Yang Ruiqing: a rural educator who has rooted in village run primary schools for 41 years and practiced educational ideals

Source: Jiangsu Civilization Network September 2022

Story: a rural educator who took root in the village run primary school in 41 years and practiced the educational ideal

Introduction: Yang Ruiqing, male, born in 1963, a member of the Communist Party of China, is the president of Nanjing Pukou Xingzhi Education Group. In 1981, Yang Ruiqing, who graduated from Nanjing Xiaozhuang Normal University, held his dream and volunteered to teach in Wuli Village Primary School on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Nanjing. Over the past 41 years, he has abandoned vanity and taken root here, practiced Tao Xingzhi's educational thought, and gradually developed a backward village run primary school into an education group integrating kindergarten, primary school, middle school and social practice base. He was awarded the National Teacher's Ethics Pacesetter and other honors.

Yang Ruiqing, male, born in June 1963, a member of the Communist Party of China, is currently the president of Xingzhi Education Group in Pukou District, Nanjing. From the age of 18 to 59, Yang Ruiqing painted 41 spring and autumn seasons in the same sky - Wuli Village on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Nanjing, making a backward village run primary school develop into an education group integrating kindergarten, primary school, middle school and social practice base. It has become a first-class rural school with Chinese characteristics that is loved by urban and rural children, satisfied by the people, and recognized by experts and scholars; It has become a "world school" that actively tells Chinese stories, promotes educational and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and has wide influence at home and abroad. 2735 graduates have experienced wonderful educational life here. The school has been established as the national primary and secondary school students' research and practice education camp (Ministry of Education), the national youth out of school activity demonstration base (China Customs Working Committee), the national primary and secondary school base for international promotion of Chinese language (formerly the Hanban), and the overseas Chinese international cultural exchange base (the Overseas Chinese Federation). Yang Ruiqing has been honored as one of the outstanding Communist Party members in Nanjing, one of the top ten people who touched Jiangsu education, one of the top ten young and middle-aged teachers in primary and secondary schools in China, a national model of teacher ethics, a national advanced worker, and a famous contemporary educator in China. This year, he was honored as the "National Model of Teaching and Educating in 2022".

Stick to the original intention and take root in rural education

Do not love the city to go to the countryside. On the May 4th Youth Day in 1981, Yang Ruiqing, who was about to graduate from Nanjing Xiaozhuang Normal School, knocked on the door of the headmaster's office and handed a letter of determination: learn Tao Xingzhi, take the road of Tao Xingzhi, and teach and run schools in the hardest and most remote villages, so that rural children can also get a good education. The graduates of Nanjing Xiaozhuang Normal School were "scarce talents" at that time, and staying in the city or being assigned to "good schools" was in line with the "trend", but Yang Ruiqing was determined to return to his hometown to teach. He came to Wuli Primary School, a village run primary school in a remote area of Jiangpu County, Jiangsu Province, with great enthusiasm. The local people have a catchphrase: "Black house, earthen platform, a row of low houses with mud children sitting inside." Due to poor teaching quality, farmers have transferred their children to other primary schools.

Yang Ruiqing devoted himself to teaching with the joy of becoming a new teacher. He took over the poor class called "Long live the second grade", and 20 of the 38 students had stayed in the grade. Yang Ruiqing named this class "Xingzhi Experimental Class". In the face of "poor class" and "poor students", Yang Ruiqing is determined to practice Tao Xingzhi's idea of "love all over the world", so that no child can be out of school or left behind. Even if you suffer a lot, you should teach your children.

School has begun. A child named Xu Ling has not come yet. On the same day, Yang Ruiqing went to see his parents. The child's father said coldly, "It doesn't matter whether girls read or not. It's better to keep geese at home." The parents couldn't do their work for a while, and Yang Ruiqing changed another way. Every day after school, he went to Xuling's house, accompanied her to release geese, and taught her the lessons of the day. For a whole month, the girl was in a cheerful mood and her parents were willing to send their children to school. The next spring, villagers volunteered to raise more than 70000 yuan to build new school buildings. The appearance of the school has changed, the quality of teaching has improved, and many children who had transferred to other schools have returned.

