UNREACHABLE AND UNTEACHABLE STUDENTS
Every Chinese college and university has them, from top tier down to the bottom 4th tier.Usually every class has at least one and the unlucky teacher may be saddled with several. Occasionally, an entire class may be beyond reach.
No matter what the pedagogy, the methodology, the materials; there are some students who have decided that higher education is only an endurance requirement. In America there is an educational philosophy that no child shall be left behind. China has a slightly different bent – no college student shall fail to receive a diploma so long as the tuition has been paid.
Nationally, 5% of Chinese university students are unreachable and unteachable. At Zongshan University 1.6% of the post-graduate non-English majors are unreachable and unteachable.
Chinese students know full well that they will not be failed even if they never attend classes. They are allowed to retake a final exam, with a different teacher each time, until a teacher is found who will pass them. Failing grades issued by foreign teachers are administratively changes rather regularly. The Chinese educational system deprives the teacher of a major external motivational tool and the students take advantage of this situation.
These students are not too hard to identify. They sit in the back row and try to blend into the back wall. Some sit up front, arms crossed with a scowl on their face that says a D-8 bulldozer isn’t going to move them.
Some give themselves away by telling the foreign teacher “you do not understand China” or “you do not understand Chinese students” or “you do not teach like a Chinese teacher.”
Others will declare their open contempt for English due to some misguided nationalistic pride. Some will state that they do not need English now or in the future. A Shanghai University student declared that his father was a very high Shanghai Government party official and that his father would always take care of his future, both politically and financially. This boy was well connected and his future was assured. Within months his father was caught up in the political purge and power shift that saw all of Shanghai’s political leaders replaced. His father was imprisoned and made to forfeit all of his money and property. The boy was weeks away from graduation and would receive a useless degree.
A young man in Guangzhou insisted that he would never need English because his father was Chairman of the Board and majority Shareholder of a major Chinese company. This boy wasted his educational opportunity in reliance on his father’s position and wealth. Within two months of the boy’s graduation his father was imprisoned for economic crimes and sentenced to death and forfeiture of all money and property.
It is sad indeed to watch any misguided student pursue a path of self-destruction. But no matter what you say or do, they are determined to serve their time at university without earning an education because they know an education (Diploma) will be handed to them as long as their tuition is paid. Educated idiots!
Because I was graduated from a foreign language study university, my friends or my classmates and I never think that English is unimportant. As China become more and more open, we conmunicate with and trade with many foreignors. English as a kind of international language, we should pay more attention to it’s learning. No matter who you are or who your father is, learning new language or knowledge is needed to follow the time. The world changes everyday, no body know what will be occur, something you think is useless for maybe become the instrument which you use to make money on someday.
Also the purpose of that we take so many money to attend college or university is to learn something useful and obtain knowledge, not to receive a diploma. we should take active attitude. To be our best! I do not like to be an student who is unreachable and unteachable.
As an educated, especially a higher educated, we cannot make ourselves become educated idiots. Such cases may be caused by all kinds of reasons that include social reasons, education reasons, students own reasons and so on. As far as I can see, it may not only form bad study ethos, but also have a bad effect on students. Maybe it is sadness of Chinese education. In this instance, we should undertake the due obligations. We should make full use of our time and the education resources to study hard. We should learn self-reliance and self-improvement.
I read some books for sixteen years .To be frankly speaking , I never want to give up and concentrate on my every seconds.Because of my normal family condition and my poor ability ,I need to tell me that you should spend more time to studying and broaden your horizon and improve your ability for youself and your great parents .Of course ,when I saw some students need not to learn hard and pay more attention to their study , I told myself that you are difference .
In China, there is usually saying that it’s hard to go inside the university while easy to go outside, however the situation is totally upside down abroad. So why? Some deem that it’s China’s particularity and we can’t find a better way to change it even though it’s not good for Chinese students. The educrat, the teacher, the student and their family should be responsible.
Undoubtedly, English is useful, but not for everyone. Those who want to count on their parents are pathetic. They are risking their career and their lives are pallid since they have nothing to pursue. What’s the meaning of lives?
I do know some people hate English,of my friends,of my classmates,of the people who I know. However I don’t think they have contempt for English.They hate English because they find it too difficult to learn(for them of course),or useless at all. Language is just a tool.English is extremely important because it’s used all over the world.But it differs from people. A person may speak precocious Deutsch and poor English because he do business with Deutsch and English seems not very important for him.It doesn’t mean that he is unteachable.
However,the situation “They sit in the back row and try to blend into the back wall. Some sit up front, arms crossed with a scowl on their face that says a D-8 bulldozer isn’t going to move them” mentioned in the article should not be neglected.Sometimes students really have no interest in some boring classes.For me,I prefer an active way.Learning is important,but what’s more important is to know how to use what we learned.
I agree with what the professor says in this article ,and I appreciate the educational philosophy of America .what we go to school is that no one should be left behind ,comparing to the wealth of life ,the tuition is nothing, what we should do in the university is to learn more ,to make ourselves become competent. The life is in our hand, it belongs to us at all, although some one may have a good background from his family, it can give you money, or house, or car and so on. However, it can not give you the meaning of life, which must be created by yourself, because it is not replaceable! In a word, we should know why we live and then how to live by ourselves!
It’s factual that there are always some students unteachable. For various reasons, they do not like studying. They even don’t attend the course, some immersed themselves totally in computer games, some waste their time surfing the internet, because they just want to get a diploma. Perhaps they were born in a rich family or have a powerful father and the future is not worth to worry about. The situation does exist. However, I believe that most of us can only depend on ourselves. And we know clearly that we should learn more and advance our capabilities. I come to realize English is more and more important in studying my major. Besides, it’s also an indispensable ability to get a good job, though the viewpoint seems utilitarian. It all depends himself that One can learn English well or not. I think it’s time for me to get English back and I treasure the opportunity.
After I have read this essay, it is necessary to reflect on myself why I was used to sitting in the back row at the classroom in Chinese or English classes. I would like to sit in the front row before I went to the college, when I was a high school student, answering questions and having some interaction with teachers are interesting, because I can follow the teacher through the whole class, but in college classes, sometimes I felt it difficult to understand what the teacher said because you have to do some extra work outside the class if you want to make clear. Thus one day I tried to be far away from the teacher to listen, write down what I did not understand and figure it out after the class. Then it became one of my habit to sit in the back row. On the contrary, if I can have more communication with teachers, I will get more. From now on, I just want give it a try!
There is a saying that “Money is not all powerful, but no-money is nothing possible”. Some students agree with it very much and they give up their effort for themselves because of their parents’ money. The problems of the diploma, the job, the houses, and the like, would not be problems for them when money is able to make everything possible. Then they become the 1.6% students who are unteachable. They are well described in the article. Check our own behavior and escape far from the money trap! Money especially other’s money won’t be our good luck forever! The real wealth we could possess forever is the knowledge of our own which needs our effort to get it. Tuition is paid for the education. That wasting time is also wasting money.
It is a strange phnomenon that in Chinese universities some students never attend a class, but they can graduate as other students.I think it is one of a drawbacks in our high shool education system. In China, there is another phonomenon that some sudents needn’t to study hard but they can also get a good job. Because their fathers have special powers to secure their kids’ future, so their children never need to attend a class and gruduate successfully. This phenomenon should be improved.
EDITOR’S NOTE: UnReAsOnAbLe To ThInK I WoUlD KnOw YoU WeRe DRunK!
Dear Martin, I sincerely apologize for the comment I had posted tonight. You can distrust me, but the truth is I had drunk a lot before I read the article, and anticipated you would quickly delete my hasty comment as a meaningless scrawl. When I was drunk, I thought you knew I was drunk and the comment was a joke, improper though. Drunk is not the excuse for my irresponsible behavior tonight. As an adult, I know I cannot shift the responsibility onto others or even alcohol, and should take all of it, no matter whether I was sober or drunk.
I have constantly logged in the holistic English website and posted my comments on the threads,( of course, all of my comments except this one are the result of my careful, sober pondering, diligently. And only they can prove and match my status as a college student and a adult man.
I think I made the mistake tonight partly because I had not fully understood the rules of you. Man errs as he strives. It’s my fault tonight but at least now I know the rules and what is the acceptable and unacceptable behavior. And hopefully my classmates in Class 3 would be all conscious of it. That’s the good side of this event, I hope. Lingnan students are the smartest in Zhongshan University, not only academically, but also emotionally; they only break your rules when they are unconscious of them. Now that I know what I am supposed to do, I will obey it and I hope I can have the chance to obey it, as I have learned about it. In schools worldwide, punishment is a tool of letting students know what is allowed and what is not and helping them disciplined. Your email tonight is a warning and it works.
