In the ancient city of Huizhou in She County, Anhui Province, there is a memorial hall located on Zhonghe Street, overlooking Wenzheng Mountain to the east, Changqing Tower to the south, Xu Guo Shifang to the west, and Chongyi Academy to the north.
This memorial hall was built in 1984 to commemorate Tao Xingzhi, the "people's educator".
As soon as you enter the gate, the majestic, elegant and unique viewing hall is displayed in front of you. On the large screen in front of you are the four characters "Love all over the world" written by Tao Xingzhi himself.
On the back of the screen is Comrade Jiang Zemin’s inscription: “Study Tao Xingzhi’s educational thoughts to promote educational reform.” Bypassing the screen and walking into the hall, on the upper railing of the hall is a plaque "Teacher for All Times" inscribed by Song Qingling himself, and on the front is "Mr. Tao Xingzhi, the great people's educator" inscribed by Mao Zedong.
In the hall, stands a statue of Tao Xingzhi. He is sitting on a stone, with a peaceful face and a calm and upright posture. Looking at his face, I felt a firm belief and the teacher's hope for the students.
I followed his gaze, and in a trance, I traveled through a hundred years and returned to China 100 years ago.
On October 18, 1891, Tao Xingzhi was born in Huangtanyuan Village, She County, Anhui Province. He was born into a poor teacher's family. When he was 6 years old, he was playing in the hall of his neighbor's house and saw couplets hanging on the wall of the hall, so he sat on the ground and started copying them.
A scholar from a neighboring village saw a child with red lips and white teeth facing the couplet, looking at it and tracing each stroke, looking serious. Then he started to love talents and enlightened them for free.
In 2014, with the support of relatives and friends, he entered the Chongyi School run by the Shexian Christian Inland Mission. On the wall of his dormitory, he wrote " I am a Chinese and should make some contributions to China." I hope I can contribute to my country.
At first, he wanted to relieve the suffering of the working people through studying medicine and realize his ambition to serve the motherland. So, at the age of 17, he was admitted to Hangzhou Guangji Medical College. However, he dropped out of school only three days after enrolling because the church school discriminated against students who had not yet entered the church. How can a Chinese be at the mercy of outsiders?
A year later, he was admitted to Nanjing Huiwen College.
In 1914, he graduated with the first overall score. In his graduation thesis, he wrote: "The people are poor, and nothing can make them rich without education; the people are stupid, and nothing can make them wise without education; Party building cannot be eliminated without education; loyalty cannot be made without education."
At that time, he had already determined to become an educator, to help more people get rid of ignorance, to make the people and the country stand up.
After graduation, he went to study in the United States. Learn advanced educational concepts from the West, learn from the foreigners and learn from the Easterners.
He first studied municipal administration at the University of Illinois, then decided to transfer to Columbia University half a year later, where he studied education under the tutelage of American educators such as Dewey, Monroe, and Kerberk.
In 1917, he returned to China as a successful Chinese intellectual.
But at that time, he did not dream of enjoying success, but wanted to redefine what success was. He wanted to reconnect himself with his motherland.
At that time, China was devastated and the country was impoverished to an unimaginable level. Tao Xingzhi said: "The root of the disease lies in education."
In today's China, if you want to become a university teacher, it is difficult to stay without certain experience of studying abroad. For many prestigious schools, studying abroad is even more difficult. Back then, an international student was as precious as a diamond.
With what he knew, Tao Xingzhi at that time could have turned around and become a great person; You can talk and laugh among the scholars.
But he fixed his sights on the lowest level of society in China.
He said inspiringly: "This country was founded on agriculture, and nine out of ten people live in the countryside. Therefore, China's education is education that goes to the countryside, and it is education that goes to the countryside. Because if there is no improvement in the countryside, there will be no hope for the country. ."
He said that, and then he did it.
Tao Xingzhi took off his suit, resigned from his generous salary as a university professor, and promoted civilian education.
In 1923, he organized the Civilian Education Promotion Association, compiled the "Thousand-Character Lesson for Common People", and traveled to more than a dozen provinces and cities across the country. He used the "Thousand-Character Lesson for Common People" as a teaching material and sent it to the homes of ordinary people, urging every household to become literate and read. Most of the funds for his activities come from royalties from his own books.
