Chapter 86 Work-Study Program

The participation of children from pastoral areas and the positive reputation of literacy classes on the ridges of fields have enabled Qiming Primary School and literacy programs to spread throughout the livestock farm and even the surrounding areas.

But Shu Ran did not rest on her laurels. She realized that relying solely on spare time during her morning and evening work hours and in the fields would make it difficult to conduct in-depth and systematic education for children or literacy programs for adults.

A few days later, Shu Ran brought a more detailed plan to Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma.

"Secretary, Company Commander," Shu Ran placed the plan on the table and got straight to the point, "These are some specific ideas about the next steps for our demonstration site. I would like to ask the company to review them."

Secretary Liu picked up the plan, and Company Commander Ma also came over to look at it. The title was "Preliminary Plan on Piloting the 'Production and Learning Integration' Model in the Livestock Company".

"Integrated production and learning?" Secretary Liu adjusted his glasses, somewhat puzzled.

“Yes,” Shu Ran explained, “Director Zhao’s emphasis on production as the core is absolutely correct. My idea is to integrate learning and production more closely, so that they are not separate entities, but rather mutually reinforcing.”

She pointed to the items in the plan: "For example, firstly, we can combine literacy education with specific production skills training. When technicians or experienced masters teach agricultural machinery operation and livestock disease prevention, we can compile key operating procedures, drug names, dosages, and usages into rhymes or write them directly into characters for everyone to recognize and remember. In this way, they can immediately apply what they learn to production, recognize the characters accurately, remember them well, and reduce operational errors."

Company Commander Ma stroked his chin and nodded: "That's a good approach. Last time, a new employee almost mixed up two kinds of pesticides and couldn't recognize the labels."

“Secondly,” Shu Ran continued, “we can try ‘learning through work.’ For example, the company is cleaning up that old drainage ditch, right? We can organize literacy classes for students, especially family members of workers. After completing their quotas, we can use our rest time to teach them some relevant words and phrases on-site. This way, they can complete their production tasks, learn literacy in a practical setting, and it won’t take up any extra production time.”

Secretary Liu's eyes showed interest: "Hmm... if we do it this way, there might be less resistance from Director Zhao. Learning hasn't become detached from production; on the contrary, it's promoting production."

“Third,” Shu Ran offered her long-considered idea, “is about the pastoral areas. Old Aken and the others are now actively sending their children to school, but we can’t just let the children travel back and forth all the time. I suggest that the company support us in organizing a small mobile service team to go to the pastoral areas regularly… for example, once every ten days? I can be responsible for providing centralized education for women in the pastoral areas and older children who are temporarily unable to attend school at the company; Comrade Xu Junjun can also conduct mobile clinics and popularize health knowledge; we can even invite technicians who understand animal husbandry to go along and answer questions about livestock and pastures on-site. One trip, multiple benefits.”

Company Commander Ma slapped his thigh: "This is great! It serves the pastoral people, strengthens ethnic unity, and also demonstrates our company's concern and support for the work in the pastoral areas! Old Liu, I think it's a good idea!"

Secretary Liu carefully examined the plan, pondered for a moment, and said, "Comrade Shu Ran, your idea is very valuable and well-considered. Especially the point about integrating it with production, which is very accurate. Here, I'll keep this plan for now, and Company Commander Ma and I will study it carefully again. We also need to discuss it with Comrade Zhao Weidong. However, in principle, I support it. You can try it once or twice on a small scale, such as Wang Guilan's literacy group, to see the effect."

With Secretary Liu's words, Shu Ran felt more at ease. She knew that things had to be done step by step.

She first approached Sister Wang and explained her idea of ​​"learning through work." Sister Wang, who was now very enthusiastic about learning, immediately responded, "Sure! Teacher Shu, whatever you say, we'll do! I know about cleaning the drainage ditch; the women's team is also involved. I'll talk to them, and I guarantee there won't be any problems!"

The first "work-study" pilot program was held on a weekend afternoon, cleaning up an abandoned drainage ditch on the west side of the company. The participants were mainly women from the literacy class, along with a few teenagers. Shu Ran also came carrying a shovel.

During a break from work, everyone sat down to rest by the canal. Instead of using a book, Shu Ran used a shovel to write a large "canal" character on the flat mud.

"Sisters, the work we're doing today is cleaning this—the canal!" She pointed to the words on the ground, "the 'canal' in 'drainage canal'."

“Water flows through soil, and people work hard. We exert our strength and sweat to drain the alkali from the soil and help the crops grow well. This is what ‘labor is glorious’!” She then strung the four words together.

The women gathered around, chanting and gesturing with their hands. Sister Wang studied most diligently, muttering, "The 'qu' in 'canal'... I've got it now, it matches our work!"

The on-site teaching session was short, only about ten minutes, but combined with specific work scenarios and physical memory, the effect was surprisingly good. Even women who were initially hesitant found the characters less unfamiliar and tedious.

The news spread quickly. At the production scheduling meeting the following week, after assigning production tasks, Zhao Weidong added: "...When organizing production work, each shift can appropriately combine the actual situation to carry out some necessary and practical technical explanations and cultural learning, but must ensure that it does not affect the production progress and safety."

This is almost an endorsement of the "work-study" model.

