One thousand zero one night

  Turn off the lights!

At 21:20 on December 20, 2021, Caijiagang Middle School, Dingcheng District, Changde City, Hunan Province, the student dormitory was silent.

  Light up!

In the 502 bedroom, Ma Xiaojuan, the head teacher, sits on a small bench, turns on the flashlight, and tells the story "Huihui's Dance Shoes" to the students lying on the bed.

  This is the 1001th night that Teacher Ma tells the students a story.

  It spans 7 years, from Zhoujiadian Middle School to Caijiagang Middle School, from Class 199 to Class 6 (3).

Listening to teacher Ma tell a 30-minute story every night before going to bed has become an unchanging agreement between teachers and students.

  Teacher Ma likes to talk, and students like to listen.

  On the night of 1001, the light of thought lit up the child's night sky.

"Me and Grandma"

  "In addition to music, what subjects are you good at?" the school dean asked Ma Xiaojuan, who was a teacher at the beginning.

  In July 2015, Ma Xiaojuan graduated from Hunan First Normal University with a major in musicology and was admitted to Zhoujiadian Middle School in Dingcheng District, Changde City.

She is full of ambition and hopes to show her talents in the field of country music education.

But on the first day of school, I learned that the teachers of all subjects in rural schools were lacking, and she had to be a good "magic oil".

In addition to teaching music, the school arranged for her to teach mathematics as a class teacher.

  There are many left-behind children in rural areas.

Students start boarding in the sixth grade, and their parents are not around. Many things can only be handled by the teacher in charge.

  Classmate Fangfang had a stomachache, so Teacher Ma hurriedly took Fangfang to the hospital to see a doctor and called to notify the parents.

  What was left was the phone of the child's uncle, and no one answered it.

Fangfang whispered: "Teacher does not need to hit, uncle must think you are a debt collector."

  "Then what's your parents' phone number?"

  "My parents don't have a phone call because... they both have mental illness." Fangfang's eyes reddened.

  Ma Xiaojuan was very guilty. After a few weeks of getting along, she didn't even know the special situation of the students.

  How many "fangfangs" are there in the class?

  Since then, Ma Xiaojuan has been more caring for the students. Some students are hungry at night, so she will provide fruit snacks; if there are poor students who cannot pay the living expenses in time, she will use the salary to advance; after the students make mistakes, she promptly guides...

  One morning, Ma Xiaojuan discovered that a day student had not come to the school and was about to contact the parents. He saw the parents walking over with the student.

Ma Xiaojuan walked out of the classroom, greeted the parents, and asked the students if they were uncomfortable and why they were late?

The student bowed his head and said nothing.

  The parents didn’t go far. When they looked back and saw the child was still standing outside the classroom, he immediately ran over to Teacher Ma and yelled: “It’s not too late for a while. Why would she stand outside for a while? Do you want to punish the students physically? be a teacher?!"

  Ma Xiaojuan was dumbfounded: "I'm just asking about the situation, I'm afraid the child is not feeling well."

  "Don't worry if you are uncomfortable." The parents pushed the students into the classroom without looking back.

  Ma Xiaojuan was very wronged and cried.

  Going home on the weekend, she was depressed and said to her father: "I don't want to be a teacher anymore."

  Soon, Ma Xiaojuan found two post-it notes in the office drawer.

  One is: "Teacher Xiaojuan, I will feel lost when I see you sad and sad. I hope you will never be sad."

  Another one: "Dear teacher Xiaojuan, a grass is fragile, but countless grasses can survive strong winds and heavy rains. We are like those tenacious grasses. let's work hard together!"

  Ma Xiaojuan cried again, this time she was moved by Xiaocao.

  Teacher Zhao at the door walked in to read the post-it notes and said to Ma Xiaojuan: "Students understand, teachers understand, and schools understand your hard work and dedication. You are a sunny, cheerful, and positive teacher. Don't deny yourself."

