No, you really can't judge a book by its cover
A western dictum says you cannot judge a book only by its cover. The wisdom in this old saying tells more than just looking into the essential part of something or someone to the younger generation of our booming giant economy in that the cover, the superficial part is always something made for presentations rather than for function, and the outside part may lead to a distorted judgment. Only by looking deep inside and thus retrieving the truth of the objective world can the future pillar of society build China to a rich and prosperous nation. This, as I can recall, has been told by some of my teachers since primary school, and I believe it not because it is true but because it is from the teachers’ opinion.
A bad story is that sometimes even teachers cannot be such a group of people, say, a man of his own words. I’d rather believe it that all this was merely due to my misunderstanding, if I were naive enough and without judgment.
Sometime last week, the Teaching Inspection Panel (TIP) of the department requested all junior/young faculty members submit lecture note/teaching plan samples for inspection, followed by a notice that all lecture notes/materials should be accompanied by textbooks. I took this order as strict and abiding, and did as what has been told in the meeting, waiting for some comments or suggestions for my work.
This Wednesday I was invited to the Dean’s Office, told by him that the TIP considered (if not decided officially) my submitted materials not original. I guess the relevant TIP members would not boldly try the word of “plagiarism” because the dean said the TIP just thought my lecture notes were beautifully printed and the inspectors had not read through before making such an irrelevant judgment. A neatly and beautifully printed sample note is surely a copy or extraction from some other books, and this is the wisdom of our respected panel members? Such a hasty conclusion was then drawn without further consideration of keeping their own dignity.
Shame on them for at least they did not bother reading the notes while it is their duties to inspect as proclaimed in the name of academic quality control. It was then confusing rather than irritating, but when I heard the inspection and the lecture notes were award-related and money-attached, I finally felt released ---- Why shall I find this result stressful and upset just because of these corrupted guys? A non-originality excuse successfully excluded me from the award shortlist.
Sometimes it is our fault to be attractively excellent, which thus poses threat and causes uneasiness to cowards around.
a May 24 update – the perceived and justifiable justice overweighs complimentary words, and a good medicine always tastes bitter. While seeking justification turned out to nothing in feedback, the only way out remains to be perseverance in an effort to improve from good to great.