Center for Relativistic Laser Science

http://nanotube.skku.ac.kr/weekly.html 에서 옮김

2011.04.15 21:29:45

Forest of forsythias has finally blossomed in the campus. Magnolia also blossomed in several places of the campus. This is all of sudden what I realized on the way back to office from lunch. At last and at last after so much harsh winds and snow, spring has arrived! Last winter was so long. Not just long but with so much snow and so freezing as well. Those who came to Korea as a student and as a professor particularly who comes from mild zone, they must have been suffered a lot... I love this campus, although it is small, there are places to blossom all kinds of flowers from time to time. You will enjoy this now^^

Although spring has come, spring has not arrived yet to those students' heart who came to the campus recently. Many students who came from non-english speaking countries suffer from english. I feel pity partly because it reminds me of my school period in USA and partly am frustrated because some still did not show much improvement. I have a hard time in understanding their english and it seems they do not understand my english either. Perhaps it is too greedy to expect their improvement now and perhaps still too early to expect this improvement. Sometimes I am wondering if they really want to improve english because I sometimes see them get together and speak their own language. I warned them this situation at the beginning of their arrival. I remember when I was in the state. There were many Korean students in the campus at that time. I tried to avoid Korean students due to this problem. I had a teaching scholarship before I went there but I failed their own English oral test and I could not teach labs. I had to take the exam again in the next semester. If I had not passed, my scholarship would have been terminated. I felt urgent and tried to improve myself. I in fact never had a chance to talk in English with native speakers before I went to the state. No wonder I failed...

What is more frustrating was that I heard from some students who got bad grades in the class and mentioned like that he is still OK and he is not the best student in his country because he came from not the best university in his country and therefore he is still ok.... I was shocked in fact. How come student who come to study abroad has such a low spirit. No shame... Another extreme case was that some student insists himself that he is better than other students in science because he simply came from better university than others back in his country. I was shocked to hear this too.

Both are wrong. The first one is wrong because if that is the case, why did he come here in case he simply admits this. No strong motivation to improve himself. I should say strongly in such a case he does not need to stay here or at least in my lab. I do not find reason in my heart to educate these types of people. I do not understand how come he simply admit himself in such a way. OK.. It is true that he was not good enough to go to the best university in his country. But that was when he was high school. He could do better now. Or at least he should resist to admit this strongly and try to improve himself or try to prove himself he is definitely different from what he was in high school. I grew up in rural area and I never had a chance to go to the best school in my life. However, I really hated to admit myself to be inferior to others who went to good schools. I always told myself that OK my school is not better than most you guys but let's compare with what I have now, not by what I had before. If what I have now is inferior to you, then I admit that you are better than me. So I really worked harder than others not to be pulled by these arrogant people. This is what I am and I am not smart but I am a decent person to work hard enough to prove myself better than you.

The latter attitude is also very bad. How come one insists that he is better than others simply because one came from better school than others. If that is so true, then prove that you are better than him. Otherwise, you are a garbage. Are you doing better science than others? Is your grade better than other here? Are you speaking better language than others? Are you more logical than others? What is better?

After all, we are here to learn and improve ourselves. In the Bible, it is told that 'Though I shall begin like a dust, I shall be a grand mountain at the end.' Yes, this is exactly I want you to be. We all started like a dust. I don't care where you came from in your country. I accepted you in my lab and I want you to be the best. If you think you are the best, prove it with science. If you think you came from the decent place, prove yourself that you improved. Otherwise, you are not supposed to be here.

In English, we have words, 'He may be a fool but he is mine'. I don't care how stupid you are. I don't care how smart you are. You are mine and I will push you to do your best and I will drive you crazy until you prove you are the best. And I will protect you.