Heaven and earth are masters, and in our impression, teachers are a profession that has been respected by people since ancient times. However, in ancient times, many teachers did not have a good life, and even helped the landlords to work in addition to teaching.
The ancients paid great attention to respecting teachers and re-teaching, Song Lian's "Sending Dongyang Ma Sheng Sequence" described the scene of a student humbly seeking to learn very vividly, students asked questions to teachers are often "leaning over and asking for help", and Han Yu's "Teacher's Sayings" also depicts the image of a teacher who preaches and is responsible for solving his own problems. However, in fact, teachers are not very glamorous, and in the context of "learning and excellence", not all those who are willing to be teachers are knowledgeable and virtuous.
The emergence and prosperity of private schools
Initially, education was practiced in the government, but since Confucius opened private schools and achieved great success, private schools began to rise. As early as the "Xueji", it was recorded that the previous educational institutions had "a family with a school and the party with a house."
(Confucius)
Initially, the teaching content of private schools was extensive, but later because Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion of respecting Confucianism alone, the main content of private school professors was set as Confucian classics. By studying Confucian classics, it is easier to be elected as an official. Later, in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, talents were selected through the imperial examination system, and the content of the examination was centered on the Confucian Five Classics, and the private school academy took Confucianism as the main teaching content. After basically completing literacy education, Mongolian studies can enter the education of the Four Books.
The earliest teachers were "national elders" and "old people", that is, some elderly people who had been knowledgeable as officials, and later private learning flourished, private schools were produced, and the demand for teachers was greater, and there were some knowledgeable and highly respected people to teach.
Some people call the way Mr. Private School uses the knowledge he has learned to make a living by teaching, called "tongue farming", that is, using his tongue to spread knowledge to make a living. This statement is very vivid, and teachers work by tongue compared to most ancient people who relied on manual labor. This statement first came from the university inquirer Jia Kui. Jia Kui, a scholar at Eastern Han University, was a teacher of Xu Shen, the author of the "Commentaries on the Interpretation of Texts", and taught many disciples throughout his life. Because Jia Kui was knowledgeable, many students asked him for advice, and even dragged their children and daughters to live near his home, hoping to emulate the "Three Migrations of Meng Mother". His students would also provide bundles, because students had so many bundles that the grain was piled up in the granary. Therefore, some people said that Jia Kui's grain was not "obtained by hard cultivation", but through "tongue cultivation." ”
(Portrait of Jia Kui)
However, there are also restrictions on being a school teacher, and no matter the size of the private school or the number of students, it is stipulated that officials cannot be taught, and can only come to teach occasionally, not full-time. Some people were dismissed from their official positions or retired from the official field and went to teach. There are also some readers who have obtained certain meritorious names, but have not been able to enter the official field, and are forced by life to turn to teaching.
Many down-and-out students and poor talents, they are full of economy, but they have not been able to enter the official field, so they have to retreat to the school. The famous literary scholar Pu Songling did not meet huaicai, repeatedly tried, and was forced to work as a school teacher in a large family surnamed Liu for his livelihood. For these people, teaching is a last resort. However, after all, the teacher is also a beautiful profession, and can also "teach each other", so it can be regarded as a good way out for these fallen literati.
Students study with the teacher, have to pay a certain fee, when students and teachers first meet, to pay the "bundle", Confucius had such a custom at that time, often ten pieces of dried meat. Some students also have to pay money and food to teachers on holidays.
(Bundle of Six Gifts)
Later, the economic level developed, and the treatment of teachers improved slightly. There is also the "Six Gifts" for the teacher, namely celery, lotus seeds, red beans, red dates, cinnamon balls and lean meat strips. Celery and "diligence" are harmonious, lotus seeds should be "bitter heart", red beans are "hong luck", jujube is "early high school", guiyuan is "consummation", and dried lean meat strips are customs that have been handed down in the spring and autumn.
In the Qing Dynasty, the "Collection of Steles" described the treatment of Mr. Private School, and a teacher, Yin Xuan, opened a private school to teach, because there were many famous college students. Each student is "worth four hundred or eight hundred to a thousand dollars a year", and if there are twenty students, there is a very good salary.
For example, as far as this Yin Xuan and Jia Kui of the Eastern Han Dynasty are concerned, teaching can of course be full of Chen Cang, but more teachers are not so well treated. In ancient times, teachers' salaries were not guaranteed, and they could only rely on students for supplies, and if they encountered famine years and months, or no students, it would be very desolate. Later, some large private schools, although they did not have to find students themselves, but the private schools always gave money to seven deductions and eight deductions for private school teachers. For example, Pu Songling, the author of "Liaozhai Zhiyi", wrote in the "Haunting": "The bundle of money is 4,000 yuan and 70% off and 8 buckles", that is to say, a shushi teacher's bundle of about 4,000 yuan a year, but the private school is not given to you according to this, "if you want silver to have eight points, even if you have a dollar", the exchange of copper plates and silver by the ancients is not convenient, and the private school will borrow this to deduct some money, in addition, "one day if you don't go to school, you have to convert it." "If there is a delay one day, you will be deducted. However, in addition to having a fixed shackle, students also send "festival gifts" to teachers during festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
(Portrait of Pu Songling)
In addition to teaching, some private school gentlemen also help the owner to do some chores. Since Mr. Private School is a reader, in addition to teaching and doing things for the owner, he also has to do a lot of chores for the township party neighbors, such as writing some documents and other things.
However, it is also beneficial to be a school teacher. One is that the social status is relatively high, especially in the social atmosphere of "all things are under the quality of reading high", teachers are recognized by society as a clean and noble profession, the so-called "one day for the teacher for life as a father", "heaven and earth and the king of the master", most students whether forced by the pressure of social values or really have a heart of admiration, will regard the teacher as an important elder. According to the Eastern Han Dynasty Ying Shao's "Customs and Customs", Confucius was trapped in Chen and Cai and "did not taste grains for seven days". His student Yan Hui often brought vegetables to pay tribute to the teacher and said that he would still be determined to learn from Confucius. Yan Hui's thin gift shows his feelings for the master.
(Teacher Lectures)
And when the teacher can not only continue to learn, teach each other, meet potential students, but also many roads. Many people have found a "shortcut to the south" because they became teachers. For example, Jia Yucun in "Dream of the Red Chamber", because he was Lin Daiyu's Western Seat, he later met Jia Fu through Lin Ruhai's relationship, and eventually became an official.
From letting the elders of the country and the elders of the country take the same time, to the emergence of teachers who specialize in teaching knowledge in official and private studies, we can see the continuous development of education. However, in contrast to the mainstream glamorous teachers, there were also some ordinary teachers in ancient times who were not well paid, and they sent people to the fence and had to help the owner with chores.
bibliography:
Pu Songling"Pu Songling Collection"
Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber