dear all,

experience makes you succeedi still remembered the first time when i became a technical secondary school teacher of english literature. it seemed that it happened yesterday.

at that day, i got quite ready and i had the confidence to be a good teacher. i arrived at the classroom, eager to share my knowledge and experience with all the students of my class. having prepared for two days, i had no doubt to hold their attention and to impress on them my admiration for the literature.

“stand up!” the monitor spoke loudly. the entire class stood up as i entered the classroom. i was a little puzzled, but quickly that awkwardness was over, i regained my calmness and began my well-prepared lecture, sure to gain their respect--- or even their admiration. ‘i’m your english, miss jiang. today we are going to learn . . . ’ i was very pleased with work . as the bell rang, i went back to my office full of a sense of achievement. the following day when i read my students’ diaries, the rosy glow was gradually replaced by a strong sense of sadness. the first diary said, “our literature teacher didn’t teach us anything today. perhaps her next lecture would be better.” greatly surprised, i read diary after diary, each expressed a similar theme. “didn’t i teach them anything? i described the entire framework and laid the background for the passage we would study in class,” i puzzled. “how should they say i taught them nothing?”

it was a long term, and it gradually became clear that my ideas about education weren’t the same as those of my students. i thought a teacher’s job was to raise interesting questions and provide enough background so that students could draw their own conclusions. my students thought a teacher’s job was to provide exact information as directly and clearly as possible. what a difference! i tell myself i can handle it.’ compared to what others have been through , i’m fortunate. thinking of these sentences i felt something important struck me. i believe my life would not be that bad and it was proved to be true. later during my life and work i always told myself ‘i can handle it.’ when my own goals seemed far off or when my problems seemed too overwhelming. and every time i said it, i always came back to my senses.

now the experience with my students has made me learn a lot, and made me be a better english teacher.

the following year, it was september 10th. i went to class as well. when i stepped into the class, i felt surprised. there was a post card on the table, but i didn’t show it on my face. i began teaching lessons. after the class, i walked out of the class with a card in my hand. i opened the card in the office, it was a music card with words on it. it said ‘many thanks to you, miss jiang. we all love you we like your teaching.’ i was impressed by the words. how honest and simple the words were. hot tears couldn’t help dropping. at that time, i was so proud of being an english teacher.

so here, coming to us are words that can give us strength. whatever you’re going through, tell yourself you can handle it. tell this to yourself over and over, and it will help you get through the rough spots with little more fortitude.