Happy Teacher's Day | Jon Miller 专访
从懵懂到启蒙
是老师，带我们领略世界的精彩。
黑板
粉笔
我和你
9月10日
教师节快乐
老师,您辛苦了
转眼间，我们在桂子山上又迎来了一个教师节。小E代表所有的华师学子对老师们说一声：教师节快乐。
教师节起初最开始是为了提高老师的待遇而提出的，1985年是它的元年，也是从那时开始中国教师有了自己的节日。
其实除了中国教师，华师还有一群可爱的外教老师，他们离开自己的国家，来到中国，来到华师，为我们传授知识。今天，我们就采访了Jon老师，从教学到生活，和他聊了聊在华师的有趣经历。
小E:We all know that you are a great teacher popular with students, and we are curious about the reason why you want to become a teacher.
Mr. Miller: When I was in college, I never really considered being a teacher. One day I had a poetry class, and I wrote the analysis of a poem for the class, my teacher said “Hey! This paper is really good. you should go work at the writing center!” And I was like” OK, what’s a writing center? I have no idea.” But I did so and it gave me the chance to meet fellow students and become a writing tutor, and I did that for 4 years in my bachelor degree. I enjoyed tutoring a lot, and I thought it could be fun to teach as well, so I tried it.
小E:What courses do you teach and which one do you think is the most interesting?
Mr. Miller: I teach Greek and Roman Mythology, Bible, VLS classes and culture class (i.e. A Brief Introduction to English-speaking Countries).
Personally, I think the Bible class is the most interesting one. But the Greek and Roman Mythology maybe the most interesting one for the students, because the stories can be more fun to read, more creative.
小E:What do you think of your students? What’s their shining points and what they need to improve?
Mr. Miller:I think their shining point is that when we get into discussions, some of their points are interesting and I’ve never thought about them before. It’s really to cool to see students’ brains work. I think they should do more note-taking. I don’t mind them taking out their cell phones to take a picture but it’s better to write it down.
小E:How do you feel when you are with your students?
Mr. Miller:I like being in the classroom with people. Our relationship is slightly different from friendship between me and other teachers. But if some student needs to come for a problem, I’m open to being a “friend”. The reason why we are not that intimate is that we don’t see each other quite often.
小E:What do you think makes a good teacher?
Mr. Miller:I think being a good teacher requires a teacher to be present, to be fully in the classroom, and be more focused on what the students need rather than going there to teach what they want to teach. Just pay attention to what is going on in the classroom, what needs to be done, like if someone is sick, if there are some physical and emotional needs.
小E:Do Americans and Britons also celebrate Teacher’s Day and how do they celebrate it?
Mr. Miller:There is a Teacher’s Appreciation Week. We give teacher gifts like a little apple.
小E:What’s your hobby? Will you hang out with other foreign teachers in your spare time?
Mr. Miller:I like riding bikes a lot, reading books, and cooking. And I often make my friends lunch. Usually, I and my friends go to the coffee shop and go bowling. And it’s very funny that if students find me know Cindy, Lauryn and other foreign teachers, they would look rather surprised.
小E:What do you want to say to the future teachers?
Mr. Miller:If they are going to become college teachers eventually, they should realize that college students are adults, and be aware of that students have a lot of staff outside of the class. If they are to be high school teachers, then be more patient and well-prepared for classes. And it would be lucky to become elementary school teachers since kids there show us how to be creative again, how to imagine.
编辑:项桂敏 司马文谦 邵小楠
排版：邵小楠
审校：项桂敏