Unlike some other foreign teachers who earn salaries just because they speak English, you are devoted to creating an English speaking environment for us and have changed many’s attitude toward English study, which I think is a great effort and accomplishment. I have always appreciated and admired you for all you have done for us.
Now I know I should comment the threads on the website carefully and never post any irresponsible stuff on it, and never comment drunk. I wrote the one sentence comment just to joke, not out of any offensive intention. If I am expelled out of ignorance or improper joke, I think it’s a little too severe and unfair to me.
Anyway, tonight is all my bad. If my unsuitable comment brought you any unpleasure and made you feel any offensive, I would like to apologize to you sincerely.
Thank you for not only teaching us English,but also teach us how some way to live and grow up!I agree with what Andy Class4C said.
“Andy Class 4C
March 12th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I read some books for sixteen years .To be frankly speaking , I never want to give up and concentrate on my every seconds.Because of my normal family condition and my poor ability ,I need to tell me that you should spend more time to studying and broaden your horizon and improve your ability for youself and your great parents .Of course ,when I saw some students need not to learn hard and pay more attention to their study , I told myself that you are difference .”
A Mature adult should stand on his or her feet, and anyone who only lives on the fortune created by his or her parents will not be respected by the society. As a Chinese saying said, “Good pupils are to be brought up by strict teachers.” Thus, we should cherish the opportunity to learn from a responsible, devoted, and strict teacher!
There are many university students coming from rich or high offical family that really don’t cherish their higher educational opportunities. They believe there is no need to worry about their job, their future. So they have neither learning nor making progress. By contrast, thoses who coming from poor family would put their heart totally on study, make great efforts assiduously. Because there is nobody they can depend on but themselves.
Another problem should be considered is college entrance examination system, which is also not equal and unreasonable. The government should reform this system as soon as possible in order to offer more higher educational opportunities to students in poor areas.
Nowadays, the whole society pays much more attention to the utilitarian value of education. There’s no wrong by gaining what we have paid off., but if we do everything by asking how much money we could get from it, that’s a pity for us. Making money should become the stimulation rather than the final goal. So I love learning English not just because “English is money.” Anyway, interest comes the most important teacher for me!
After reading the article, I want to say two things.The first is English is useful.With the intergration of the economy all over the world,the usefulness of English is become more and more important.Though Chinese is the language which has the largest number of users,English is the language used the most wildly.So,in order to promote the development of our county,we students should master English.
The second is that we should not only study English but also learn other knowledge.The rapid development of society needs comprehensive talent.The more knowledge one gets,the better he adapts to the society and the better he contributes to the society.
If we don’t pay adequate attention to our studying,we would not attain our goal although having finished the semester.Not just for the tuition we have paid,but for our future,we must make up our mind to study hard.Because the society dosen’t care what your teachers have taught,they care what you have gained form that.So if a person doesn’t make good use of his present learning environment,he is wasting his money and will be regret in the future.
The education (Diploma) will be handed to us as long as our tuition is paid? It’s impossible, at least not in Sun Yat-sen University. Several of my classmates could not get their bachelor degree because of bad exam score and sleep study! The students who think they can rely on their parents are really immature. As the Chinese saying goes: Got the fortune easy, but defend it hard.
I was very curious about what unreachable and unteachable mean and eager to figure them out when I saw the title. But finally it turned out to be a heavy topic. I grow up in an ordinary and general family as the majorities do. Both my father and my mother were workers in a factory before, they work so hard that their salaries were just enough to support the family’s daily expenses including our tuition. So I never thought I could take anything anymore from my parents after I graduate. The reason why I have been studied so hard for so many years is to pay back to my parents and improve their living condition. I really can’t understand those who waste their time and education opportunity in playing nonsense just as the two students referred to in the article.
I always agree that there is a big problem in our eductional system. When I were in the junior and senior high school, my parents, my teachers even the whole society told me that the only aim of my study now was passing the examinatio and getting the opportunity to study in a better university. At that time, I have lots of homeworks to do nearly everyday. So, the most students as me thought when we went into the university, we can have a better life. Then, the problems mentioned in the article came out.
In my oppion, if the whole system don’t change, it is hard to improve this situation.