Do not love the organization to the grass-roots level. If Yang Ruiqing's first choice is not to love the city and go to the countryside, he does not want to be comfortable and dedicated. Then, Yang Ruiqing's second choice is not to love the office to the grass-roots level, not to love the "official position" and love the classroom. Under the efforts and leadership of Yang Ruiqing, Wuli Primary School has become more and more popular, with improved school running conditions and education quality. Wuli Primary School has also gained a little reputation, and Yang Ruiqing's professional ability and moral character have been concerned and recognized by the organization. In May 1983, Yang Ruiqing was transferred as the deputy secretary of the Youth League Committee of the county. From a secular perspective, Yang Ruiqing's life will be smooth all the way, and all his relatives and friends will be happy for him. It is natural for a village primary school teacher and a county cadre to choose the latter. But Yang Ruiqing sometimes feels empty in his heart after his busy work. What lingered was the scene at the class farewell meeting when he left Wuli Primary School: all the children were crying like little tears. The student took Miss Yang's hand and asked, "Can Miss Yang not leave?" The children's feelings were also the voice of the villagers. The old secretary entrusted someone to write a letter to the director of the county education bureau, asking for more simple and hardworking excellent teachers like Yang Ruiqing to come, which was also the most needed for rural education. A letter from the old party secretary made Yang Ruiqing unable to endure or sit down any longer. He solemnly proposed to the leaders: "There are many people suitable for the work of the Communist Youth League, but I'm not short of one; there are not many people rooted in rural education, so I can't be short of one." In September of that year, Yang Ruiqing returned to the children who get along day and night and worry about their feelings.

Yang Ruiqing returned to the three feet platform for rural children and rural education, which caused quite a stir. Many people are puzzled: You Yang Ruiqing, who refuses to take a bright career and stay in the busy county town, just wants to return to the countryside to be a poor rural teacher. Isn't that a "fool"? Yang Ruiqing said that Mr. Tao Xingzhi had a poem: "Fools grow melons and grow fools; only fools can save China". I would like to be such a "fool", and I am determined to be a village teacher all my life. In January 1985, Wuli Primary School was renamed Xingzhi Primary School. Under the influence of Yang Ruiqing, a group of teachers who were interested in rural education also came to the school. The enthusiasm of the villagers for education rose again, raising more than 100000 yuan again, further improving the conditions for running schools.

Choose to go back to the hometown between going to the city and going back to the hometown, and choose to go from teaching between going into politics and going from teaching. Yang Ruiqing's two choices are vivid educational stories and beautiful stories of life. As Yang Ruiqing said, "When you are young, you can't lose two things, one is ideal and the other is passion." Yang Ruiqing's 41 years of persistence perfectly explains his belief and pursuit.

Dare to be the first, practice and knowledge education go ahead

The first practical knowledge experimental class in China was founded. When Yang Ruiqing came to Wuli Primary School, he had to face the problem that there were many repeat students. There are 357 children born in nine years in the village, and the average grade repetition in primary school is 1.27 years. The direct consequences are that many students have poor grades, that children generally lack self-confidence, and that the burden on farmers' families has increased indirectly. Yang Ruiqing firmly believes that Tao Xingzhi's educational thought has practical value in solving problems. In 1981, he founded the first practical knowledge experimental class in China since the reform and opening up. "Learn to appreciate", let children be sunny and confident, and "learn to find", children have bright spots. Through changing ideas, ideas and methods, the experimental class has achieved remarkable results.

The first Xingzhi Primary School in China was founded. The success of the Xingzhi Experimental Class strengthened Yang Ruiqing's confidence in learning from Tao and running rural education well. In 1985, the first Xingzhi Primary School in Jiangsu Province was born, and the practice of the school's "non repetition system in primary schools" and "appreciation education concept" was very successful. Since then, the school has never had a repeat student, and students' academic performance has steadily improved. Xingzhi Primary School graduates have also become the most popular source of students in the middle schools in the region. This teaching reform experiment won the first prize of the National Tao Xingzhi Education Thought Theory and Practice Achievement.

