By TIANTIAN XIANGSHANG
Education Correspondent
HANGZHOU (China Daily Show) – An English teacher has spoken of his sense of betrayal, after an attractive student’s plea for extra assistance turned out to be nothing more than that.
“There’s this girl in class. We’ll call her Bright Eyes, because that’s what she calls herself. She’s always giving me funny looks,” irate teacher Earl Cooter told China Daily Show. “So one day, right, she comes up to me after class.”
According to Cooter, Bright Eyes spent several moments shuffling her feet before shyly requesting assistance with an application for a fellowship to an Ivy League university.
“I like to help out where I can, so I offered to take her out to dinner. So I could, you know, get to know her better. Information such as her interests and whether she has a boyfriend could prove vital when writing up her personal statement,” Cooter reasoned.
After several informal mealtime conversations and an intense Q&A session back in Cooter’s Hangzhou Number 4 Technical University apartment, he agreed to write the statement on the condition they maintain contact.
“I think it’s vital to continue these assessments for as long as it takes,” Cooter explained.
Shortly after preparing the statement, Bright Eyes’s application was accepted. She begins her term in the US next year – but Cooter is dissatisfied at the outcome.
“I was delighted to accept her invitation to a lavish celebratory dinner. But was naturally surprised when she introduced me at the restaurant to her brother, father and some long-term fiance she’d never even mentioned.”
Since then, Cooter has received no acknowledgement for his selfless extracurriculaur assistance, other than a card, bouquet of flowers and an assortment of vouchers for a local foot-massage parlour.
“I feel betrayed and let down,” Cooter said bitterly. “I’m speaking out now as a warning to other teachers. Be warned: some of your students may not have ulterior motives.”
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