Blackboard, chalk and China people are about daily teaching life. Blackboard and chalk are daily props in teaching life. Unusually, after these daily props, "China people" suddenly appeared without any transition and connection. This arrangement is a true portrayal of the life of overseas Chinese-teaching vagrants. Whenever he stood in front of the blackboard and faced a group of blond western students, the irresistible idea would come to his mind: I'm from China. Therefore, learning this poem, as a psychological preparation stage, the most important thing is to restore the sense of presence in teaching mother tongue in non-native language context. This is a solemn and complicated feeling. Mr. Su Wei, who also teaches Chinese overseas, once wrote in Yale Essays: "This topic (that is," the smell of language and one's direction ") seems vague at first glance. But for those who teach Chinese in American universities, it is unique and mixed. Not only because we are a group of lucky people who have settled in foreign countries in their mother tongue, but also because our mother tongue has reshaped our existence and our life ... "
This poem has great emotional and imaginative space.
I stood by the blackboard ten years ago. Teaching Chinese was published in 1972, and Ten Years ago was 1962. It was this year that the poet began to "teach Chinese" in the Oriental Language and Culture Institute. Then it was nine years ago, eight years ago, seven years ago, three years ago and yesterday. Living in a silent calculation in the past, my hair gradually turned white and shortened. The only constant is "I'm from China". The poet likes to use this chronological structure in his works. In a tune of Silent Night, he also goes from seventy, seventy-one, seventy-two, seventy-three, seventy-four, seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine and seventy-nine. Twenty years later, the poet died at the age of eighty. This is a promise.