For the left-behind children, he raced against time for 20 years
——Remember Ye Lianping, the seventh national moral model, retired village teacher in Anhui Province and county
Author: reporter Changhe
Ye Lianping is preparing lessons.
Photo by Chang He/Guangming Picture
[Guangming Praise of Moral Model]
On February 7th, in the warm winter sun, Ye Lianping, who was over ninety years old, brought the condolences he bought, accompanied by his student Ju Pingshu, the principal of Anhui Province and County Buchen School, to the nursing home to visit the elderly.
"Most of the elderly in the nursing home are younger than Yelaoshr. Yelaoshr has been condolences for 3 years." Ju Pingshu said, "Yelaoshi has planned for several days and can't stop it."
In addition to the elderly in nursing homes, what Ye Lianping cares most about is the left-behind children: since Ye Lianping founded the "Left-behind Children's Home" in 2000, he has provided voluntary supplementary lessons for left-behind children for more than 20 years and has taught more than 1,500 students.
And the "Ye Lianping Scholarship Fund" he established in 2012 has so far distributed nearly 190,000 yuan for 9 sessions and has awarded more than 250 students in total.
“As long as the children are in difficulties, Mr. Ye will generously donate. For more than 20 years, Mr. Ye has spent more than 300,000 yuan on left-behind children. He went out on his own, and he was reluctant to buy a bottle of mineral water.” Ju Pingshu Tell reporters.
"People will be long in the future, and I will be short in the future." On the afternoon of February 6, Ye Lianping, who was full of silver hair, crouched and leaned over a stack of homework books to make serious corrections. Time is left to the children."
In the classroom, warm sunlight came in, illuminating the "Seventh National Moral Model", "New China's Most Beautiful Struggler", "National Moral Education Advanced Individual" and other awards on the wall...
In the reporter's ear, the words he said in an interview with Ye Lian three years ago echoed again: "I hope my last breath will be on the podium."
"Candlelight" to illuminate left-behind children
"On November 24, 1978, I was appointed as a middle school teacher. It was 23 years since I left Nanjing Langya Road Primary School. I love education and I hope to be a teacher for my life, and I am willing to breathe out the last breath on the Sanchi podium."
In 2013, Ye Lianping had to be hospitalized in Nanjing because of cerebral hemorrhage and meningitis. On the 4th day after the operation, he was discharged from the hospital and went home.
Although it was only a few days apart, when Ye Lianping appeared in the classroom, the children surrounded their "Grandpa Ye" and couldn't help crying.
That year, Ye Lianping was 85 years old and had volunteered to make up lessons for left-behind children for 13 years.
In 1928, Ye Lianping was born in Qingdao, Shandong.
At the age of 18, Ye Lianping learned fluent English because his father worked as a handyman at the American Embassy in Nanjing.
After 1949, Ye Lianping opened an evening school with several residents, doing literacy work for the Langya Road community in Nanjing, and did it in 1955.
In 1965, Ye Lianping moved to Buchen Town, Hexian County, Anhui Province.
"First worked in the kiln, then joined the production team and settled down." Recalling that experience, Ye Lianping was a little excited, "The people here took me in, made two houses for me, and brought me bedding. I am grateful at all times."
In 1978, the 50-year-old Ye Lianping finally returned to the podium and became a teacher at Buchen School.
"I was taking the graduating class at the time, and there were still six months to go before the high school entrance examination." Ye Lianping remembered that there were 48 students in the class. "There are less than 20 people who come to class every day. When the child tells his family to go to school, he actually ran out to play. "Ye Lianping spent 45 days interviewing 48 students one by one, and one by one, he brought the children back to class.
The junior high school cannot organize evening self-study. Ye Lianping divides the students into 5 groups according to the natural villages. He carries lanterns and runs to the village one by one every day to tutor the students.
That year, 11 people in his class were admitted to the secondary school, becoming the best class in the town.
On February 7, in Ye Lianping's yard, the reporter saw the rusty horse lantern.
Many nights, Ye Lianping carried this lantern and walked in the countryside of Hexian County to bring hope to the students.
Still in the yard, the reporter saw the bicycle leaning against the corner.
For more than 30 years, Ye Lianping has always insisted on riding a bicycle to visit homes and going to the county to buy teaching materials for students.
"Just to go to Nanjing, Mr. Ye always rides a bicycle. He is not willing to spend money on tickets." Ju Pingshu told reporters, "Ms. Ye always said that if you save a few dollars, you can buy a book for the children. ."
In July 2000, Ye Lianping, who had retired for 10 years, saw that the left-behind children in the village had no tutoring homework, especially the weak English foundation, so he vacated a house of his family and volunteered to teach the children homework.
This supplement is 20 years.
In the meantime, no matter which child has difficulties at home or is far away from school, he can eat and live in Ye Lianping's house for free.
In 2012, Ye Lianping put aside more than 20,000 yuan in savings, and with the support of all parties in the society, established the "Ye Lianping Scholarship Fund" to reward outstanding students and subsidize students in need.