It established the first social practice base for primary and secondary school students in Jiangsu Province. Yang Ruiqing adheres to the educational thought of the people's educator Tao Xingzhi that "life is education, school is society, and teaching and doing are integrated". In 1994, he founded the first social practice base for primary and secondary schools in Jiangsu Province, which was named "Xingzhi Base". Every autumn, Yang Ruiqing will lead the children to hold the "Persimmon Festival", not only to let the children experience the joy of picking and harvesting, but also to guide the children to think about the relationship between flowers, fruits, seeds and trees in combination with the language class, so as to expand the students' knowledge and cultivate their imagination. He asked every child to be a "little gentleman" of rural education. Hundreds of little gentlemen, under the guidance of teachers, brought the knowledge they learned into every family and became a link between teachers and parents, schools and society. The villagers are happy to say that Xingzhi Primary School is a big classroom, and we can also learn agricultural science and technology through the "Xingzhi Base". The labor practice base of Xingzhi Primary School helps the rural revitalization. Life is education, and school is society.

In the process of implementing rural education, Yang Ruiqing insisted on the road of "union". He actively enlisted the support of relevant departments and farmers, set up the experimental farm, and made the experimental farm a "base of practical knowledge education". Every year, he received tens of thousands of urban primary and secondary students to understand the rural society and experience the life of farmers. He played a positive role in strengthening the ideological and moral construction of minors, created new experience, and was praised by the central leadership. Since 2005, it has become the "Chinese Culture Immersion Activity" base for thousands of teachers and students in Singapore and Malaysia every year. Since 2007, it has been identified as the national Chinese language international promotion base school. In 2018, it has become the "national primary and secondary students' research and practice education camp" of the Ministry of Education. Nearly 500000 primary and middle school students came to Xingzhi Experimental Base to carry out research activities. 12000 foreign teachers and students came to Xingzhi School to experience Chinese culture and Chinese education. The concept of Xingzhi education has influenced the whole country and radiated to Southeast Asia.

Deeply cultivate the practice of practical knowledge education. Yang Ruiqing advocated the implementation of multiple forms of joint school running, with primary education as the central link, extending to early childhood education and adult education, and expanding to industrial construction, cultural construction, team building and other aspects, forming a dynamic "village level education" school running model. China Tao Xingzhi Research Association popularized this practice nationwide. In 2021, Nanjing Pukou Xingzhi Education Group's "40 years of practical knowledge education practice rooted in the countryside" won the special prize in the selection of Jiangsu Education Science Achievement Award. This research achievement takes "walking on the path of Xingzhi and cultivating new people in rural areas" as the main line, reflects the school running efforts and achievements of Xingzhi Primary School for decades, answers the path and law of high-quality development of rural schools, and 22 "Xingzhi Education Experiments" have strong reference and promotion. Yang Ruiqing also presided over the experimental project of forward-looking teaching reform of basic education in Jiangsu Province, New Exploration of Teaching and Doing Integration in Contemporary Life Scenarios, and held 17 sessions of the Three Kingdoms Forum on Knowledge Education (China, Singapore, Malaysia), and three sessions of the Cross Strait Forum on Knowledge Education, which had a far-reaching impact. In 2000, Yang Ruiqing was elected to the "National Outstanding Teachers' Ethics Report Group" of the Ministry of Education, and in 2002, he was elected to the Model Worker Facts Report Group organized by the All China Federation of Trade Unions. He went to the country twice to make speeches, which caused strong repercussions. Since 2003, Yang Ruiqing has been invited to give lectures in Singapore and Malaysia for many times, which has caused a sensation. The local media has made extensive reports. Local schools and associations have taken Xingzhi Primary School as a training and learning base. China Education Daily, People's Daily and the "Son of the East" column of CCTV have made special reports on Yang Ruiqing's deeds. Guangming Daily reported that Yang Ruiqing was "a rural educator like Tao Xingzhi".

