yao yongwen, a chinese teacher at linzhi no. 1 middle school: taking root with guangdong experience
2024-08-31
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text/yangcheng evening news all-media reporter li kexin wang qian
photo/yangcheng evening news all-media reporter lin guiyan liang yu pan junhua
"educational aid to tibet is not a one-way indoctrination from a condescending position, but using people to change people, using people to motivate people, and using people to awaken people." yao yongwen, a chinese teacher from dongshan middle school in meixian county, guangdong province, walked on the tree-lined school road of linzhi no. 1 middle school (abbreviated as "linzhi no. 1 middle school") and told reporters his dream of educational aid to tibet.
as the saying goes, "at fifty, one knows the will of heaven." yao yongwen has stood on the podium for most of his life. when he was in guangdong, he was already the campus principal, provincial special teacher, and senior professional title. however, in 2022, he resolutely went to tibet and became an ordinary chinese teacher at linzhi no. 1 middle school.
"the reality of linzhi no. 1 middle school is completely different from what i imagined before i came to tibet." yao yongwen said that the "campus environment is good, the hardware facilities are complete, and the teachers are highly educated", which is very different from the previous stereotype of "remote and backward". over the past 30 years, the guangdong tibet aid team has invested heavily in the construction of basic education, which has accumulated a rich "family foundation" for linzhi no. 1 middle school. today, linzhi no. 1 middle school covers a total area of 150,200 square meters, with more than 2,000 students, and has modern teaching buildings, libraries, laboratory buildings, gymnasiums and standard track and field stadiums.
how can we provide educational assistance to tibet on such a high starting point? yao yongwen admitted that this is a challenge. "we have two major tasks: one is to communicate and integrate with local teachers and students, and the other is to demonstrate and lead in educational concepts and methods."
“be a ‘noble person’ in students’ lives”
as a key middle school in the tibet autonomous region, linzhi no. 1 middle school recruits students from all over tibet. "when linzhi no. 1 middle school welcomed new students for the first time, there was a female student carrying a lot of bags. she lived in a village under zayu county. at 4 a.m., her family took her to the town on a motorcycle. she took several buses from the town to the county and then to the city. she arrived at the school at 9 p.m., and it took a full 10 hours on the road." yao yongwen gave an example to talk about the local students' desire to study, and he couldn't help but admire them.
"every student here has a tenacious power of growth." yao yongwen said with emotion that unlike most people in the mainland, going to high school and college is not a natural life path for many locals, as they often shoulder the burden of their families. many students will take leave to go home and help out during the busy farming season.
yao yongwen said: "it takes courage for many students here to sit in the classroom and study, because if they are a little shaken, there are many reasons in reality that can make them give up."
this year, a pair of brothers from linzhi no. 1 middle school passed the key college entrance examination, but a year ago, they almost dropped out of school under the persuasion of their parents. "the grandfather of the brothers accidentally became blind and unable to take care of himself. there was really no manpower to farm at home, so the parents called and directly asked the older brother to 'stop studying and go home to help.'" yao yongwen recalled the scene at that time and was very glad that he helped him. "at that time, i told this student that giving up his studies and going home now can only solve the problem temporarily, but insisting on studying will change the future destiny of the family. if you are willing, we can work together to find a way to overcome the difficulties in the next year and more and persist until the college entrance examination."
since then, yao yongwen and another teacher from guangdong who was helping tibet have each funded his brother 500 yuan per month. with the warm help of the two teachers from guangdong, the family overcame the difficulties and had two college students.
"as teachers, we should strive to be the 'benefactors' in students' lives," yao yongwen said. "as a teacher, i feel it is particularly worthwhile to give them a hand when necessary."
“be a practitioner of lifelong learning”
ethnic minority students account for more than 90% of linzhi no. 1 middle school, and the teaching is divided into two modes: tibetan and chinese. in the process of integrating into the multi-ethnic family of linzhi no. 1 middle school, yao yongwen chose "language" as a bond and took the initiative to learn tibetan.
"it is indeed difficult to learn tibetan, but i enjoy it. the teachers and students who can speak tibetan in school are all my 'teachers'." yao yongwen said that to be a teacher, one must first be a practitioner of lifelong learning. he set a goal for himself to "learn tibetan well during the aid to tibet" and encouraged each other with his classmates. during the morning reading every day, he completed his tibetan recitation task, and the students would also consciously complete their recitation tasks. a kind of "tacit understanding" has been formed between teachers and students.
yao yongwen said that after he started learning tibetan, he often received positive feedback from students and felt that his enthusiasm for learning was influencing them. today, yao yongwen can use tibetan for daily communication. when he visits families and teaches in rural areas where mandarin is less popular, speaking tibetan can quickly narrow the distance between him and local tibetan compatriots, allowing him to better understand the teaching and learning situation.
"only by having a deep understanding of this place can we better teach in a way that they can accept and understand, more easily discover problems in local education, and help local education develop better," said yao yongwen.
make every class an “open class”
as a teacher in tibet, yao yongwen came to linzhi with his guangdong experience, knowing that he was shouldering the responsibility of demonstration and guidance. but as he has always emphasized, demonstration and guidance is not about instilling ideas from a high position, but "a process of mutual influence." adhering to this belief, he chose to start with ordinary classes, making every class an "open class", opening the door to welcome other teachers to observe, winning recognition with excellent classroom quality, and attracting local teachers to take the initiative to learn.
now, yao yongwen's class is attended not only by teachers from the chinese language department but also by many teachers from other departments. the guangdong experience he brought has taken root and gained new vitality.
"education reform requires the efforts of every teacher," yao yongwen said firmly. "i hope that through my classes, local teachers can experience different teaching concepts and methods, thereby inspiring their courage and motivation to innovate themselves."
at the same time, yao yongwen often goes into the classrooms of local teachers to conduct in-depth research and exchanges, understand the teaching characteristics and problems of local teachers, and provide them with targeted guidance and suggestions based on his own experience and knowledge. at the same time, he humbly learns from local teachers their advantages and strengths in teaching, and constantly improves his teaching methods and concepts.
"you listen to my class, i listen to your class, and when we encounter confusion, we sit down together to find solutions, and naturally pass on our educational philosophy, and the "demonstration and guidance" work of aiding tibet is carried out naturally." in yao yongwen's view, the update of educational philosophy requires subtle "slow work". this is also like his work style during the aid to tibet, using himself to illuminate others, like spring breeze and rain, moistening things silently, but endlessly.
general planner | du chuangui lin haili
general coordinator | lin jie, wu jiang, gong danfeng, hou shuwang
executive coordinator | lin guiyan, wang qian, sun jing
