Hmmm... criticism, complaining.. I don't really like the word 'complaining'. It sounds too much like 'nagging' to me. One of my students said in her speach to the freshmen: If you don't like it, change it. If you can't change it, change yourself'. I thought it was a little bit corny, but I have to agree with her.
Plagiarism and cheating; who are we kidding? That happens just as much in the west as it happens here. I tell my students what a teacher told me once: Every form of cheating is bad and it is risky. If I catch you cheating, your mark will be a 1 and in your business career consequences will be worse. However, if you can cheat without me catching you, then go right ahead. Maybe you're not good at this exam, but you're good at something else and the world is in need of a wide variety of talents.
As for personal 'problems', like necessary purched household items the school doesn't want to reimburse, schedule changes and things like that, I always dress my 'complaints' in a relaxed atmosphere, a calm voice and a smile (and persistance). This always works for me.
What surprised me when I first came to China, was "Why the f*** don't the Chinese compain about their situation?" The education system, the corruption, the media, the government.. -I think we can all agree that countries in the west are just as corrupt, China has just perfected the art of corruption-. I used to think to myself, why do students put up with the crap they're being taught? Why don't farmers revolt and insist on a better life? Why do the Chinese put up with this government? (and why does it seem that no one here has an opinion of their own?)
I have come to realise though, that it's not that simple. You are basically a product of your environment and in China that environment is one of no own opinion, no critical thinking and "we have no choice". People just don't know any better. And besides, this system just doesn't have freedom of speech yet. Complain about your job and for you thousands of other Chinese. Complain a little more or about controversial topics and you 'disappear'. There's not much you can do as a Chinese. I (and probably most of us), would rather have a nation of critical thinkers; creative individuals; people who think for themselves. But I also think that -at this point in time- that wouldn't work out very well in a nation like China.
I don't remember who I had this discussion with, but I was thinking out loud 'why not put some heavy machinery into Chinese agriculture to make it vastly more efficient and so that farmers won't have to do this hard and outdated manual labour anymore?'. His/her (sorry, I really can't remember who) reply was: 'because that would put millions of farmers out of work and there are no substitute jobs for them'. I hadn't thought of that, but my guess is that the Chinese government has must have hundreds of moral dillema's like this one.
As for the -western ways are good, Chinese ways are bad-: of course being the arrogant, lecturing foreigner doesn't help and of course it's not that black and white. But... of the two most prosperous cities in China, one is a former British colony (Hongkong) and the other has been partly under foreign rule for a long time as well (Shanghai). So the two richest cities in China are not really Chinese... I think that China can definately benifit from doing things more in a western way.
Our purpose here is not to 'save China and preach the gospel of westernism', but it IS to make the world a better place (at least I'd like to think so. I'm not here solely for my own good). We teachers are not in a position of obvious power, but as some of you have pointed out before me we can do something.
I try to inject as much life lessons, morality, and 'open your mind' into my lessons as I can. But we teach just as much subconsciously and consciously. I received a touching email from one of my students (who wasn't even in one of my classes) that he and his friends learned much more from me than just English. Things I take for granted like open mindedness, a positive look on life, the will to learn and the importance of humor.
This made me realise that we can, should and do teach more than just a language.
I think that through morals and our ways of and views on life, we can change these students' lives and ultimately China, for the better. After all, through our students we touch the future. We don't have to complain about China, we're already changing it.