Set an example. Peaches and plums make a difference without words

Set an example for teachers. It is most appropriate to describe Yang Ruiqing with "people as pale as chrysanthemums". Yang Ruiqing is full of gratitude and satisfaction for his living conditions. He has a catchphrase - "pretty good". In his opinion, food is good, clothes are good, housing is good, and teaching is good. He felt that there are "four incomparable" in being a rural teacher: incomparable pride, incomparable plainness, incomparable treasure and incomparable happiness. After Yang Ruiqing published his monograph and completed the study and research task of a visiting scholar for a year from the Central Institute of Education and Science, someone said, "You have become famous. Take this opportunity to change your job. Don't waste your precious life in the 1000 and 10000 repetitions of 2+3=5 in Wuli Primary School, and waste it on rural children who have a runny nose and a wild spirit.", It hurts me too much. Yang Ruiqing didn't think so. He said that running a rural primary school well can be of great value to "unlimited". My efforts can change a child's life! He has a formula of life value invented by himself: life value=amount of contribution/amount of acquisition. He believes that by dividing the amount of contributions of rural teachers by the amount of acquisition, a great quotient can be obtained and the lofty value of life can be created. Under the leadership of Yang Ruiqing, an advanced group of teachers who love the countryside, children and career has also grown up. In the practice of rural education, Yang Ruiqing found the balance point of life in his own dedication. As he said, some people think that I have lost a lot, but they don't know that I have also gained a lot. Over the years, by contributing to the society and serving the countryside, my self-confidence has been enhanced, my ability has been developed, and my value has been reflected.

"Flash education" helps students grow up healthily. In Yang Ruiqing's eyes, every student is a material that can be made, and every student is a star. They are close to each other, and no one will crowd out anyone. "Never just look at the exam, and only see the score." "Learning is for development. Students are not the container of knowledge, but the main body of development. Students should be the masters of learning." Yang Ruiqing advocates and practices "flash education", that is, where children want to develop, they should look for flash points, so that children can grow up happily, confidently and healthily. Almost every student in Xingzhi Primary School is grateful and misses their teacher Yang Ruiqing. The logo and school logo design of Xingzhi Primary School was completed by an alumnus who graduated from Xingzhi Primary School. At the beginning, he was inferior to himself because of his poor academic performance. It was Mr. Yang Ruiqing's encouragement that lit up the light of hope for him. "You are so sensitive to color and line, you must be an art talent". This student who was once recognized as a "poor student" later entered the university, embarked on the road of art design, and is now an associate professor of the university. Wang Yinxia, a graduate of 1986, was awarded 2018 "Good People in Nanjing". She said affectionately on many occasions that it was Mr. Yang Ruiqing who planted the seeds of kindness in her heart. Zhang Xinghai, a graduate of 2001, is a top student of Nanjing University. He wrote in his article "Entering Xingzhi without Regret in This Life" that Xingzhi School gives itself the power of spirit. When Yang Caiyan, a 2013 graduate, was seriously ill and desperate, it was the care and assistance of Xingzhi Primary School teachers and students and Yang Ruiqing that helped her tide over the difficulties, and later successfully admitted to college.

For a long time, Yang Ruiqing has taken root in the front line of rural teaching. He loves the countryside, children and education. He has devoted himself to practice for decades without any regrets. Comrade Yang Ruiqing is an example for our city's primary and secondary school teachers to learn from, and his advanced deeds will certainly inspire and inspire the vast number of educators to devote themselves to education and teachers' posts. Yang Ruiqing's experiment in knowledge education has had a wide impact at home and abroad. People's Daily, CCTV, Xinhua News Agency, Singapore's Lianhe Morning Post, Malaysia's Nanyang Business Daily and other media have paid attention to and reported on it. His focus on Walking on the Path of Practice and Knowledge was included in the "Series of Contemporary Chinese Educators", which was published in China and Malaysia successively. He edited and published the first set of "Experimental Series of Practice and Knowledge Education" (7 books) in China. The project of "40 years of practical knowledge education experiment rooted in the countryside" declared by him as the host won the special prize of basic education teaching achievements in Jiangsu Province.