What was it like to be a teacher in ancient times?

1 Today (September 10) is the 37th Teachers' Day. I wish all teachers a happy holiday.
Data shows that in 2020, the number of people who applied for the teacher qualification examination nationwide was nearly 10 million. It can be said that it was like a huge army crossing a single-plank bridge. One can imagine how difficult it is to become a teacher.
In fact, in ancient times, being a teacher was not easy either. The road to becoming a "teacher" is not easy!

2 Teacher is one of the oldest professions in human society. In China, the title of "teacher" changes with the times.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty, teachers were called "Situ" or "Zhi Zong". In the Spring and Autumn Period, teachers were called "Shi" or "Fu Zi". In the Warring States Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the title "Xian Sheng" appeared. In the Tang Dynasty, it was called "Jiao Jiao" or "Jian Xue".
It was not until the founding of New China that the title of "teacher" was officially formed, which people often call "teacher".

3
During the Han Dynasty, the Imperial Academy had a tradition of strict selection of teachers, and the standards for becoming a doctor of the Imperial Academy were extremely high.
Imperial College is equivalent to the current national university. Doctor is the name of the ancient academic official. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, there were Imperial College Doctors and Mathematics Doctors, all of whom were professors who taught classics. In the Western Han Dynasty, Imperial College Doctors were mostly celebrities, and were mostly recommended and selected. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Imperial College Doctors had to pass the examination presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and also write a letter of recommendation, which was equivalent to a letter of recommendation, providing a certificate of moral character.

4
Doctors must be both virtuous and talented, and have the ability to study new things and learn new things. They should be role models for others and be respected as moral models.

In addition, one must have sufficient specialized training and teaching experience to perform doctoral duties, as well as be in good health.
Later, an age limit was imposed, and Dr. Ren had to be over 50 years old.

5 In ancient times, not only was it difficult to obtain a teaching qualification, but after becoming a teacher, there were also strict performance appraisals.
In the Tang Dynasty, educational officials, including educational administrative officials and teachers, were subject to regular examinations. Generally, there was a small examination every year and a large examination every three to five years. The content of the examinations covered specific areas such as professional skills, moral character, and teaching effectiveness.

6 The assessment results are divided into nine levels and are directly linked to the teachers’ “salary”.
The assessment of teachers was stricter in the Ming Dynasty. If a teacher at the Imperial Academy, the highest institution of learning, taught students with poor grades, he would even be exiled to border areas.

It can be seen that being a teacher has never been easy throughout history.

Produced by: Dongdongmiao Science

WeChat ID: Dongdongmeow (ID: dongdongmeow) Video ID: Dongdongmeow; Weibo: @ Dongdongmeow Science