I Just Lost My Mind Listening to the Cluelessness of the First Lady in China

[davidpdx]

117. My good friend

We've never met, but we have of course talked on DU many times. I respect your opinion. Having lived in China for an academic year I also became disillusioned with their system. For those that don't know, I have taught and lived in Korea for 10 years, but one of those years I went over to China.

First of all she is a guest of a foreign country and the wife of the president. She pretty much has to follow the schedule that is given to her by the Chinese Government. That is just protocol and not her fault. Second, I very much doubt she is naive enough to believe that the school she is shown is like all the others. Michelle Obama is a very smart woman. Third, I'm sure the ordinary Chinese people are angry because they think Michelle Obama believes what she is being told and it is of course on the state run news. The sad fact is she doesn't have much of a say in what she is being shown and has to be polite (if she wasn't the Chinese people would be pissed).

Someone else in the thread made a suggestion about writing a letter to her with your concerns. I think that is an excellent suggestion. Explain to her what you see as a teacher in China and the problems they face. If there is another educational system that you think would be a better model for the US then make a case for her to visit that country.

I have to tell you one thing a bit off topic. Now that I'm back teaching in Korea I have a greater distrust toward students after teaching in China. The students in the Chinese universities would pull so much shit and there is very little you could do about it. The cheating was one of the worst parts. I just gave a test at the university I teach at here in Korea and not only had two versions, I spread them out a good distance. So even the short time I was there affected me a bit as well.