"silver age" is also shining｜being "addicted" to being a teacher, ma baohua, a retired professor of shandong university, opened a classroom in the border areas of the motherland
2024-09-11
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“the true meaning of education is not to indoctrinate but to ignite.” speaking of this famous saying of socrates, ma baohua, a 71-year-old retired professor from shandong university, had a gleam in his eyes.
as a member of the ministry of education's "silver age teachers support western china program", ma baohua opened a classroom at kashgar university. in just two years, professor ma baohua has forged a deep friendship with local teachers and students, and he has sown the seeds of knowledge in the border areas of the motherland.
dragging his injured leg onto the podium
the first lesson with teachers and students of kashgar university medical college was much more tortuous than ma baohua expected. on february 26, 2023, ma baohua flew from jinan to kashgar. the vastness of the motherland outside the plane window gave him a sense of mission and responsibility. after a long flight of seven or eight hours, he finally set foot on this land that he had been dreaming about.
as soon as he landed, ma baohua threw himself into the intense preparation for class. however, less than a week before the class started, ma baohua accidentally broke his right leg. the school took great care of him and immediately took him to take x-rays and get medicine. the doctor diagnosed that it was a bone fracture. at this time, ma baohua had two choices: either postpone the first class or insist on attending the class.
"people have known for a long time that a professor from shandong university would come, and they were full of hope. if i couldn't go because of my injury, i would feel really bad." ma baohua said, "no matter what, i will go even if they hold me."
so, on the day of the class, ma baohua applied painkillers on his legs again and again, and dragged his injured leg to the podium. as he expected, the class received a warm response, but almost no one noticed that beads of sweat were oozing from ma baohua's forehead.
ma baohua found that the success of the first class attracted more and more young teachers to come and audit. kashgar university medical college was just established in 2022. it can be said that "students start from zero, laboratories start from zero, and teachers start from zero". ma baohua, who has more than 40 years of teaching experience, actively guides young teachers through mentoring. the medical school assigned two young teachers to study histology and embryology with professor ma baohua.
"people feel fulfilled when they are needed. at kashgar university, i am not a bystander, but a participant." after ma baohua's careful guidance, one of the young teachers he taught took to the podium in early 2024.
"this teacher is a great success. no one expected that he would be able to give lectures in such a short time. the students responded well." ma baohua said that the college even invited experts to conduct an evaluation to prove that the teacher is indeed qualified to give lectures. "i am very proud that the teacher i teach is recognized by experts inside and outside the school."
sharing 40 years of experience
after completing one year of teaching, ma baohua took the initiative to submit a report to extend the teaching plan for another year. it was not until august this year that ma baohua ended his teaching and returned to jinan.
"i always feel that this is a heavy responsibility. i should go to kashgar. if i don't go, i will regret it for the rest of my life," said ma baohua.
in 2022, when he learned that there was a corresponding major in the "silver age teachers support western china program", ma baohua signed up without thinking too much. but halfway home, he was suddenly shocked. it turned out that he had not told his wife about this!
as expected, when his wife heard that he was going to kashgar to teach, she immediately raised an objection: "you have neither taken care of housework nor cooked for more than 40 years. how can you take care of yourself?"
in addition to life problems, ma baohua also took into account the need to take care of his two grandchildren, and quickly found his daughter to persuade her, saying: "your father has had this wish since he was a child. if he can't go, he will regret it for the rest of his life." after thinking about it, his daughter encouraged him: "i will overcome the difficulties myself, and i support you to go!"
in his nearly two years of teaching experience, ma baohua has sacrificed a lot and paid a lot, but he has also gained a lot.
"on my 70th birthday, my teacher secretly bought a cake and invited me to dinner. this is a moment i will never forget. i was so moved that my eyes were wet." during his teaching period, ma baohua often had a strong feeling in his heart that although shandong and xinjiang are thousands of miles apart, everyone is a big family.
“at kashgar university, i feel i should teach everything i know. i will impart my more than 40 years of teaching and research experience to teachers and students without reservation.” ma baohua said that although the kashgar university medical school started from scratch, the starting point must be high, so he deliberately introduced digital content into the curriculum, and used information technology and digitalization to reshape the curriculum. under ma baohua's guidance, kashgar university participated in the national digital film reading and digital anatomical specimen identification competition for the first time, and achieved excellent results.
"i am just a seed. the spark behind it still needs to be ignited by the teachers and students of kashgar university. they are the unlit fire that can be ignited at a touch because they have energy themselves," said ma baohua.
being a teacher is addictive
professor ma baohua recalled that he was reluctant to retire in 2013. "i was reluctant to leave the podium, and i felt a little confused when i retired. i felt that i should not retire." ma baohua said, "later, i was re-employed by the school and took turns to teach at the three campuses."
in ma baohua's opinion, being a teacher is "addictive". "when you stand on the stage and the people below are staring at you with their eager eyes, you will sincerely feel the greatness of the teaching profession. at that moment, your eyes will light up." whenever he walks on campus or in the hospital, when a doctor in a white coat says, "teacher, i am your student", he feels proud to be a teacher.
"it's the same three-foot podium in shandong university and it's the same three-foot podium in kashgar. there's no difference." ma baohua's persistence also touched his wife, "she knew that i like to eat shandong steamed buns and pancakes, so she specially carried a bag of steamed buns and pancakes to kashgar, xinjiang." ma baohua said that when he was in kashgar, what he was most concerned about were his two grandchildren. in order not to distract him, his wife said to him every time they video called that the two grandchildren were well and healthy and he didn't need to worry.
"everyone should have their own thoughts and plans about what they can do after retirement. it is a kind of dedication for the elderly to change jobs to become volunteers, and it is also a kind of contribution to take care of their grandchildren at home." professor ma baohua believes that everyone has different positions, different ideas, and different choices, but the key is to have a good life and happiness in old age.
"my happiness lies in doing what i like. i need kashgar university to realize my value after retirement. of course, kashgar university also needs my help to help the school develop medicine from scratch. i don't think i can waste these 20 years after retirement." ma baohua said, "if the country needs me, i will have endless energy."
(planned by liu yufan, a reporter from dazhong news, and produced by wang jian's hyacinth studio)