  In the evening, Ma Xiaojuan sat at the table, looked at and looked at the student's post-it notes, and finally smiled.

She put the post-it notes in her beloved graduation handbook.

  Looking at the cover of the manual, Ma Xiaojuan thought of the eighth class of his alma mater.

  Mao Zedong is an alumnus of Hunan First Division.

Mao Zedong secretly applied for the first division, carrying the job as a grain shop assistant arranged by his father.

The place where he teaches is the eighth classroom.

  In the first lesson of school, the teacher Yang Changji asked Mao Zedong what his ambition was.

Young Mao Zedong couldn't answer for a while.

After studying and tempering hard, he finally found the right answer, and spent his entire life to practice this ambition—to transform China and the world.

  Compared with Chairman Mao, what's the point of my own grievance?

Is the ideal of dedicating to rural education so easily shaken?

Ma Xiaojuan was ashamed.

  Ma Xiaojuan regained his vitality the next day.

She saw several students handing books to each other: "What book did you hand over?"

  The students rushed to answer: "The Grimm's Fairy Tales" and "Andersen's Fairy Tales"...

  Fangfang is holding "Mother's Story".

Ma Xiaojuan approached Fangfang: "Do you like story books?"

  "I like it, in the book, I can talk to my mother." Fangfang replied in a low voice.

  A student suggested: "Teacher, can you tell us a story at night? I really want you to accompany us more."

  At 21 o'clock on October 8, 2015, the girls' dormitory.

Ma Xiaojuan did not leave in a hurry after ordering the number of people and asking about the situation.

Wang Shuxiang in the lower berth saw the teacher standing all the time, and sat up to flatten the corner of the quilt: "Teacher, sit here."

  Ma Xiaojuan said: "Don't you want to hear the teacher tell a story? Today I will tell you a "Me and Grandma"."

  From then on, Ma Xiaojuan lined up and told stories in the boys' dormitory on Mondays and Wednesdays.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays in the girls' dormitory.

 Ma Xiaojuan's words--

 What is the origin of storytelling?

 It's actually tears.

It is the tears of a child-tears of loneliness, tears of longing; tears of my own-tears of grievance, tears of gratitude.

 What do left-behind children need most?

It's warm!

When I was young, listening to my grandma’s bedtime stories was what I looked forward to most every day.

 The students said that they thank the teacher for telling stories to them every night.

In fact, I am most grateful to the students. Those who understand you, love you, respect you, accept your teaching today, and repay you with a lifetime of growth tomorrow.

 "Eighth Class Classroom" is the story I focus on. From the experience of young Mao Zedong's learning and growth, we know how important it is to establish lofty ideals.

The process of storytelling is also a process of self-improvement.

My students and I grew up healthily under the influence of good stories.

"The Lamp in the Canteen"

  In the second semester of 2016, Ma Xiaojuan was transferred to Caijiagang Middle School.

Schools are different, but the attributes of rural schools have not changed, and Ma Xiaojuan's unique way of telling stories has not changed.

  On Monday, Caijiagang Middle School held a flag-raising ceremony.

Ma Xiaojuan found that some of the students' red scarves were dirty, and some were worn incorrectly.

That night, Ma Xiaojuan told the story "The Color of Red Scarf" in the boys' bedroom.

  Listen and listen, some students cried.

Teacher Ma asked: "How can we add luster to the red scarf?"

  Zhou Fangyou replied: "Remember to wear a red scarf every day and study hard."

  Li Haixin said: "The red scarf must be worn correctly and kept clean."

  Yang Haoyu said: "Keep in mind the spirit of the martyrs and be a useful person."

  On the second day of inter-class exercises, Mr. Ma found that the students were neatly organized, with standard actions, and bright red scarves were flying on the students' chests.

  On Sunday night, Ma Xiaojuan was reading at home, and received a call from Ao'o's mother, saying that Ao'ao did not go home and did not know where he had gone.

