What are our values?
I have worked in the education sector for years and have seen many strange things. Here are two stories:
A colleague found the government’s pension cut unacceptable, but meanwhile, he has been a fan of former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜). Even after Han was removed from office, he remained loyal to him. After Han topped the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) legislators-at-large nomination list, my colleague became so excited and started to sing the praises of Han, saying that he might be the best candidate for the next legislative speaker.
I could not help but ask him, “For you, Han Kuo-yu is so outstanding, but will you teach your students or children to act like him?” He was stunned and did not say anything.
One day, a student told me that in his childhood he was encouraged to live freely and show himself to the world. He had learned to be brave in the face of bullies and oppressors. He always believed in these universal values. The elections made him wonder about the nature of KMT supporters in Taiwan.
Those people would not blame the aggressors. Instead, they accuse Taiwanese of provoking China and triggering a possible war.
My student was devastated to hear that his relatives and former teachers, who had taught him to stand up for himself when being treated unreasonably, are KMT supporters.
“Am I wrong to be myself? But this is what they have taught me,” my student said. Surprised by his emotional outburst, I could only smile awkwardly and say nothing.
After these two incidents, I reflected on the current state of education in Taiwan, and I believe nothing could surprise me.
Lin Hsuan-chu
Tainan
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