Our university's annual Teacher's day and the eve of the Spring Festival at the end of the year are the busiest times for leaders at all levels, because at this time node, in addition to their daily work, leaders also have to go out to see the representatives of teaching staff who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the University. Most of the teachers' representatives who expressed condolences were those who had won various honorary titles, some of whom were time-honored honorary titles. They had to do routine condolences almost every year to express the school leaders' concern for the teachers in the school. If it is a person who won the honorary title in that year, it must be among the leaders who arranged to visit and express condolences in that year. I call this kind of thinking and way of comforting talents "icing on the cake". Because, in our country's academic institutions (universities and scientific research institutes), once the personnel who have won the honorary title will soon be greatly improved in terms of professional title, housing and office conditions according to the provisions of the unit. For example, the salary is likely to double within the years of the honorary title. Therefore, the leaders come to visit and comfort them at this time. Naturally, it is not "providing charcoal in the snow", but "icing on the cake".

Under the guidance of this habitual thinking, year after year, leaders express condolences to the honorary talents and what role they can play in the development of school teachers. I don't think anyone can say clearly. It is also unclear how many of our honorary talents like leadership. At least some honor winners around me and scholars who don't hear anything outside the window and read only the books of sages don't pay much attention to such condolences. Because they know in their hearts that I have worked out the honorary title day and night. Some people may even think, where did the leaders go when my working conditions were the most difficult? I remember one year, "leadership condolences" almost made an "Oolong". A school suggested that a vice governor visit a teacher who had won the school's famous teaching teacher, but the Secretary of the general branch of the Department began to remember the wrong visiting object and informed the wrong object in advance. Because the two teachers are quite old and have the same surname, one is good at teaching and the other is good at scientific research, and the two teachers' offices are door-to-door. Fortunately, it was timely corrected before the arrival of the vice governor that the "condolences to talents" Oolong incident was avoided.

Looking back on my experience over the past few decades, this is generally the case. I'm more pragmatic. I always think it's better to solve some practical difficulties than leaders' visit and condolences. For example, I was forced to change my office location many times. For several years, I had to "work" in a corner of a room full of sundries filled with rock samples. No leader ever cared about my office conditions. Finally, although I was able to work in an independent office, several older teachers retired and did not assign new colleagues. Besides, I was already a professor and doctoral supervisor at that time. It should be in line with the regulations to enjoy an independent office. As for other office hardware conditions, they are all equipment purchased and warehoused in accordance with the regulations of the university with their own scientific research funds obtained through hard work and sweat. However, more than 20 years ago, when my scientific research funds were nearly exhausted, after applying for an exception, the school gave me a fund, which made my scientific research continue and produced good results. This help I have always been grateful to keep in mind, and it is also a classic case of my gratitude school. A hardworking young teacher told me, "every time I see the condolences on teacher's day, I feel dispensable. I agree with the ideas you put forward. If they came to comfort me when I was in trouble and could solve some difficulties for me, I would be grateful all my life. The significance of sending charcoal in the snow is definitely greater than icing on the cake." in my heart, I really don't care whether the leaders come to "comfort". I remember one year on the eve of the Spring Festival, the school leaders sat at home for a while. I was also friends. However, every teacher's day, students come to the office or home with flowers, which makes me very happy and a little sense of achievement. Even after many years of retirement, there are old students coming home to visit or holiday phone wechat greetings, which should be a glorious thing for a university teacher.

So what is my "condolences to teachers' alternative thinking"? Taking teacher representatives as an example, I think it may be more meaningful to arrange leaders to comfort those middle-aged and young representatives who have long adhered to the front line of teaching and scientific research, especially those who have not won relevant honorary titles. Logically speaking, most of the honorary title winners must come from those who have adhered to the front line of educational and scientific research for a long time and achieved good results. The honorary title is the affirmation and reward of their hard work by their domestic peers. If our leaders can comfort their representatives before they get the honorary title, it will not only encourage these teachers, but also have important "behavior demonstration" significance for the majority of teachers. Of course, we should not only offer formal condolences, but also try our best to solve some practical difficulties in their work and life, such as office conditions and family difficulties. This is the care of "delivering charcoal in the snow". With the care of the leaders, some people will get the honorary title of talents needed by the development and reputation of the school in the future. Even those who have not won the honorary title later, their hard work will create a good academic atmosphere for their units and create a quiet and far-reaching academic environment. We don't often say that "heroes are not based on success or failure". As Zuo Bohao, President of Hokkaido University in Japan, said, "what we pay attention to is how much effort you have made in the process of scientific research, and whether the process is meaningful, rather than what kind of results we must have." our grass-roots unit leaders and teachers with a strong sense of responsibility pay attention to the teachers who have long adhered to the front line of education and scientific research. As Professor Wang shanyong said, colleagues will know the ability level of teachers around them. Therefore, it is not difficult to choose to comfort such teacher representatives.

I found that the school leaders visit the representatives of logistics workers in different ways. They often visit the workers working on the front line. I agree with this practice. In fact, the hard work of logistics staff and our experimental teaching staff in ensuring the normal and efficient operation of the school should also be fully respected. I remember that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) does not have school leaders to visit teacher representatives every year (at least not from the school's official website). However, there is a "thank school managers day". Teachers, including postdoctoral personnel, are welcome to voluntarily attend this activity and thank them for their hard work for the efficient operation of teaching and scientific research. It can be seen that condolence and gratitude to those ordinary workers is also an alternative "condolence thinking", which is worth learning from.