It turned out that Ao'ao and his classmate Rui Rui agreed to play table tennis together after dinner on Sunday.

Aoao rushed to the school excitedly after eating, waiting at the table.

Rui Rui had finished eating, but forgot about it.

  Ma Xiaojuan was anxious and asked each parent one by one. It wasn't until Rui Rui's mother asked Rui Rui after seeing the group information that Rui Rui remembered the missed appointment.

  The parents found O'ao in the playground and called Ma Xiaojuan to report safety.

The stone in everyone's heart fell to the ground.

  Ma Xiaojuan feels it is necessary to tell her classmates about honesty. Her story is "The Lamp in the Canteen".

  On that day, the school notified that there would be no water supply. After class, Ma Xiaojuan went to the residence to collect water first, and asked the health committee member Liao Shiyi to help in the canteen for food.

After receiving the water, Ma Xiaojuan went to the office to correct the homework and forgot to eat. It was not until the evening of self-study that Liao Shiyi had not come to the classroom.

Where did Shiyi go?

Ma Xiaojuan yelled while running on campus to see if it was in which corner.

When I came to the side of the cafeteria, I saw only one light was on and the door was ajar.

  Ma Xiaojuan walked in, and Liao Shiyi stayed in the canteen alone.

  "Why don't you go to study at night?"

  "Teacher, I'm waiting for you to eat."

  Under the dim light, Ma Xiaojuan saw that there was a lot of rice left in Liao Shiyi's lunch box.

  "Why have you not finished eating for so long?"

  "I'm afraid I'm finished, no one will eat with you." After speaking, Liao Shiyi took out Teacher Ma's lunch box from under the sweater.

  Ma Xiaojuan touched the lunch box with residual heat, her eyes were moist.

  Ma Xiaojuan said emotionally: "Students, the teacher forgot the promise, did not keep the promise, the teacher was wrong. Liao Shiyi should be praised. The light in the cafeteria is the light of integrity!"

  A student said: "Teacher, I want to buy the toys and books I like. My father always says to buy it next time, and then there will be no next time."

  Ma Xiaojuan said: "We are always easy to remember the promises that others have forgotten, but have we ever cared about the'unbelief' to others? Since we value the promises of others to ourselves so much, we should think about it from another perspective. Don’t make a promise lightly. If you say something, you should make a promise and try your best to do it."

  One day, Ma Xiaojuan organized students to go out for a spring outing. During lunch, each group showed cooking skills, and the teachers scored according to the color, fragrance, and taste.

Since the cooking progress of each group is different, the dishes are cold when scoring, and the "fragrant" cannot be judged.

The two teachers discussed and replaced this scoring item with a team collaboration ability score.

  The taste of the dishes is comparable, and the difference is the teamwork.

The first group got high scores.

  Ma Xiaojuan hopes to use a story to tell the students that the most important thing in group activities is to cooperate with each other, to know how to collaborate, and to contribute and share.

  The story told by Teacher Ma is "The Noble Secret" created by Li Xuefeng.

  A Dutch flower merchant introduced a rare flower from Africa, planned to breed it for three years, and start selling it after he owns tens of thousands of plants.

After the third year, I was frustrated that the flowers had become smaller and the color of the flowers had become much worse than before.

The businessman consulted a botanist.

The botanist asked, “What’s next to your flower garden?” “It’s someone else’s flower garden.” Then he asked, “Is the same kind of flowers planted?” The businessman shook his head: “I own this kind of flowers in the whole of the Netherlands. The flowerbeds are full of ordinary flowers."

  The botanist said: "Oh, I know the secret that precious flowers are no longer precious. Although your flower garden is full of these precious flowers, the flower garden next to you is planted with other flowers. After the flowers are passed on by the wind, they are also infected with pollen from other species adjacent to the flowerbed, so your precious flowers are not as good as each year."

