The Foreign Teacher

As an English teacher in China, I am called many things by my students and by my fellow teachers. For example, they call me Miss Abbie. They also call me Abbie laoshi (which is Abbie teacher in Chinese). The last name I am called, and the one I like the least, is waiguo laoshi,which means "foreign teacher". To me, calling someone a "foreign teacher" seems to highlight the differences between the students, the Chinese teachers, and that teacher (who would be me). It highlights the language barrier, the cultural differences, as well as any other differences there might be. In America we have a similar phrase to describe someone who teaches a foreign language, but we add one word which (to me) changes the tone. We call the person who teaches the foreign language a "foreign language teacher" instead of a "foreign teacher". Do you see the difference? That way, whether that person is from a different country or not, they seem to be treated the same (at least in my experiences).

Maybe I am wrong, but when the teachers all announce that the waiguo laoshi (or foreign teacher) has arrived, it just sets me apart from everybody, so that the students can treat me differently (which they do). And, of course, it is not just the students who treat me differently. I think most of the foreign teachers will find that everybody treats them differently because they are foreigners. But, if we were not set apart as much, would the students' attitudes and actions towards us change? Do the words that they use, such as waiguo laoshi really affect the way they see us and act towards us? I think that it is possible, since we do know that language and words have an effect on our actions and beliefs. It makes me wonder what would happen if the children didn't think of me (and the other foreign teachers) as waiguo laoshi and instead if they thought of us as foreign language teachers.