom teacher, I apologize to you
."
Guo Fang wasn't very good at talking, but she nodded in response.
Teacher Long chimed in, "We subject teachers are all victims."
I was speechless. "Fine, fine, I'll treat you all if you're willing to."
Sometimes I compare myself to Gu Qingsong. I feel like I've failed as a homeroom teacher. I
can't treat the subject teachers the way he does.

URL 1:https://www.sexlove5.com/htmlBlog/171844.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=171844&aspx=1

Previous Page : My Pet Garden

Next Page : My Mother, Xu Qiuman, Chapter Seventeen

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

【My Students】(3)

comment Open a new window to view comments