  "What to do?" said the botanist: "Who can stop Feng'er from pollinating pollen? There is only one way, that is, to plant your neighbor's flower garden with your flowers."

  So the merchant distributed the flowers to the neighbors.

The flowers bloomed in the spring of the following year, and the flower gardens of merchants and neighbors became a sea of ​​precious flowers-elegant colors, graceful and luxurious.

As soon as these flowers went on the market, they were sold out.

  Teacher Ma told the students: “There is no nobleness that can be left alone. To maintain your nobility, you must have a noble neighbor. If you want to have a sea of ​​noble flowers, you must share it with others and share it with everyone. Cultivate beauty. The team that got high scores on our spring outing is a team of solidarity and cooperation. Each member of the team has a different job, and everyone plays a vital role. If everyone cares about it, you will not be able to achieve one. A united collective."

  Each story Ma Xiaojuan chooses contains a profound theme.

  After hearing the story of "The Cripple", Cai Wenjun understood: "Knowledge can change destiny."

  Student Zhao Yi listened to "Shen Fang": "People should learn to be satisfied to be happy."

  Classmate Xiong Shujuan listened to "I Just Want the Best": "I regret that the cadres of the opening class are campaigning and did not stand on the stage. I actually really want to run for the study committee. You should believe in yourself and take the initiative to do anything in the future. Bravely break through."

  Student Wu Junjia talked about "The better the relationship, the more you should walk on thin ice": "Friends must tolerate each other and don't hurt each other."

 Ma Xiaojuan's words--

 When the people in the story walked to us from the book, when the storytelling is no longer a one-way output, but a two-way rush, only to find that we are getting closer and closer to the story, the emotions in the text, and the thought expression in the story. The line that became our moral character, the ruler.

The story taught us a personal philosophy, and we ourselves became the protagonists of the next story.

 A story is like a small drop of water, and may not be enough to affect the growth of students, but what about 10, 100, 1000 stories?

Water droplets go through it!

"Don't Underestimate 30 Days"

  Ma Xiaojuan came out of the student dormitory, pushed the door downstairs and found that it was locked.

Ma Xiaojuan found Master Gong, the manager of the dormitory, and Master Gong was surprised: "You are still there! I thought the teacher was gone."

  Ma Xiaojuan felt guilty and felt troubled by the administrator.

The administrator said: "Teacher Ma, you are serious and caring. I support you when you tell stories. It's just that if you can start earlier, your own body is also very important." In this way, Ma Xiaojuan and the administrator reached a "gentleman agreement". , The end of the story does not exceed 9:50.

  The young teachers of the school have an agreement to gather out for a supper every Wednesday night.

Everyone was on time, only Ma Xiaojuan was late.

When I left the dormitory that night, Ma Xiaojuan rushed downstairs just to hear the administrator closing the door.

Someone shook her with a flashlight in the distance, and she was taken aback.

Then someone shouted: "Xiaojuan, hurry up, everyone is waiting for you!"

  A warm current surged up.

  One day in March 2019, Ma Xiaojuan used her throat too much and her voice suddenly became dumb.

At night, she used a faint voice to check in the girls’ dormitory. She wanted to explain the situation to the students, so she heard the students ask: "What story is the teacher telling today?"

  Another student said: "Teacher's voice is dumb, let's talk about it next time!"

  At this time, Ma Xiaojuan received a message from her father's mobile phone: "I will wait for you at the back door and take you to the hospital."

  On one side are the physical discomfort and father's urging, on the other side is the student's longing eyes.

She chose to insist on telling the story.

  That night, I talked about "Don't Underestimate 30 Days" by Jiang Guangyu.

  Observers counted the number of lotus blooms in a lotus pond every day: few lotus blooms on the first day; the second day doubled the number of the first day; and the third day doubled the second day.

On the 29th day, the lotus in the pond half bloomed.

On the 30th day, the lotus suddenly filled the pond.

Observers summarized this statistic as "the 30-day lotus law."

