John Olbrich has spent the majority of his working life in universities in England, and is currently in his seventh year of teaching at Tsinghua.
He has shared with us his story about the joy of being a teacher, and the changes he has witnessed at Tsinghua, in the past seven years.
"One of the chief joys of working at Tsinghua, as any teacher will tell you, is the intellectual curiosity and brilliant minds of the students. The counselling function and links with students outside the classroom are far greater in China, especially at Tsinghua, than is the custom at Western universities. I have been surprised and delighted to develop friendships and a mentoring function for some (too few) of my former students," said Professor John.
"I have continued to see many students after their first year here (I taught English writing to freshman English majors, which allowed me to introduce a wide range of English books), and it has been inspiring to see 18 and 19-year olds develop into young men and women, travelling outside China and building their intellectual lives. I have been invited to the hometown of some of my students; enjoyed their musical and Chinese opera performances and visited some of my former students on their trips abroad, for example at Oxford. It has been special privilege to know student Chen Qiyu, who is now studying at the United States. I have watched her intellectual and linguistic development throughout her time at Tsinghua."
"Tsinghua does provide a home for the elite students of China and it is an enormous privilege to be able to share in their development," said Professor John.
"Working in Tsinghua, of course, is not the same as knowing China, but the changes we experience in Tsinghua reflect the progress of Chinese higher education, and indeed China itself," said Professor John. "The teaching has transformed my life and revealed abilities that I never previously used, and Tsinghua has become my life."
Writer: John Olbrich