Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students do not respect their teachers as much as they did in the past.

In the past, the atmosphere in class was more rigid than it is nowadays. Teachers on the stage were serious and students tended to be quieter. Now in college, you would see the opposite: for example, that the teacher is talking to a massive crowd who barely look at the blackboard, and the whole classroom is as noisy as a fair. So is it proper to say that students now do not show teachers as much of their due respect? In my view, this is not true. Students still respect their teachers as they did in the past, but in a different way.

Students showing respect for their teachers many years ago was largely due to their teachers’ strictness and rigor. I heard from my parents that their teachers could sometimes be very serious and would get angry for minor mistakes. At times they even beat students, using an elongated ruler to lash those troublemakers’ palms. At that time the respect for teachers can also be perceived as the fear towards them.

Now thanks to improved teaching policies, teachers do not shout at students or punish them physically anymore. So students no longer have to be afraid of getting scolded or beaten. As a result, some of them have become to behave more “casually.” In college, perhaps nothing would happen if you eat snacks or have little talks in class. This may seem like the students of the present day are not very respectful to their teachers. But in the past did they truly respect them? I am reserved about that.

And if teachers themselves are good at teaching or are very charismatic, students are probably going to like them and thus pay respect for them. In contrast, a teacher lacking teaching skills can hardly arouse listeners’ interest. And over time maybe only a few good students will still be listening to his or her class.

It’s been a long time…

In the past, the atmosphere in class was more rigid than it is nowadays. Many teachers taught with a long face, and most students down the stage were quiet. Now in college, you might see the opposite: that the teacher is talking to a massive crowd who barely look at the blackboard, and the whole classroom is like a fair. So is it proper to say that students no longer how teachers as much of their due respect? In my view, this is not true. Students still respect their teachers as they did in the past, but in a different way.

Students showing respect for their teachers many years ago was largely due to their teachers’ strictness and rigor. I heard from my parents that their teachers could sometimes be very serious, and they would get angry for minor mistakes. At times the teachers even beat students, using an elongated ruler to lash those troublemakers’ palms. At that time, the respect for teachers can also be perceived as the fear towards them.

Now thanks to improved teaching policies, teachers do not shout at students or punish them physically anymore. So students no longer have to be afraid of getting scolded or beaten. As a result, some of them have become to behave more “casually.” In college, perhaps nothing would happen if you eat snacks or have little talks in class. This may suggest that students of the present day are not very respectful to their teachers. But in the past, did they truly respect them? I have reservations about that.

And if teachers themselves are good at teaching or are charismatic, students would like them and thus pay respect for them. In contrast, a teacher lacking teaching skills can hardly arouse listeners’ interest. And over time maybe only a few good students will still be listening to his or her class.