Once, he received more than 10,000 yuan in royalties, took it home and locked it in a cabinet. His sister, who was responsible for all the housework, saw it and asked him: "Is there any elder or older person at home?" I’m small and don’t have much money. Can I leave 1/4 for my family?” We are building Xiaozhuang Normal University. This money should be used to fund the school. Although our family is poor, we can still live on a simple diet. China's 340 million farmers not only have no food, but also no education. Using this money to build a school is to burn the heart of the farmers. We are trying our best to help them. You can save some money at home and help me with big things!" My sister understood him and nodded silently.
He moved to Xiaozhuang outside Nanjing, an extremely backward and poor ordinary village in China. He lived in a cowshed, got to know fellow villagers, and gradually came to have a seemingly unattainable wish, which was to train one million rural teachers for China.
He walks among secular villages and in the streets. He wants to help the most ordinary Chinese people, those elderly grandparents, and those living in rich families. The servants, the helpers in the rich man's house, the handymen on the street, the footmen in the goods yard, and the masters who pull the trucks are all literate!
The thatched auditorium of Xiaozhuang Normal School he founded is named "Ligong". The couplet on both sides is "Be friends with horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs and hogs, and be friends with rice beams." "Work hard on rice, wheat, millet and millet", and the other is "teach yourself by teaching others, and work hard with your labor."
In Xiaozhuang, Tao Xingzhi led the students to farm, work and build school buildings by themselves. He said: "You can eat your own food only by sweating your own sweat. You have to do it yourself."
Tao Xingzhi did not want to cultivate superior intellectuals, but teachers among the people. He invited his friends and scholars to teach in Xiaozhuang to spread new knowledge and concepts. Gradually, this very humble university hall in Xiaozhuang grew from a few dozen people to hundreds of people.
In education, he innovated the teaching method. The popular education method at that time was "read to death, study to death, study to death". He believes that the new education should advocate "life is education", "society is school" and "teaching and doing are integrated".
Once, Mr. Tao Xingzhi walked to the podium and calmly took out a big rooster from the box. The audience in the audience were all stunned, wondering what Mr. Tao was going to do. Mr. Tao calmly took out another handful of rice and put it on the table, then pressed the rooster's head and forced it to eat the rice. But the big rooster only crows but doesn't eat.
How to make the rooster eat rice? He opened the cock's mouth and stuffed rice into the cock's mouth. The big rooster struggled hard but still refused to eat. Mr. Tao gently released his hand, put the chicken on the table, took a few steps back, and the big rooster began to eat the rice by himself.
At this time, Mr. Tao began to give a speech: "I think education is like feeding chickens. Mr. Tao forces students to learn and force-feeds knowledge to him. He is unwilling to learn. Even if he learns nothing, he will still return the knowledge to his teacher after a while. But if he is allowed to learn freely and give full play to his subjective initiative, the effect will be much better! ”
In this way, the location of education is not just in a small room, and the place where he stands is not just a three-foot lecture hall.
He walked into the company of his fellow villagers, he walked into every household, he was in the fields, he was by the cowshed. As long as he is there, anywhere and anytime can become a classroom.
He is working hard alone, the buds of his dream are sprouting from the ground, and before our eyes we can see the flowers blooming on the trees. Yes, where Tao Xingzhi is, there is hope for civilian education. In Wuhan, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Nanjing, he has been on the road for the rise of education in the motherland.
In the end, Mr. died on the road.
On July 25, 1946, Tao Xingzhi died of cerebral hemorrhage due to overwork and sudden death in Shanghai. That year, he was 55 years old.
On December 1, Mr.’s coffin returned to Nanjing. The people in Nanjing spontaneously supported Mr.’s coffin. They wanted to send this man back to his Xiaozhuang. . People along the road sang and cried: "There you go, the nanny of our poor children, our friend, and the mentor of the people." An elegiac couplet was floating, with the words "Mr. The four vigorous characters written down - the eternal teacher!
The teacher said, I come with a heart and not a blade of grass. My husband said, I am just a commoner in China. Decades of school education have gradually brought me closer to the direction of Western aristocrats. After some thorough enlightenment, I am like the Yellow River bursting its banks and rushing back to the road of Chinese commoners. .
When I came back to my senses and looked at my husband’s earnest and firm eyes, I wanted to tell him that in China today, the children are singing and laughing, the people are happy and healthy, and the country is Haiyanheqing.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it has been 76 years since my husband left us.
But we never forget Mr. Your spirit is like fire and light. After time, it becomes brighter and more brilliant. It not only illuminates China, but also illuminates the world.
The clouds are green and the mountains are green, and the rivers are turbulent. Sir, the mountains are high and the rivers are long!
Tao Xingzhi, he is the people’s mentor. He has told us one thing throughout his life, that is - a teacher can still live like this. !