Participating in the principal training class organized by the District Education Bureau, we spent the six-day trip to Chengdu and Chongqing observing and inspecting schools. Regarding the topics of "curriculum" and "culture", many colleagues have had a lot of exchanges in Chengdu and Chongqing. They also put a lot of thought into the "assignments" submitted when they came back, and there are many insights. I won't just throw away the blame. For this reason, I picked up every bit of random thoughts during the observation, and even added my own sideways reverie to write this article. It may not express my true feelings, but it expresses my respect for education in Chengdu and Chongqing and incorporates my thoughts on what an ideal school should look like.
In fact, I have a long-standing respect for Chengdu education, which can be traced back to July 2005. In the hot summer of that year, I was in Chengdu attending the fourth annual conference of the "New Education Experiment". When listening to and evaluating classes at annual meetings, the confrontation and debate of opinions seem to be rare nowadays. It is said that netizens with unique talents such as Tingu and Gangan are already doing educational research and exploration on other platforms. But it is definitely in the same direction as the "new educational experiment", and it can be said that they reach the same goal through different paths.
? It was said several years ago that “for national education, look to Jiangsu, and for Jiangsu education, look to Nantong.” In fact, Chengdu is the center of the Land of Abundance, where talents have emerged in large numbers throughout the ages. Chengdu people’s enthusiasm for education reform has never died down. Education colleagues in Chengdu are often at the forefront of education reform. Although we have only walked through a few primary schools, and although we have never entered the Paulownia Tree Primary School that I am fascinated by, we have gained a lot. Although I was not able to go into middle schools to observe and experience them due to my grade in school, the charm and achievements of some middle schools in Chengdu still attracted me, making me admire and fascinated. Therefore, when I heard a leader say in an exchange, "We are traveling west to learn from it," I felt the same. This is both modest and sincere and objective.
? Next, let’s start with a middle school in Chengdu and share with you a story I wrote about a middle school in Chengdu.
? 1. The trip to Chengdu and Chongqing reminded me of the story of a middle school
? About that middle school in Chengdu, I wrote an article "The tradition of running a school should be more utilitarian." The article "Say No to Kidnapping" has been published, and the full text is as follows:
Some media reported that about one month before the college entrance examination, Chengdu No. 20 Middle School arranged for a class of sophomores to suspend classes for three consecutive days to clean the campus full-time. This is a tradition that the school has continued for 20 years.
? Some parents questioned that this approach delayed students' learning, and wrote to the principal to express their objections. However, the principal of the school said that he would not change due to the pressure of further studies and would still adhere to the tradition.
? The author believes that school education should allow students to "become adults", and "adulthood" is the first essence of education. The lack or rejection of labor education will be discounted in terms of "adulthood". I’m afraid no parent would disagree with this truth. But why do some parents question the school's insistence on the tradition of labor education? This should be due to the "utilitarian consciousness" and the "narrow view of talent". In the minds of some parents, "adult" education is important, but in order to do it, students must experience it through hard work and sweat, and students must spend time. Therefore, "not enough time, delaying learning" became the reason. Is that true? Working for three days will "delay" learning, but how much can it "delay"? The author can't find any scientific basis, and I haven't found any examples in the practice in Chengdu for more than 20 years. Therefore, this kind of worry is really a bit "unfounded".
? Some people have lamented why some of our college students are "unemployed after graduation" and "after being employed, they have to 'return to their jobs'." This phenomenon is not unrelated to the fact that students’ campus life is limited to knowledge. In some high schools, some social practice activities, public welfare activities, and even inspection activities that should have been participated in have long been "forgotten", or they are just "dragonfly tips". What's more, a certain community actually poisoned a pond of frogs to death in order to provide a quiet environment for children taking college entrance exams. This widely criticized case reminds us that when life is not respected, excellence will always be in vain; if labor and tradition are not respected, and the vast world beyond books is not respected, excellence will also be in vain. The "college entrance examination" has long since fallen off the altar, and the idea of ??"making way for the college entrance examination" has long been questioned. Even the students themselves don’t appreciate the “excessive concern”.