There is a Chinese saying: great men’s sons seldom do well. Some people rely on their parents to live in a better life, and they think it is the parents’ obligation. Moreover their parents are willing to do so. Then these guys dawdle everyday, never thinking about striving. Only strive by himself, is his life meaningful.
The type of students mentioned in the article is not familiar with me. As the data shows, 1.6% is a minority group. Students around me are usually the hard-working type. They care about their academic credit, work hard for a high score in the exam. And even the teacher not say it aloud, they finish the homework on time. Day by day, the hard-working guys around me push me working hard, and we know most of us have to depend on ourselves rather than rely on our parents. We care about our future more than others feel. I think the professor know how important the “fail” thing means to most of us, or he would not mention the word so frequently in the class. And it really works, most of us will works hard for something we valued. Just don’t let the English study become the worst memory in the coming months.
There are many problems in Chinese high education, though each person talks about the education reformation and hope it can act effectually. But it is disappointing that the people grabbing the power of Chinese education do few useful things. The belief between Chinese students and foreign students is different. Chinese students always put their study to his teachers and parents, and they don’t think it is their duty and opportunity, especially the later. They are always sure that they can get the diplomas after graduation. So they always lose their chance to improve themselves in many parties for wasting time on play, what a pity! So much money is used on education but the effect is horrible. I think that the biggest problem of Chinese high education is the students’ attitudes for their study, and the policy follows. But maybe I am wrong completely because the later is the reason of the former, who know it?
A few days before, I watched a talk show about young Chinese people’s actuality. They invited a Japanese young man to talk about their opinions. He said that successors of moneybags were despised by peer. The whole society values a person’s self-quality and potential more than the wealth of clan and family background. I know it is true in many other countries and I think the American dream is a good example. For the unteachable students in the article, I think the rooted problem is their attitude to struggle and education from around. Their family didn’t build a correct example and viewpoint to life. Most of us are working hard to reach our dream, however, there is a atmosphere of money worship or standing worship that make the only one child in a family worships the hedonism. So, creating a healthy society atmosphere is significant.
As there are all kinds of people in the world, there are also kinds of students in the university. So if you have tried your best to wake them up, but fail. Just be relaxed, because it’s not your false but their loss. As a college student, one should be responsible for his own, and should act like a mature adult. He should pursue his future on his own, because there is risk everywhere in the world, and no one can tell what tomorrow would be. So, do not waste time and energy, and do something valuable to be a smart man or woman.
I have to say, that I am very regretful for those unreachable and unteachable students, since they are wasting their golden opportunity of getting educated. When they are becoming more mature, they must regret the choices they have made today.
In this article, the author said that, in china no college student shall fail to receive a diploma so long as the tuition has been paid. This is true in most situation, but I don’t think this rule is applicable everywhere. At least, I dare to say that, in our Lingnan School, you will not get the diploma, if you failed at some necessary exams. You may have the chance to retake the exam, or even to learn this course for a second time, but when you get the diploma finally, it’s not that you have found a teacher to pass you, but you have found a way to get over the exams.
According to this article, there are a few of students in college and university learning English passively. They learn English just for the final exam or the diploma. But on my opinion, if you haven’t master the knowledge, the score and the diploma means nothing. Why we choose to go to university rather than work? We want to go to higher landing. How can we achieve the goal? Just learn and develop our capacity as much as possible. Only the one who can be competent for the job will the interviewer admit. English is one of the important skills, which is helpful to communicate with other people. So learn it by heart.
Before entering the university, I have to choose a major with considering which would be helpful to get a job or learn something useful. However, the major turned out to be philosophy, as result most of friends worried about my future job. Although philosophy is a cold major, the teachers are trying to enriching our knowledge with great efforts. But I have found that some students around are unreachable and unteachable. They just want to pass exams and get a diploma. Such a problem appears not only in English teaching where may be more serious, but also in philosophy and other realms. And what I can do is to try my best to learn more by heart. Maybe nothing would change unless success Education system reform has been promoted in China.
Every one has his own right to choose their future.whether they will study hard or not,it seems that it does not deided by their teachers.But for our respectable teachers,they regard the education as a duty in order to make every student have a bright future.So,the irreconcilable contradictions turn up.It is extremly obvious in Chinese,our teacher,whether our chinese teachers or foreigners,will pay more attention to us.I think every people should accept the suggestion of my teacher and try our best to do our work.