  Engineer Katz learned about the lotus law and wondered if he could become healthier with 30 angels?

So I drafted a 30-day plan: insist on cycling to and from get off work, walk 10,000 steps a day, take a photo every day, write a 50,000-word autobiography in 30 days, and ask myself not to watch TV or eat sugar.

After 30 days, Katz really became a relatively healthy, optimistic and literary person.

  Teacher Ma concluded: "Neither nature nor human society follows the law of change from quantity to qualitative change. Don't underestimate the changes that accumulate day by day. Even if it is not a long 30 days, it is enough to make a significant change."

  After telling the story and walking towards the back door, Ma Xiaojuan was scolded by her father: "Is it important to tell the story, or is my body important?"

  Ma Xiaojuan said: "Dad, it's all important, but students are more important than me!"

  Ma Xiaojuan received a text message from Wang Canrong’s mother. The mother who worked far away learned from her child’s grandmother that her daughter, who likes to sleep in late, got up at 6:30 in the morning on the weekends and started to read and skip rope.

The mother said: "I thought she could not persist, but who knew she had persisted for three weeks. I asked my daughter, how did she suddenly change? She said that Teacher Ma told a story and it can form a good habit in 30 days!"

  Does storytelling require skill besides persistence?

 Ma Xiaojuan's words--

 Of course it needs to.

First of all, good oral expression skills are required.

If you are unprepared, there will definitely be a stuttering situation, which will affect the students' hearing experience.

A student told me that his father always pauses when he tells a few words while his mother tells a story very well.

 Second, choose different subjects for children of different ages.

Students are very interested in the stories happening around them, such as the teacher's personal experience, the stories of the students I have taught, and so on.

It is necessary to set up questions appropriately, let students answer them, and pay attention to their responses.

Capture students' interest points and needs in their responses.

 Also pay attention to the form and situation of storytelling.

Before telling the story, talk about the daily routines in life, get closer, and let the students have a kind of joy that "this story is told for me".

 "Don't Underestimate the 30 Days" experiment is amazing, but there are very few people who can put a good plan into practice.

Giving up requires only one reason, but persistence requires breaking through numerous obstacles.

I feel unwell, and occasionally a little depressed. None of this affects my evening date with the kids.

Special thanks to school leaders, colleagues, bedkeepers and parents for their encouragement and tolerance. They are all my relatives and friends, and my gas station.

"Huihui's Dance Shoes"

  Huihui is a student in Ma Xiaojuan's class, and her mother is seriously ill.

In one music class, one student from each group needs to send an impromptu dance performance.

Huihui became a representative, and the performance received applause.

Ma Xiaojuan discovered that Huihui liked dancing and had taken a dance enlightenment class for a while, but she stopped training due to family reasons.

Huihui does everything at home cooking and washing, but rarely raises her hands to answer questions in class, and never actively participates in large-scale cultural activities in classes and schools, like a shy deer.

  Ma Xiaojuan decided to help her rehearse the solo dance "Jasmine".

There is no dance studio in the school, so Ma Xiaojuan took her to the labor studio to rehearse.

In the labor technical room on the first floor, students often pass by onlookers, making Huihui unable to let go.

With the encouragement of Ma Xiaojuan, Huihui built up her confidence and won the fourth place in the solo, solo and solo competitions in Dingcheng District.

Teacher Ma added another story "Huihui's Dance Shoes".

  Student Fan Mengran said: "Listening to teacher Ma telling stories is like listening to mother telling stories. Mother is often not around, and teacher Ma is always by our side and in our hearts."

  It has only been a few months for Teacher Ma to take over the current six (3) class, but the ability to tell stories has been passed on to the students in the class.

Every day, a student comes to the podium to share a story.

  What do you think of teacher Ma's storytelling?