Some candidates said: "Excessive care has increased our psychological pressure. The whole society takes care of us so much. If we do not do well in the exam, who can we blame?"
Then again, even if the reform of the college entrance examination system continues, The academic burden of high school students is still not optimistic, and Chengdu No. 20 Middle School is no exception. At this time, asking students to put down their books temporarily, walk out of the classroom, let their brains relax, their limbs stretch, and sweat flow, is a relief for students trapped in the bookstore. What's wrong with this? Moreover, we are short of students for more than three days.
? The current principal of Chengdu No. 20 Middle School said that through labor experience, students should be guided to pay attention to the starry sky and the earth; to pay attention to academics and life; to pay attention to abilities and responsibilities. Guide students to do small things around them, teach them smart ways of doing things and a pragmatic work attitude. The principal at that time said that even if we were to take a few fewer exams from Peking University and Tsinghua University, we must continue to do this for the future development of students. What kind of courage, mind and magnanimity is this! It can be seen that defending tradition requires inheritance and persistence.
What is gratifying is that even though the school has stricter and stricter cleaning requirements, students still stand on the same side as the school. Some students said: "Three days seems a bit long, but as long as you arrange your study progress, it doesn't matter." Another student said: "The labor class is tiring, but I still feel that I have gained a lot." This made the author I lament that some parents may have a narrow vision compared to their students. These three days seem so long in the eyes of some parents! Fortunately, this concept is supported by most parents. According to reports, the head teacher of a certain class asked all parents for their opinions through QQ, and 34 parents responded, of which 28 parents had no objections.
? There are not many examples of such labor experience abroad. British students start learning vocational skills when they enter junior high school. Not only bachelor's degrees, but also master's and doctoral degrees must obtain corresponding vocational qualification certificates before employment. On Orgo Night at Columbia University in the United States, the night before the final exam for organic chemistry majors, the marching band will rush into the library to play, thereby "influencing" concentrated students and telling them that there is other life besides studying. This is worthy of our education.
In fact, the principal of Chengdu No. 20 Middle School is not confused. He knows the intensity of study and the fierce competition better than parents. However, the school's adherence to tradition points to the cultivation of complete "people" and the long-term and all-round development of students. This school running tradition also tells us that students need to stop and think briefly on their way forward. Such a stop is to pick up things that should belong to them. Putting such things in their bags will accompany students to move better and better. Far.
? Running a school must have its own standpoint, its own thinking, and its own tradition. The tradition of running a school must say no to the kidnapping of utilitarianism. (This article was published in "Teaching and Educating" Principal's Reference 2016.12)
? This time I found my thoughts on the Chengdu education case two years ago, not to make up educational myths, but to remind myself that we When looking at education in Chengdu, we can broaden our horizons to the non-compulsory education stage. Education at that stage in Chengdu can be exposed to the public. Chengdu people have such confidence.
? 2. During the trip to Chengdu and Chongqing, we should not forget the details of several primary schools
? Walking through Chengdu and Chongqing, I am asking, what does an ideal school look like? If someone asked me to help him choose an ideal middle school, then I would tell him to look at Chengdu No. 20 Middle School. Because that is my ideal school.
? Going back to the primary schools we visited, Yulin Primary School, Shishi Primary School, Shuanglin Primary School, and Sichuan University Affiliated Primary School in Chengdu, and Xiejiawan Primary School and Renmin Primary School in Chongqing, each has its own merits and beauty. ***. As I said at the beginning of this article, I will not analyze it from a broad perspective such as “course”. Therefore, I reviewed some small things in these schools, hoping to feel the big picture and atmosphere of Chengdu and Chongqing primary school education colleagues from the details. Some scenes in several primary schools will leave a deep imprint in the memory even if they are not photographed or written down. I think those may be the things we should remember, and they may be what an ideal school should look like. Although regions vary and schools have different situations, there are always similarities in running schools, and education always has its "DNA"... From this point of view, I am also sketching the appearance of the ideal school in my mind.