There are indeed some students who have that completely wrong attitude towards college education. They always think that they can find a perfect job by the way of relying on their parents or other relatives, so these students do not spend much time on the study, especially English, one of the most important classes. The fact is that the power is not effective at any time, when their parents lose the power; it’s already late for them to catch the knowledge and ability which they should master through learning in the class.
What a pity person! But why a few students have such kind of viewpoint. The answer is the system of our state. China is a socialist country, the official has the great power to decide everything without considering the consequence because no person could supervise them. Government has all of the administrative power and lack of democracy. That’s the origin that results in those students.
Phenomenon that mentioned in the article does exist, and become headache for many teachers. From my point of view, part of students holding the mentality that so-call “just sit back and enjoy”, give rise to such delusions that obtain success without their own efforts. However, some other people who hate some courses and refuse go to the classes, take English for instance, are showing their obstinate resistance to Exam-oriented education rather than contempt for English. To some extent, English is just a tool. Important or not, varies. Each person’s life planning is so different that some skills unrelated to classroom learning maybe more suitable for them. So they make adjustments according to their own requirements.
I am a farmer’s children, since I went to school I conscientiously studied every course. Of course,I also have studied English well , but due to various factors ,I have not study fluent spoken language well. There are few of our students who are the kind mentioned in the text . I also believe that China’s education is moving toward globalization, our country will prosper.
Although diploma is very important,sturdy knowledge is even more important.Become a talented and knowledgeable person.Say “NO” to “Educated idiots”.
You may need to accept the fact that not every student needs to study hard to get what he/she want. Even so, not every student shall follow the way you want them to learn to become successful or happy. As a teacher, especially a foreign teacher, you will get more pressure from your Chinese students because you are now trying to deny many students’ way of being a qualified student. They might be awaken. They might not.
I don’t know how to comment this essey,maybe this phenomena is too normal for us. Yes, there are really some Educated idiots in China’s universities.But some of them can live better than whom we think of no Educated idiots.This is the question of the educational cause.Not one or two persons can change,really!Facing that,I know that’s the sorrow of both the Educated idiots’and no Educated idiots’.
In recent years, the importance of English has been growing awareness of Chinese people, many children begin to receive English-language education from childhood.In my opinion, only a small number of people think that there is no need to learn English.On the contrary, most people are well aware of the importance of English.Especially for college students, English is not just a compulsory course,which is a communication skill we need to master. So,We should not look learning English as a task we must complete, but make it as a necessary part of our lives.
There have different educational traditions among different countries according to the reality conditions. How to analysising event basing on the actual situation. Of course, there are some good education initiatives on your, I suggest that our government could learn from it.
I do know there are some people who do not like English.For some of them,they go to university just for a diploma,they are not concerned about any subjects,not only English.For another part,they usually complain English is too difficult to learn.I used to be a person do not like learning English,I find it is really hard for me to remember the words and phrases.Then I come to realized the true reason why I did not make any improvment when the professor told us that “English is money”.We can not get any money from an ATM unless we once had put some into a bank account.How can I expect to gain without any pain?I didn’t make any effort,surely I can’t make any improvement.It is never too old to learn,we should never give up any chance to improve ourselves.
English is really getting more important as the whole world is becoming a global village. Without mastering a language that is widely used by most organizations and countries as official language, definitely means being left behind in fields of economic, technology, education and so on. So we Chinese students try hard to learn English.
However, there indeed exist some unreachable students in class. If it is because of the negligence of the teachers, then we need the society to call on this serious problem and improve the quality of education resources and methods.
We can also understand that some students just not interested in some particular subjects, so they have poor performance in class. But they will soon become an expert in the fields they like. A good example for this is Han Han. He had several courses failed in senior high school, didn’t go to collage or get a stable career. He is a loser by the traditional view. However, he is now a successful writer and champion racing driver. He just paves his way with interest.
It is truth that a few of students don’t attend some classes in the university in China, because they just want to receive a diploma and they know they will not be failed even if they never attend classes. But they cheat themselves, they don’t know if they didn’t receive a real education or knowledge in the university, a diploma is nothing. Your arability would not just be proved by a diploma in the future, you will find that you waste your precious time in your university and you are a useless man.
In China, the high school teachers always tell their students that they should study hard for entering the university. They will never feel tough or get bored when studying in the university. Their life in the university will be colourful and they can easily get the degree. They will get an admired job after graduate, then lead a happy life.