  Teacher Tian Fanghui, the third-grade class teacher of elementary school, said: "Ma Xiaojuan is my benchmark. I also went to the student dormitory to listen to her telling a story. That day she was talking about "Lianbian Mist in the Forest". The mood calmed down instantly. Inspiring questions to guide students to think. I am Ma Xiaojuan, an alumnus of Hunan First Normal School, and I studied fine art. Recently, I spent 4 weekends to create an oil painting-"Story Telling". Record this beautiful moment in the form of art. Not only do I want to paint, but I also have to learn. I also want to share stories with students during the reading and newspaper time of our class at noon every day."

  Teacher Lei Fang said: “Students in the class taught by Mr. Ma understand etiquette, discipline, are motivated to learn, and have a strong sense of collective honor. When the sports meet is held, the students in their class not only cheer for the athletes in their class, but also for other class players. Some people are thirsty and tired, and the children will form a volunteer team to serve. I think this is also the effect of teacher Ma’s storytelling and subtle effects."

  Fan Shuning’s mother said: “Ms. Ma’s story has a great influence on the child. After the child returns home, he often tells it to me, such as "The Cripple" and "Greeting to the Security Guard", I will tell it."

  A text message from Quan Zhexian’s classmate’s mother: "The child goes home and talks about school things. Sometimes I feel that your care and care for the child even surpassed me. My child met you at an important stage in his life. It’s a child. It is also an honor for the parents. Teacher Ma, thank you!"

  Ma Xiaojuan’s father said: “Xiaojuan often cried when she was a teacher. Every time I went home, I waited for her at the school gate. I said that at half past nine in the evening, I would wait until after 10 o’clock every time. Later I found out about her. It’s because there is one more story-telling session than other teachers. This way is really good. She is getting closer and closer to the students' hearts, and getting closer to our hearts. Both my mother and I are influenced by her and feel happy. It’s getting stronger too. When I meet people in town, I’m happy as long as everyone mentions my daughter. Xiaojuan has a boyfriend, and we are worried about whether there will be conflicts due to storytelling. As a result, he often accompanies Xiaojuan. Let's go to the bookstore to read and find materials."

  Principal Liu Qihong said: “As a post-90s generation, Ma Xiaojuan’s commitment to rural education is commendable. The school’s cultural and sports activities are basically organized by her and carried out vividly. The melodrama "Youth Memorial Book" won the first prize of the Art Exhibition in Dingcheng District. , The classic recitation program of "Four Gentlemen" entered the finals of Dingcheng District and won the award of excellence. Before the school conditions were not good, she moved her piano, guitar, ukulele, African drum, clarinet, etc. to the school for the students We use it. She has been a class teacher for more than six years in school. The class management is very distinctive. Many parents in the town told me that they asked me to be assigned to teacher Ma’s class. Because teacher Ma tells stories for students, some students who live nearby I also want to board, and there has been a strange event that urban students transfer to our rural school. Ma Xiaojuan is like a magnet, attracting people around her. The shortcoming of rural education is the team of teachers, teachers like Ma Xiaojuan, The more the better!"

 Ma Xiaojuan's words--

 Someone asked me, you work half an hour more than others every night. 7 years is a big number, and you don’t have a penny for overtime. Is it worth it?

 I want to say that the value of life cannot be measured by others' eyes, let alone money.

When I was young, I studied at Caijiagang School. When I grew up, I came back here to be a teacher. This is a campus full of love.

Liu Chunqiao, the first principal and a model worker who is devoted to the people, and the vice-principal Zhou Jianguo, who worked hard to save the children who fell into the water, and the teacher Dong Tiefang who silently dedicated his love to the students... are all my role models.

 I often think that there are a few questions that children must understand from an early age-why do people live?

Who is studying for?

We must cultivate our children's overall outlook and sense of responsibility so that they can all become builders and successors of the cause of socialism.

 Storytelling has been integrated into the lives of my students and me, as natural as eating and sleeping.

 As a teacher for one day, I will tell a story for one day.

 (Author: Tang Xiangyue and Peng Sanying)