(1) The ideal school is "rooted"
On the afternoon of October 30, we visited Shishi Primary School. This is a young and energetic school built in 2010. As far as the current situation is concerned, this school can be regarded as "Ye Mao", because the school history is very short, and it may not be able to say that it has "deep roots". How can a young school connect its school history with its cultural roots? The founder of Shishi Primary School gave us inspiration. They took advantage of "Wen Weng's Stone Chamber" and gave the school such a name. Even if "Wen Weng's Stone Chamber" is not in the area, why not? Because this is a resource of Greater Chengdu (Shishi Primary School was named this way, just like a wise man in the business world registered a trademark). During the visit, I asked several teachers and a principal, what kind of educational history is "Wenweng Stone Room"? What makes me happy is that they all know their treasures and talk about them with great enthusiasm. So, I told myself that this young school has roots, and these deep roots have grown in the hearts of Shishi Primary School teachers.
? This is my fourth time in Chengdu. Because I participated in the new education experiment, I explored the footprints of teacher Li Zhenxi and the origin of the name of the "Shishi Middle School" where he worked. Let’s make up the numbers and organize them as follows: The school is named after “Stone Chamber” in order to uphold the fine tradition of “Wenweng Stone Chamber” for more than two thousand years. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Wen Weng served as the prefect of Shu County, which governed 15 poor and backward counties. The county government's financial resources were very limited, and it was difficult to run a school. The external conditions are very bad, but Wen Weng knows that if the economy is lagging behind, there will be opportunities for development in the future, but if the cultural quality is lagging behind, it will be difficult to develop in the future. So Weng Weng personally led his subordinates to use local materials, using smooth stones that could be seen everywhere in Chengdu at that time, to build a stone house in the south of the city and set up a school, which was later called "Wen Weng's Stone Room." Here, civilization was Inheritance and spirit are forged. "Wenweng Shishi" is a school that has been running continuously for more than 2,000 years without interruption or relocation. It is the first school in China run by a local government and has cultivated a large number of talents over the years.
So, as soon as I arrived at Shishi Primary School, I asked the principal who received us for advice. Shishi Primary School was not the location of "Wen Weng Shishi", so why did we name our school this way? The principal said that the "Wenweng Stone Chamber" is the root of education in Chengdu. It has a long history and its spirit should be passed on. Then she proudly and eloquently introduced that history. The principal seemed to be giving us extra lessons, and we seemed to be increasing our knowledge of "Chinese Education History."
? While listening quietly, I felt that the founders of Shishi Primary School had in their dictionaries the memory and admiration for the educational sages and the education of "unswerving determination" and "efforts". Spiritual inheritance. From Shishi Primary School, we think of Wen Weng and those true gentlemen who devoted their lives to education and fought for it, but never came back, such as Cai Yuanpei, Yan Yangchu, and Tao Xingzhi. Let’s look at Mr. Yan Yangchu, a doer who devoted his life to civilian education. He attributed China’s rural problems to four words: “foolishness, poverty, weakness, and selfishness” and advocated the “four major education” of literature and art, livelihood, health, and citizenship. "Treat them separately. For the ideal of education, he took the lead and moved his family to the countryside. During his years in Dingxian County, Hebei Province, he once spoke frankly about the difficulties of work and his attitude: "With a shortage of talents, a lack of management, coupled with internal and external troubles, natural and man-made disasters, it is difficult for education reform to be taken seriously, and the plan to transform national life will never be carried out in an instant. Success can only be achieved by being down-to-earth and doing it bit by bit. "This kind of persistence and perseverance in work spirit in a dangerous environment is what today's principals should value, inherit and carry forward the most. The contributions made by the "Ping Church" he led in Hebei back then still benefit the local area and are well-known in Hebei. Yan Yangchu's "hard work" and "humility" dedicated to civilian education, being among the people, and dedicating himself to rural construction are spiritual legacies that still need to be inherited and carried forward today.