Most freshmen may find that what the high school teachers told is totally wrong. Some of them get so disappointed and pay no more attention to their studies. Those who lack of self-discipline may be addicted to PC games and quit classes. Of course they would not pass the exam, and some of them can not get their degrees.
But as what I have seen, some of those guys who have very good family financial situations are very hard-working in our college. For their home education, they have good manners. Most of them realized how important the knowledge is since they were very young. In their childhood, they could have the opportunities to go to some other countries. So it leads to not only their rich experiences but also good oral English. They are not unreachable nor unteachable. They are the examples we should follow.
Indeed,there are students who are unteachable,and there is something wrong with the Chinse educational system.For example,I don’t think that English should be conducted as test-taking subject.In my opinion,English should be learned freely and neatly other than passively.
The students who are unteachable may have some unhealthy thougts.That maybe caused by the environment in which they grew up.Something may give them wrong signals that study is useless for their future.So they give up study and become unreachable students. Parents may have more or less reponsibilities for losing teaching their children rightly.But efforts should be made to let these students know that only by their own hands will they succeed forever.
English is the world’s most widely used language.
As long as we would like to exchange with foreigners, or want to know the information abroad, we need English.
There is no one can guarantee that there will be no need to speak English in a young people’s lifetime.
So learning English are beneficial for us.
Yesterday I read an intense argument on a BBS. The tread said that those who went abroad not for the reason of academic career were shameful. Obviously, many people could not agree with such a statement. The one hold the opposite opinion argued that everyone had his/her own dream and capability, so that the one with excellent ability on academic should not require others to be the same. I think it may be similarly. On one hand, I don’t agree with the students that waste their opportunities of education and being unreachable. On the other hand, I am not quite sure that most of the “unreachable” and “unteachable” ones give up improving their English since they come from wealthy families. There may be much more complex reasons. Someone do really unlike learning a foreign language but focus on what he/she is interested, for instance, does well in playing piano. That is OK in my opinion. Not everybody should be required to one way.
As mentioned in the article, this phenomenon is quite common all around the country, and maybe around the world. These students take up the best resources in the society and on the campus, but the university is always not where they want to be. Perhaps they go to the universities because their parents think they should be there. I believe that if the university is exactly where they really want to go, they will show more interest in it and its causes.
Another reason is that most of these students are born in rich families, so they do not treasure the things around them. They seldom struggle for the things they want, or simply don’t know what to struggle for. In consequence, they do not make any efforts and seem unreachable.
It is true that some Chinese students in the university are unteachable and unreachable. They sit in the back row, even they never attend classes. They can’t realise the importance of the classes to their furture, or some of them rely on their their rich and powerful father. Why they become such guys? I think the social reality, the growth environment and the the education system make them to be unreachable and unteachable.
What I can do now is trying my best and not to be one of the 1.6% post-graduate non-English majors of Sun Yat-Sen University. After my graduation, I can acquire not only the diploma, but also the knowledge and ability.
First of all, I believe the educational philosophy in school is important. In China, we often encourage the students who achieve high scores to come on, because success is not far away. However, at the same time, it is necessary for us to pay more attention to those students who want to improve themselves but have some difficulties during the study. Unluckily, Chinese schools do not perform well.
As to English, it is a tool for us to communicate with others. Nowadays, some students have the wrong attitude that with their family’s great power or wealth, they do not need to do things at pains. It is wrong and of great sadness. To be independent is money. So the parents should educate their children to strive for themselves.
I agree with you on your opinons mentioned in the article, indeed there are many students in college did not study hard,and wasted a lot of time,this is not only the problems for individual students, but also the problems for education system.In universities,which has no strict management as Senior secondary schools, nobody told them what they must do, many students lost themselves,this is a big problem now exist in China.
I have to admit there is indeed such a young group in China, which their diplomas are just paid for, but I also believe there are the same students in other countries. In a society with unequal distribution of income, individual rights and status easily lead to the expansion of selfish desires.
“Seat Culture” may be a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious way to find out the personality of students or their attitude on the ongoing things. The one who used to sit at the front row on his own initiative but not being asked to do so may be a person with high aspirations and determination, at least it seems he/she care about the ongoing things. On the contrary, the one who used to sit in the back row may be the one who is not so care about others or the ongoing things, or not so confident in himself. Of course, there are some exceptions, but this did works in many situations.