Rural teachers make the grade
Making a difference
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Students at Longjiacun Primary School attend a flag-raising ceremony. [Photo by Hu Yongqi/China Daily] |
In the village, most houses are made of loess and wood, and the school's two-story classroom building, newly painted in yellow and orange, stands out as an object of pride in the community.
Every morning, a teacher is on duty to check attendance. On Sept 19, Chen Shihua, the school's director of teaching affairs, was waiting at the front door. The students are trained to salute older people on campus as a crucial show of respect.
Each student pays 80 yuan per month for school lunches. The logistics of getting food are difficult because of the treacherous road conditions, especially during heavy rains. To solve the problem, Chen bought a car with loans from a local bank.
"Before that, food had to be refrigerated for one week after teachers purchased it from the market on a rotating basis. The car can carry more goods, and more importantly, we will be less affected by downpours," Chen said. "Our students can eat fresh vegetables and meat now."
At the end of last year, some local enterprises donated six projectors to the school and funded Chen's plan to introduce his computer to the class, which allow him to show films or slide shows.
"The younger teachers bring more energy. They introduced computers to the class, and teach the kids how to play basketball and table tennis, which is something I couldn't do for the kids," said Sun Xiuming, 53, the oldest teacher at the school, who is planning to retire in 2015.
Eight teachers are responsible for the classes for seven grades - from kindergarten to grade six. Because there are only six classrooms in the two-story teaching building, it is impossible to provide a separate room for the kindergarten. And the pre-school kids have to sit with students in the first grade.
Basically, each teacher takes on all subjects for each grade level - Chinese, mathematics, physical education, music and art. With no professional training, Chen found the music class to be the toughest.
He had to travel to a nearby city to buy an electronic piano for 5,000 yuan, which is double his monthly salary. In his spare time, he learned the fundamentals, such as notation, and practices simple but popular songs. Chen said he is confident that his new skill and equipment will make classes more exciting next semester.
Education is more than classes and knowledge, Cheng Jin said. The kids have to develop independent and sound personalities to cope with any possible difficulties in their lives, she said.
"I hope I can set an example among the kids and then for my 10-month-old daughter. When they grow up, they will know the value of what we have told them," she said.
Li Yingqing and Guo Anfei contributed to the story.
