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Photo: He Tong, Wen/Wang Jiazhen Video/Du Peng
"On the high green mountain, daylilies bloom, pick one, give it to me, little girl..." With the chords of the guitar, the childish voice of the children resounded in the mountains, and a song "Daylily Flower" flowed into the mountains like a bay of clear spring water. Along the rugged and winding county road 204 in Lishan Mountain, in a beautiful col, there is a rural school, Renzong Central Primary School in Lintong District, Xi'an.
Every evening, eight sixth-grade children sit on the playground holding guitars and sing, surrounded by Chinese teacher Cai Yuanyuan. He brought guitar into children's lives, and also hoped that children could thrive carefree like daylilies that grow in the Qinling Mountains.
Cai Yuanyuan, 47 years old and dark-skinned, has been holding out at a rural primary school in Lintong for 25 years.
"When I was in elementary school, my homeroom teacher used to play the accordion and sing with us, which had a great influence on me, and it was also because of him, I felt that the profession of teaching was very sacred, and I grew up to go to teacher training." In 1998, Cai Yuanyuan, who graduated from Xi'an Normal University (now Xi'an College of Arts and Sciences), returned to Fangyan Village, Renzong Street, took over the preparation books from his alma mater's mentor, and became a rural teacher rooted in the grassroots.
"In the early years, the primary school teachers were relatively weak, and for a long time, we all had to wear many hats, and we could teach whichever subject without a teacher." Cai Yuanyuan recalled that although his main business was Chinese, he had taught mathematics, English and computer classes. "For a while, I also wanted to teach in a big city, but the children in the mountains needed me more." Looking at the eager gazes of the children, Cai Yuan Yuan resolutely stuck here.
"Parents in mountainous areas have a relatively low level of education and lack of understanding of education, and in the early years, there will be cases of dropping out of school due to poverty." Cai Yuan Yuan visited the homes of poor students several times with the principal, so that parents could understand the truth that knowledge changes destiny.
"I remember a parent who was illiterate and didn't want his daughter to study, and we persuaded for a long time. Fortunately, there is a poverty alleviation policy, and the school implements the policy of 'two exemptions and one supplement', providing free textbooks, waiving miscellaneous fees, and subsidizing living expenses for boarders. Cai said that over the years, dropping out of school due to poverty no longer happens.
Renzong Street is located in the hinterland of Lishan Mountain, Xi'an Internet celebrity check-in place "the most beautiful ring mountain road" through the border, although the mountain situation is not how steep, but in winter, heavy snow is also a common thing.
With the acceleration of urbanization, the rural population continues to move to the cities, and the number of students in rural schools has decreased sharply. "In 2008, in order to aggregate educational resources, my Fangyan Primary School merged with several surrounding primary schools to form Renzong Central Primary School, serving the seven surrounding administrative villages." In the first year of the merger, the school had nearly 400 children, but after the start of the school year, only 35 students remained, including only three first-year students, Cai said.
"Now most young people are going out to work, and they are more willing to take their children with them when conditions permit, and most of the children in school are "left-behind children" who live with their grandparents. "Seeing that fewer and fewer new children are enrolled every year, Cai Yuanyuan's heart is also very complicated, on the one hand, he hopes that more children will go out of the mountain, on the other hand, his passion in the classroom will inevitably be affected." It is possible that you will not be able to retire at this school. ”
In Caiyuan's view, the teaching process is actually a process of emotional communication and interaction between teachers and students, and in boarding schools, teachers also have to bear many parental responsibilities, "late autumn and winter, children are prone to colds, I often drive my own car, take the children to the health room to prescribe medicine and injections, because you call the parents, you can't come for a while, and let them worry." Young children often feel homesick and cry under the covers, so we tell stories and play with toys with them. ”
In order to enrich the children's after-school life, Renzong Central Primary School club activities have been carried out for many years, calligraphy, basketball, table tennis, chess, handicrafts, vocal music... Teachers use their strengths to make these "left-behind children" as much as possible no longer lonely. "At the beginning, I brought a calligraphy club, and although there was a big gap compared to the professional interest classes in the city, the children learned very happily and happily."
"Start the pen against the front, move the pen in the center, and close the pen at the back front." The two long tables in the cafeteria are put together to become a book table with neatly placed children's rice paper, brushes, inkstones and calligraphy textbooks.
"To write calligraphy is to be calm and calm, and to write steadily." As a teacher, Cai Yuanyuan understands that in the process of participating in calligraphy club activities, children are more of a tempering of their hearts.
A few years ago, during a dinner with graduates, a student engaged in music education decided to donate 10 guitars to the school in order to give back to his alma mater. "I also played guitar when I was younger, which made me determined to pick it up again." In his spare time, Cai Yuan often sits on the playground and practices plucking and singing.
"They are all old, and they are still literary and artistic youths." Colleagues passing by joked one after another, and the nickname "Old Boy" of Cai Yuan Courtyard also came from this.
"Teacher, how did you press that Bm chord?" "How many pints does this chord index finger put on the guitar?" ...... It didn't take long for the guitar club to become the most popular club on campus, and in the face of children's questions, Cai Yuan Yuan would always patiently demonstrate and encourage the children to play the right tone.
"A chord, a fingering, may have to be practiced a hundred times, it really requires strong willpower, and I felt bored at first." Cai Yuanyuan said that some children are very distressed if they can't get the hang of it, so they practice dozens of times and hundreds of times, and some children can't hold on and want to cry, I played a song "Glorious Years" to him, "As long as you practice well, you will definitely play better than the teacher in the future." ”
"All the children in the club have overcome difficulties through unremitting efforts, the process of learning guitar is also a process of exercising willpower, and the children's confidence in learning cultural classes will also be enhanced. After months of practice, the children gradually got the hang of it, and as soon as they arrived at recess, the pleasant sound of guitar often sounded in the school. Every day after school, the children would sit around the playground with Cai Yuanyuan, talking, laughing and singing.
"The circle of children on the mountain is small, their personalities are generally more introverted and restrained, and they usually dare not communicate with outsiders, but when picking up the guitar, I ask everyone to sing as loudly as possible and dare to express themselves in front of strangers." This summer, Cai Yuan Yuan won the opportunity for the children to perform in Lintong Huaqing Square, "The children enthusiastically signed up after learning the news, facing hundreds of citizens and tourists, playing and singing on the spot without being timid, and seeing their personalities become cheerful and outgoing, this is my most gratifying thing." ”
"Daylilies give birth to the stairs, and the wanderers travel the world. Kindness leaned on the door and looked out, and there were no daylilies in sight. "Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, rose up in "The Wanderer" with daylilies that can make people forget their worries but also make people unforgettable. In Cai Yuanyuan's view, these children are his "daylilies", how far the guitar can accompany the children, in fact, it does not matter, the important thing is that these interests and hobbies can open the door to a new world for children, more confidence, more happiness.
In the past fifteen years, Renzong Central Primary School has trained thousands of children, who are like daylilies blooming on high green mountains, and flying out of the mountains on a small boat of rural education. And Cai Yuanyuan, like countless rural teachers, is like a straight beacon, illuminating the mountain road, they pour their knowledge into each other, and they also watch the "daylilies" rush into the distance.
Shixiang, Shaanxi people in the lens.