師說
卷首語
作者：by Jesse Hunter
As a kid， I heard someone say “Those who can， do. Those who can’t， teach.” So growing up， I thought that all teachers were washed-up failures. And after college， I feared that if I couldn’t cut it as an actor or singer， I’d have to teach as a fallback career. But my acting teachers also taught me to perform with all my heart， for an audience of one， or even none. And since teachers taught me that， they couldn’t be all bad， right？
Anyway， I came to China in 2007 because I was hired to perform in a stunt show， filled with motorcycle flips and flaming high-falls. However， it took quite a toll on me， and I soon found myself seeking new employment. I ended up landing a job at a local school called Happy Bear English Workshop.
In those first few weeks， I had my hair pulled， got spit on， and was even punched in the groin， and for what？ It felt like none of the students were interested in learning English， and I had no interest in teaching it. But then I thought： what if one of them was really eager to learn？ So， despite my disinterest， I tried my hardest to help them improve. And that brings us to this month’s features…
In The Promise， a prospective young teacher learns her musical limitations. Next， in A Taste of Success， kids learn important lessons by making tasty biscuits. Excuses， Excuses shows how forging absent notes can bring out the best in students. And lastly， What Do Teachers Make？ shines a spotlight on all the underappreciated things that teachers do （or rather， make）.