Yang Hongyan, who now runs a decoration design company in Ma'anshan, Anhui, lived far away from the school when he was in junior high school.
After learning about the situation, Ye Lianping took the initiative to find Yang Hongyan’s parents and said: “Let’s eat and live at my house, and save time on the road to study.”
For 3 years, Yang Hongyan lived in Ye Lianping's house.
Her name to Ye Lianping has also changed from "Ye Teacher" to "Grandpa".
In 2003, Yang Hongyan was admitted to Suzhou College.
"All the other students are sent by their parents, and I am the only one who is the grandfather." Ye Lianping hurried back after buying a meal ticket for Yang Hongyan and settling in the dormitory.
"When Grandpa left, I couldn't help it anymore, I cried." Yang Hongyan said.
However, Yang Hongyan didn't know that after Ye Lianping returned to Nanjing, he was reluctant to spend money to live in the guest house because there was no shuttle bus to Hexian that day. This "stupid" old man actually stayed on the side of the road in Xiaguan, Nanjing all night...
The "sunshine" of Lide Shuren
"The duty of a teacher is naturally to teach well. However, teaching is not the only task. The more important responsibility of teachers is to train qualified personnel. In short, it is to educate people."
Since 2000, every summer vacation, Ye Lianping will charter his students to visit museums, science and technology museums, and martyrs' cemeteries in nearby cities at his own expense.
Ye Lianping said: "As long as I see these rural children communicating with others in English in public, I have a sense of accomplishment; as long as I see the children's concentrated expression in the museum, I know that another patriotic seed is sprouting. ."
Chang Jiuming is now the boss of a garment customization company in Shanghai Textile Industrial Park.
Beginning in 2011, he will bring company employees back to Hexian every year to donate a sum of money to the "Ye Lianping Scholarship Fund", which has become one of his company's important activities.
In 1983, because his family was poor, his parents wanted Chang Jiuming, who was in junior high school, to drop out of school to sew.
One evening, Chang Jiuming, who was helping his parents with farm work in the cotton field, saw a figure staggering in the distance.
Teacher Ye came to visit.
Chang Jiuming’s home was 5 kilometers away from the school. It was all dirt roads and had to cross mountains and rivers. It was during the flood season, which made Chang Jiuming very moved.
However, Ye Lianping still failed to convince Chang Jiuming's parents.
The night was shrouded in the fields, and Chang Jiuming, who hid in the dark, watched Ye Teacher's lonely figure drifting away and the fading lights of lanterns, tears streaming down his face.
"Even though I failed to continue my studies later, it was my luck to be a student of Yelaoshr. He is a role model for me throughout my life." Chang Jiuming said.
There was no class on the day of the reporter's interview, but many students still came to the library founded by Ye Lianping to borrow and return books.
14-year-old Yin Lei took his 8-year-old brother Yin Wei into the library, registering and borrowing books.
The two siblings are from Zhaotong, Yunnan. Their parents work in a nearby factory. Both siblings come here every day.
"It's winter vacation. Mom and Dad are busy, so let's come to Grandpa Ye to do homework and read books." Yin Lei told reporters, "Teacher Ye is very strict, but we are not afraid of him. He is like grandpa."
When going out, the siblings said to Ye Lianping in unison: "Goodbye, grandpa."
At that moment, the reporter noticed that Ye Lianping had a relieved smile on his face.
In daily communication, Ye Lianping always insisted on using the respectful name "you".
He said that teaching by example is better than words: "A teacher without morality can teach students well?"
One summer vacation, Ye Lianping took his students to a summer camp.
“When eating a buffet in a school cafeteria, a student served too much food and couldn’t finish it. He held a bowl and asked Mr. Ye what to do.” Ju Pingshu told reporters, “After Mr. Ye explained to the students the meaning of saving, Go beyond the students’ rice bowls and eat nothing leftovers."
"Every parent who came and said:'Teacher Ye, I've handed over the children to you.'" Ye Lianping told reporters, "If the children are handed over to me, I will take the responsibility, not only to teach the children the knowledge of books. , And teach them the principles of life."
"Teachers can't just be teachers who impart book knowledge, but must become'Mr. Big' who shape students' character, conduct, and taste." Ye Lianping said.
Undoubtedly, Ye Lianping is the "big man" of rural education in China.
Once, Ye Lianping had an operation for cataract.
For left-eye surgery, he went to class with his right eye open, and for right-eye surgery, he went to class with his left eye open, and one lesson did not fall.
Ye Lianping said: "Education is like farming. As a teacher with 35 years of party experience, we must first be a qualified seeder."
Once, a student wrote the English word "China" in lowercase in his homework.
Ye Lianping spent a long time explaining to the students why they must be capitalized: “The name of any country must be capitalized in English. This is a manifestation of the love for the motherland.” Teacher Ye told reporters: “In this way, not only is it talking. Clearing the difference between specific nouns and ordinary words is also teaching a patriotism education class."
