湖南省娄底市一中英语老师谭胜军在教室给学生下跪之事引发无数关注。谭老师称下跪向学生认错。惹事学生则说，老师应该列入服务行业[1]，学生就是上帝[2]，是来享受服务的。

谭老师这一跪，本来就是个个例，却被舆论解读出各色意义。其实，面对师生矛盾冲突，又有多少老师会选择"下跪"的方式解决？真正值得注意的是惹事学生的一席话：学生是上帝，教师是服务业。教师是怎么被逼入服务业有两个原因：一是职业权力的剥夺，不知何时开始，中国教育就十分谨慎 "惩戒"二字，在奥巴马都提醒美国学习东方教育严谨传统的时候，我们却勒令教育工作者谨言慎行，营造出一种动辄得咎的职业氛围；二是真诚的剥夺，素质教育推行多年，可是教材不生动、作文说假话，补课之风盛行，基础教育给孩子的不是真诚的秩序，而是耳濡目染[3]的弄虚作假、虚与委蛇[4]（指对人虚情假意，敷衍应酬），把教育比作服务业，简直是侮辱了正经的服务业。

教师当然是为家长服务的，但教育一旦沦为服务业，不能算是民族与国家的幸事。尊师重道的意义，无须赘言（说不必要的话）。   

"学生是上帝，教师是服务业。"这话当然不是空穴来风, "跪"不是感化、而是一种服务方式。

成为"上帝"的学生与沦为服务业的教育--这恐怕是中国教育最真实的写照，也是中国教育存在的尴尬。

 Tan Shengjun, an English teacher in city of Loudi, Hunan province, kneeled in front of his students while teaching class, evoking countless attention. Teacher Tan kneeled down in front of the students, admitting a mistake. The student causing the trouble said that the teacher should be listed in the service industry. The students are god (customers), hence enjoying his service.

The kneeling down of teacher Tan, was meant to serve as an example, though it received many kinds of interpretations by public opinion. Actually, when facing contradictory conflicts between teachers and students, would many teachers choose the 'kneeling down' way as a solution? The thing which truly deserves attention here is one sentence said by the trouble-maker-student: 'Students are god, teachers are the service industry'. There are two reasons for the fact that teachers could be compelled to 'serve': The first is the deprivation in the authority of their profession. I don't know how it began, but China's education is very fearful of 'punishing to teach a lesson'. When Obama mentioned the tradition of strict education in the East (when speaking about the US education system), we compelled the education personnel to be discreet, constructing a profession atmosphere where they are blamed for whatever they do. The second reason is sincere deprivation in the quality of education, carried out for many years. Teaching material isn't lively, writing essays involves expressing falsehoods and supplementing lessons are in vague. Elementary education doesn't give kids a genuine arrangement, and is influenced by the fraud in its surroundings, pretending to have a deeper interest. Thus, education is comparable to the service industry, moreover a simply insulting service industry.

Teachers are of course in service of their pupils when serving as a 'schoolchildren parent', but education has been reduced during a short time to a service industry, and cannot be considered as a blessing in our nation. The significance of 'respecting teachers and their teaching' need not to be discussed. 'Pupils are god, teachers are the service industry'. These words clearly are not laying oneself open to criticism. With these conditions, 'kneeling' isn't a practice example which would help change things, but rather a form of service.

Students who are becoming 'god' and the education system which is reduced to a 'service industry' - I'm afraid this is the authentic portrayal of China's education system, as well as the existing embarrassment in China's education.

Based on an article by 邓海建 Dèng Hǎijiàn

[1] 服务行业fúwù hángyè - Service industry, referring to service occupations, such as waiters, store vendors, etc.

[2] 上帝 shàngdì - 'God', often also used to indicate a 'customer', who deserves to be served and treated like a god.

[3] 耳濡目染 ěrrúmùrǎn - Being influenced, literal meaning 'ears are dipped, eyes are polluted', being influenced unconsciously.

[4]虚与委蛇xūyǔwēishé - Pretend to have interest, fake sympathy.