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the student's parents rode motorcycles with yellow lights on the mountain road.

the unknown students in the second-tier universities are "good at farm work" in the sweet potato fields of their hometowns, busy helping their parents with housework... during the home visits, teacher huang deng saw the vigorous vitality in them, which gradually changed her pessimistic view of the future of "second-tier students".

on the eve of teachers' day on september 10, huang deng, who graduated from a junior college, worked in a printing and dyeing factory, and became a university teacher after a doctorate, told reporters from nandu and n video about her similar life experience and her thoughts on home visits, an alternative educational practice. "they are breaking the boundaries of second-tier students with tenacious and down-to-earth actions." she has taught at guangdong university of finance and shenzhen polytechnic, and is still a teacher today. she writes about second-tier students and published "home visits: my second-tier students 2" this year.

　home visits reveal the "other side" of students

huang deng still remembers the scene of visiting the homes of taishan students in december 2017.

during the sweet potato harvest season, student luo zaoliang took her back to his hometown, a seaside village, and a two-story house built on the mountain.

this is the fourth student family that huang deng visited.

luo zaoliang's father described him as a "farmer who lives in the sea." the seven acres of land at home, plus his father's oyster farming, boat repair, and seafaring as a helper, and his mother's sideline business of making tofu, raising piglets, and feeding poultry, formed the family's main source of income at the time.

the reason why this home visit was carried out quickly and smoothly was that luo zaoliang happened to go home to help harvest sweet potatoes.

"zaoliang's efficiency at work exceeded my imagination. in class, he didn't talk much and looked like a weak scholar. he was not a particularly eye-catching student. i could not connect the shy boy under the podium with the 'good farm worker' in the sweet potato field to zaoliang." huang deng described him in the book.

looking back on this home visit experience, huang deng told nandu reporters that she realized that this was the real side of students that could not be seen in school.

this gave huang deng a deep impression. the tenacity and strength shown by individual students in life changed her previous pessimism about the future of "second-tier university students" and she discovered their vigorous vitality.

without visiting students' homes, huang deng could not really feel this vigorous power. so she focused her writing on students' families, relatives and friends, breaking away from the stereotyped definition of "second-tier college students" and gradually seeing their complete lives through home visits.

"if i don't visit their families, i will worry about what kind of jobs they can find after getting a second-tier diploma? what kind of people will they become in the future?"

huang deng told the southern metropolis daily reporter that when she touched upon the students' tenacious growth trajectory, she found that these students were capable, thoughtful, and talented. "at that moment, i thought, yes, it doesn't matter, there will definitely be a place for them in society."

she believes that these young individuals will find gaps in life and lift up their own lives.

from 2017 to 2022, after repeated home visits, huang deng's feelings towards "second-tier university students" changed.

"in the entire university chain, second-tier universities have a relatively low presence." huang deng recalled that when she visited students' homes, she felt a different idea from the attitudes of their parents.

"you'll find that in some students' families and villages, getting into university is already an extraordinary thing. they didn't get into a second-tier university because they didn't work hard. being a second-tier university student is a breakthrough for their families. this shocked me a lot."

her students’ coming to university is inseparable from every drop of sweat their parents have shed in the fields, in the wind and rain. this is the support of a family.

　“writing about students is writing about yourself”

during home visits, huang deng often recalls his student life when he was young by meeting students’ parents of the same age and their occasional similar life experiences.

in 1992, huang deng came to yueyang university to study for a junior college degree with a difference of 4 points. the environment at that time was different from today. a junior college degree could also be recognized by society. huang deng did not feel anxious about it, but felt very dignified.

after graduation, she worked in administration at a textile printing and dyeing factory, but was laid off three years later due to the factory's financial difficulties.

this was undoubtedly a blow to huang deng, but she did not ask her family for help. "after graduation, i had a belief that i could never ask my parents for a penny again."

after deep thought, she decided to take the postgraduate entrance examination. in 1998, she came to a friend's company to cook for employees, earning a few hundred yuan a month while preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination.