The "bright light" of rural education
"Children's Day is coming soon. I want to add something to the kindergarten children... I bought toys and sports equipment from the county seat, but found that the front wheel of the bicycle was flat. I gritted my teeth and made an exception for the first time."
In 2013, Ye Lianping "fighted" for the first time in his life, and also the only time.
Had it not been for the lumbar spine injury in a car accident in 2018, Ye Lianping, who was over 90 years old, would definitely ride a bicycle to visit home on the banks of the Yangtze River.
Ye Lianping always believes that "home visits are a compulsory course for teachers."
In his view, the effect of home visits cannot be achieved by parents visiting school or calling home visits.
"A home visit is not a complaint. Only by visiting a student's home to understand the situation can we truly grasp the reasons behind the fluctuations in student performance."
It was during the home visit that Ye Lianping discovered the students' difficulties and took the initiative to let more than 10 children eat and live in his home for free.
In Ye Lianping's classroom, there are two blackboards, one for class, and the other one is stacked with student transcripts and test papers.
"Ye Teacher now has 58 students, divided into 4 classes according to different grades. He insists on teaching children every weekend, and every time he teaches each class more than two hours." Ju Pingshu was a little worried. After all, he is an old man in his 90s and has undergone many operations. I am afraid that his body will not be able to bear it.
When the reporter went for an interview on February 6, Ye Lianping said: "The homework was only changed yesterday." When I opened a thick stack of homework books, each page was densely filled with Ye Lianping's comments.
"Han Yu said:'Teacher, so preaching teaches karma to solve puzzles. "Preaching is to teach people, and teaching is to teach book knowledge. To solve puzzles is to mark homework. If you don't mark homework seriously, what teacher is called?"
To help fight the new crown pneumonia epidemic, in February 2020, Ye Lianping went to the bank and donated 20,000 yuan in the form of "special party dues."
The epidemic prevention and control situation has just stabilized. Ye Lianping considered that many families were unable to go out to work during the epidemic, and family income was affected.
In addition, the Buchen School screened 34 orphans, single-parent families, and families with special difficulties, and each family provided a subsidy of 400 yuan.
This old man, who has devoted his entire life and passion to rural education, still lives in a bungalow transformed from an old school classroom. There is no decent furniture in the house.
The Yangtze River is cold in winter, and Ye Lianping still wears a cotton waistcoat made by his sister when he left Nanjing 60 years ago.
For more than 20 years, they have volunteered to make up lessons for left-behind children, and they confiscated a penny of supplementary lessons, but instead subsidized and rewarded students with more than 500,000 yuan. Many people cannot understand this.
Ye Lianping said: "People here have never regarded me as an outsider. Their children are my children. Can they charge for supplementary lessons for their children?"
Gui Xuebao used to be a student of Ye Lianping. He returned to see Ye Lianping after he was admitted to Bengbu Medical College.
I heard that the medical school was short of specimens in class. Soon, Ye Lianping signed an agreement to donate the body to the medical school in a hundred years.
"People have done their best and died. I still want to make a little contribution, just as'death and never stop'."
Now, the Ye Lianping Scholarship Fund has been handed over to Yang Hongyan.
"I come to see my grandpa from time to time. I have come too often. Grandpa is afraid that I will delay my work. I will not worry if I am missing." Yang Hongyan said, "We Yelaoshr’s students discuss that we will take turns to teach the students and guard the left-behind children. If the family continues to run, we must pass on Grandpa’s spirit."
(Our reporter Chang He)
【Short Comment】
Tribute to the people who continue the incense for civilization
Ye Lianping, who is more than 90 years old, always humbly calls himself a "firefly."
But it is the humble fireflies in this village who burn themselves to illuminate the sky of the left-behind children and become the "lamp-burners" when they are hesitating and the guardian when they cry in the dark.
Ye Lianping said: "My time is running out, I want to leave the last time to the children. I have been racing against time. I hope to exhale the last breath on the podium."
Ye Lianping is ordinary, silently dedicated to the little-known village three-foot podium.
Ye Lianping is great. He has demonstrated his original intention and mission with more than 20 years of persistence. He takes the learning and growth of left-behind children as his own mission.
Life is endless, and responsibility is endless.
This is the reporter's fourth interview with Ye Lianping.
In the last interview, the blackboard at the back of the classroom was covered with colorful paper cranes.
Ye Lianping said: "These are the blessing cards that the children made for me on Father's Day."
He casually picked a lake-green paper crane from the blackboard, and it said crookedly: "Grandpa Ye, you are my dearest father!-You Mengyao, the first grade."
Although this is just a logically wrong but sincere blessing, this is the response of the purest heart after being moistened by love.
The advancing China needs the power of civilization and people who can continue the incense for civilization.
And Ye Lianping is undoubtedly a light of civilization and morality, illuminating the children's dream life.
In the face of such a beam of light and such a power, all we can do is to pay tribute and practice it.
(Author: Chang River)