Page 53 - E-book 2012-13 final draft
P. 53
點亮 Enlightening Teaching & Research
教研
Living with Difference: page. All the while he was also muttering a lot of things and even
Why Literature Matters asking me questions, but unfortunately, all in Chinese. Curious to
know what was happening, I glanced at the page he was studying
A couple of weeks ago I was in a school so intently. The page had four sketches (not photographs) of people
in Tuen Mun for a Field Experience supervision of different races. There was a studious looking Caucasian boy, a
Dr Bidisha Banerjee visit. It was a Primary 1 class with students seated sweet Chinese girl, a very fashionable and attractive looking young
Assistant Professor in the usual pattern of paired rows. I assumed Black woman and an oddly anachronistic drawing of a South Asian
Department of my position at the back of the classroom and my boy with a shaved head and a red dot on his forehead! Immediately
Literature and Cultural student began her lesson. This is a Primary School I realized that the student was looking at these drawings and trying
Studies that caters to many Mainland students who cross to determine what my race and ethnicity might be. I think he was
the border everyday to come to school. Just a few understandably confused and unable to decide between the Black
minutes into the lesson it became apparent that woman and the South Asian boy. The hilarious encounter ended
there was an ostensibly “problem student” in the when he triumphantly uttered the word “Yando” (Cantonese for
classroom - a chubby boy who sat next to a girl Indian) and I enthusiastically gave him a congratulatory thumbs up
in the last row. He had bright sparkly eyes and a for figuring it out. Satisfied with his discovery, the boy went back to
sweet smile. He was clearly a very active child and his seat.
kept getting out of his seat to walk around a bit,
never straying too far. As my student began her I begin this piece with this anecdote because it brings to the
lesson, I noticed that the boy was looking at me fore issues that are key to the teaching of literature. My encounter
very intently and saying a lot of things in Chinese, with the student goes to the heart of the question of “difference.”
none of which I could understand. In response, All that the boy was doing was trying to understand difference. I
I gestured to him to turn to the front and look was new and different to him and he probably had not encountered
at his teacher, which of course, he completely someone like me until that day. Children are naturally curious and
ignored. Suddenly his face lit up as if he had just respond to things that are different with interest and curiosity.
had a brain wave. He opened his desk and dived Difference is often a contentious issue in societies and the main issue
into it, rummaging furiously for something. He that often leads to intolerance and prejudice arising from insularity,
pulled out a Chinese textbook and flipped through parochialism and ignorance about difference. I firmly believe that
it excitedly until he arrived at the page he seemed by taking us to places we may never visit and introducing us to the
to be looking for. He peered at something on lives and experiences of people radically different from us, literature
the page curiously and turned back a few times ultimately teaches us not just about difference but also, through
to look at me. Finally, he proceeded to walk up identification, it teaches us about our common humanity.
to me with the book in his hands and began to
stare at my face from very close quarters, while The very essence of my teaching philosophy is based on a
alternately looking down at something on the recognition of this aspect of literature and I try various ways and
38 39
教研
Living with Difference: page. All the while he was also muttering a lot of things and even
Why Literature Matters asking me questions, but unfortunately, all in Chinese. Curious to
know what was happening, I glanced at the page he was studying
A couple of weeks ago I was in a school so intently. The page had four sketches (not photographs) of people
in Tuen Mun for a Field Experience supervision of different races. There was a studious looking Caucasian boy, a
Dr Bidisha Banerjee visit. It was a Primary 1 class with students seated sweet Chinese girl, a very fashionable and attractive looking young
Assistant Professor in the usual pattern of paired rows. I assumed Black woman and an oddly anachronistic drawing of a South Asian
Department of my position at the back of the classroom and my boy with a shaved head and a red dot on his forehead! Immediately
Literature and Cultural student began her lesson. This is a Primary School I realized that the student was looking at these drawings and trying
Studies that caters to many Mainland students who cross to determine what my race and ethnicity might be. I think he was
the border everyday to come to school. Just a few understandably confused and unable to decide between the Black
minutes into the lesson it became apparent that woman and the South Asian boy. The hilarious encounter ended
there was an ostensibly “problem student” in the when he triumphantly uttered the word “Yando” (Cantonese for
classroom - a chubby boy who sat next to a girl Indian) and I enthusiastically gave him a congratulatory thumbs up
in the last row. He had bright sparkly eyes and a for figuring it out. Satisfied with his discovery, the boy went back to
sweet smile. He was clearly a very active child and his seat.
kept getting out of his seat to walk around a bit,
never straying too far. As my student began her I begin this piece with this anecdote because it brings to the
lesson, I noticed that the boy was looking at me fore issues that are key to the teaching of literature. My encounter
very intently and saying a lot of things in Chinese, with the student goes to the heart of the question of “difference.”
none of which I could understand. In response, All that the boy was doing was trying to understand difference. I
I gestured to him to turn to the front and look was new and different to him and he probably had not encountered
at his teacher, which of course, he completely someone like me until that day. Children are naturally curious and
ignored. Suddenly his face lit up as if he had just respond to things that are different with interest and curiosity.
had a brain wave. He opened his desk and dived Difference is often a contentious issue in societies and the main issue
into it, rummaging furiously for something. He that often leads to intolerance and prejudice arising from insularity,
pulled out a Chinese textbook and flipped through parochialism and ignorance about difference. I firmly believe that
it excitedly until he arrived at the page he seemed by taking us to places we may never visit and introducing us to the
to be looking for. He peered at something on lives and experiences of people radically different from us, literature
the page curiously and turned back a few times ultimately teaches us not just about difference but also, through
to look at me. Finally, he proceeded to walk up identification, it teaches us about our common humanity.
to me with the book in his hands and began to
stare at my face from very close quarters, while The very essence of my teaching philosophy is based on a
alternately looking down at something on the recognition of this aspect of literature and I try various ways and
38 39