? I think Shishi Middle School has existed for a long time, and the first elementary school built was also named after Shishi. This is not "lazy" or random, but a search for roots and inheritance. An ideal school needs to have spiritual roots.
(2) The ideal school is “truth-seeking”
In Yulin Primary School, the principal’s introduction was eloquent and I won’t go into details. I will remember something about the school's practices. The school's home-school education is very good. The school continues to conduct questionnaire surveys with parents to allow parents to provide feedback to the school and recommend the most satisfactory teachers. Moreover, this kind of survey is directly sent to parents and collected (just like "flying short"), and is not distributed and collected by the class.
? I’m thinking, why does the school conduct research in this way? Aren’t they afraid of hearing negative voices, not afraid of hearing criticism and doubts, and not afraid of adding to their hearts? The principal told us that we need to hear the true voice. Indeed, the questionnaire is sent to the class, and the head teacher and subject teachers "arrange" or "coach" the students to fill it out, or invite some representatives to fill it out on the spot... Can this method understand the true situation of running a school? not necessarily. If you blindly "fall in love" with this kind of investigation, you may not be able to recognize your own school situation and may even lose your direction.
? Running a school, in the final analysis, is the inheritance of civilization and the continuation of spiritual values. The support of civilization and spiritual values ??relies on "truth". Without "truth", "the gods and horses are just floating clouds" are just floating clouds. "Truth" is the "soul" of education. Once the soul is gone, even if it moves people again No matter how beautiful the words are, no matter how touching the pictures are, they cannot last forever. The administrators of this school have told us through their actions that only by facing the shortcomings and listening to the true voice can real progress be made in running a school.
? From this, let us do some more thinking, taking questionnaires such as "education parity", "school evaluation" and "teacher evaluation" to ask what an ideal school looks like? What does it look like? This should not be decided by the education administration department, school authorities, or the media, but should be based on the needs of the people, and the administrators of Shuanglin Primary School understand this well. This approach is the basis for building an ideal school.
(3) An ideal school has its own personality
? During the half-day at Jiawan Primary School, we walked through many classrooms and showrooms, and walked through the corridors with teachers and students taking open classes. No matter where we went, we always felt that the surroundings were quiet, as quiet as a resting garden. However, such a campus is not depressing. In the quiet environment, you can often encounter bright smiles, warm greetings, and orderly activities. The teachers and students of the school are so gentle, and the campus environment is so warm and pleasant. People are amazed! Because, from the words, deeds and activities of teachers and students, we can clearly feel the power of jointness, rushing thinking and persistent pursuit in their lives.
On the contrary, in Chongqing People’s Primary School, It was a sea of ??joy. Not long after we arrived, it was during the 30-minute student activity time. Groups of naughty children were having fun on the campus, playing with different tricks on the slides, standing on the roots of trees, posing, and having fun behind the visiting guests. Playing games around the principal who is giving explanations... It's just "doing whatever you want", but none of it is rude, not against the rules, and not arbitrary.
? One "quiet" and one "moving". , two schools, two looks. Can you say who is better? To put it in a sentence, "Everyone is different, everyone is good"! How could it be without long-term training, guidance and silent edification? There is the vibrant "quietness" of Xiejiawan Primary School; without true trust and respect for children, how could there be the delightful "activity" of Renmin Primary School? After walking through these two schools, I felt a different beauty. I was shocked by the different characteristics of the two primary schools in Chongqing. I also knew that the schools could not be copied or blindly imitated. Otherwise, the principal would not adapt to the local conditions. We know that the ideal school does not have the same face or appearance, and the right balance between "releasing" and "receiving", and grasping the right balance between "respect" and "management" cannot be achieved by just sitting down and talking. Personality, but by no means willful. This is something that principals must constantly practice, reflect on, and revise when running a school.
? What does an ideal school look like? I move forward in questioning.
? 2018.11.7 night