"i think deep down, i am still a person who likes reading. when i was working in the factory, i often read books and wrote something when i had time." from a master's degree to a doctorate, huang deng eventually embarked on the path of teaching and educating people. he has taught at guangdong university of finance and shenzhen university of vocational and technology.

huang deng grew up in a family of teachers. his father, siblings and brothers are all teachers, and his family has a natural identification with the profession of teachers.

as a middle school teacher, his father has always made home visits an important arrangement before and after the start of school. he has a close relationship with his students and has the trust to listen to their difficulties and concerns.

her father's approach affects huang deng's interactions with students, and this family education has always permeated her life.

"my starting point is similar to that of my students, and i have similar experiences as them." huang deng also has a deeper understanding that, regardless of their academic qualifications, the vitality and energy that students exude also stems from their family education.

luo zaoliang's mother is the same age as huang deng's eldest sister. when it comes to disciplining children, her biggest principle is "don't spoil them, and they must learn to cook."

in the free-range model, luo zaoliang started cooking at the age of 7, and the tasks of raising geese and cattle at home were all given to him. even after going to college, he still remembers the time when his family planted and harvested sweet potatoes and dried rice.

the influence of his parents can also be seen in student li zhangtao's important life experiences such as studying and getting married.

in 2017, huang deng also visited the home of student li zhangtao. his father is a famous local root carving master. after graduation, in order to take care of his family, li zhangtao chose to "follow his father's business" and run a wood workshop with his family, using what he learned to bring new hope to his family.

"maybe not all parents know any profound educational concepts, but the spiritual foundation that life has given them has been quietly passed on to their children," huang deng told nandu reporters.

in five years, huang deng visited more than ten students' families.

she clearly saw that starting from home, these young people gradually grew up, and the emotional nourishment of the family, the work of their parents, and the wrinkles of life profoundly influenced these young individuals, invisibly shaping their views on work and values, and becoming their most fundamental background for growth.

however, behind the school podium, students are generally accustomed to silence, and their individual characteristics are hidden in the crowd and cannot be seen.

huang deng was glad that through home visits, she discovered the shining light of this group, and also allowed her to experience the importance of family education up close.

　“give them more opportunities to speak out”

faced with a special family environment, student zhang zhengmin, with the support of her mother, made her way to the university campus. seeing her brother always coming to borrow money, she worked harder and hoped to break the family curse by herself.

after graduation, student wen yuzhen interned in a state-owned enterprise. her down-to-earth work attitude helped her stand out from more than 20 graduates and she was eventually successfully hired.

outside of school, huang deng saw that these students were breaking the boundaries of second-tier university students with their tenacious and down-to-earth actions.

"when the marginal effect of the diplomas based on school education decreases day by day, they base themselves on reality, get down to earth, break the shackles of 'success studies' on themselves, and return to the growth of 'whole people' itself," she wrote in the book.

combining his years of teaching experience, huang deng began to reflect on whether the current one-way social evaluation system is quietly replacing "complete people" with "tool people", and whether years of cramming for exams have made students lose their individuality? after graduation, students become part of the workforce, but lack other creativity.

the student's parents rode motorcycles with yellow lights on the mountain road.

however, through home visits, she sensed more possibilities for her students, allowing her to see each one as a "three-dimensional and rich person," and making her rethink the power of family education and social education to shape students.

so, how can we strengthen the concept and voice of "people" in education? in a one-way evaluation system, how can we help young people establish multi-dimensional self-examination? huang deng raises one question after another in the book.

"it's actually hard to prescribe a cure for this," she told the southern metropolis daily reporter. but she still suggested that young people should carefully protect their true inner voices and their favorite things, and keep their most individual characteristics, which may be their own most competitive assets.

"of course, we also need to learn some skills in a down-to-earth manner. we can't just have a diploma. what we learn from books is shallow. we must think deeply and establish a deep connection with reality through actions, so that we can truly grow." huang deng said.

"what do the parents of my second-tier college students think about education? we should give them more opportunities to speak out."

coordinator: southern metropolis daily reporter xiang xueni and wei juanming

written by: southern metropolis daily reporter ao yinxue

photo provided by the interviewee