Shu Ran seized this opportunity and began to systematically integrate literacy instruction with various production activities of the livestock company. When the mechanized farming team was repairing tractors, she consulted the technicians, then compiled relevant production terms into rhymes and taught them to interested workers; in the feed processing room, she led the women to recognize the characters on the feed formulas…

Her presence was no longer confined to that small tool shed classroom, but was active in the fields, machine rooms and pens of the livestock company.

She is no longer the "Teacher Shu" who only writes and draws on the blackboard, but has gradually become "Comrade Shu Ran" who integrates into the front line of production and can use cultural knowledge to solve practical problems.

That evening, Shu Ran returned from helping Li Xiulan check the monthly soybean residue outgoing records at the tofu shop. At the intersection next to the company headquarters, she ran into Chen Yuanjiang again. He seemed to have just returned from patrol, as his horse was carrying some things.

"Officer Chen," Shu Ran greeted him.

Chen Yuanjiang's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he nodded: "I heard your 'integrated production and learning' project is quite a success."

Shu Ran smiled and said, "It's all just wild speculation within the framework drawn by Director Zhao."

Chen Yuanjiang smiled faintly, as if amused by her choice of words, or perhaps for some other reason. He didn't continue the conversation, but instead took a brown paper bag from his satchel on horseback and handed it to her.

"What is this?" Shu Ran asked, taking the item with some confusion.

"There are some old newspapers and a few outdated issues of 'Rural Science and Technology Newsletter.' They contain short articles about scientific farming and animal husbandry, which might be helpful for your 'integrated production' strategy."

Shu Ran opened the paper bag and rummaged through it. Although the newspapers and magazines inside were old, the content was indeed very practical, such as how to compost, how to identify common livestock diseases, and how to save water for irrigation. This was closer to the current needs of the livestock company than the book "Practical Rural Literacy Teaching Methods".

She looked up, her eyes sparkling: "This is so useful! Officer Chen, you really are..."

"It's nothing," Chen Yuanjiang interrupted her, taking the reins. "The division's archives are cleaned regularly; leaving them lying around is a waste."

Shu Ran glanced down at the documents in her arms, and a bolder idea began to take shape in her mind. Perhaps her demonstration project shouldn't be limited to literacy and basic education. Combining these scientific and technological materials with some of her new-era ideas, she might be able to try to do much more…

*

The busiest time of spring plowing has passed, but the pace of the production team has not slowed down. There are noticeably more students at Qiming Primary School, especially children from the pastoral area. Under Lao Aken's arrangement, parents take turns riding horses to the production team every day and picking them up after school, making the classrooms packed.

Shu Ran became even busier. With students of varying abilities, she had to dedicate more energy to group teaching, spending her days teaching and her evenings working under the kerosene lamp to create more practical new teaching materials.

Sister Wang and Li Xiulan became her capable assistants; one helped maintain order and take care of the young children, while the other helped make simple literacy flashcards.

That afternoon, Shu Ran was leading the children in practicing new characters on the ground with twigs in the open space outside the classroom when a dusty jeep drove into the company and stopped directly in front of the company gate.

Two people got out of the car: Director Sun in front, and a young man carrying a briefcase behind him. Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma, having heard the news, quickly came out from the company headquarters to greet them, their attitude quite respectful.

"Director Sun! Why did you come in person? You didn't even give us a heads-up so we could prepare." Secretary Liu shook hands warmly.

Director Sun smiled, but his gaze went past Secretary Liu's shoulder and landed on the group of children squatting on the ground not far away, writing and drawing, and Shu Ran standing in the middle of them.

"Just passing by, and thought I'd drop by your demonstration site." Director Sun's tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp. "Let's go see Shu Ran's work?"

"Alright!" Company Commander Ma quickly waved to Shu Ran, "Teacher Shu, come here for a moment!"

Shu Ran felt a little uneasy. She patted the dust off her hands, straightened her clothes, and quickly walked over.

"Director Sun, you've arrived."

Director Sun skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Comrade Shu Ran, I heard that you have a lot more students here, including many children from pastoral areas? Are you facing any difficulties in teaching?"

Shu Ran composed herself and reported clearly: "Reporting to Director Sun, Qiming Primary School currently has 32 students, 12 of whom are children from pastoral areas. There are indeed difficulties, mainly that the classrooms are crowded, there are not enough desks and chairs, and teaching supplies are also in short supply."

She changed the subject, her tone full of enthusiasm, "But we are working hard to overcome this. The company supports us in using scrap wood to make new tables and chairs, and Comrades Wang Guilan and Li Xiulan have also given me a lot of help. The old Akens and parents in the pastoral area are very supportive, and the children are very enthusiastic about learning."

Director Sun listened and nodded, then suddenly pointed to the writing on the open ground and asked, "Were you teaching them to write?"

"Yes. Teaching that connects with real-life situations."

"How's the result? Can I go and see?" Director Sun said, and then walked towards the children.

Shu Ran quickly followed, and Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma exchanged a glance before also going over.

The children stood up somewhat nervously when they saw so many adults coming. Director Sun squatted down kindly, looked at the writing on the ground, and then casually pointed to a boy from the pastoral area who looked quite young, asking him something in broken local dialect.

The boy was a little shy and looked at Shu Ran. Shu Ran nodded encouragingly. The boy mustered his courage and replied in accented Chinese, "This... is a 'pasture,' the place where we... herd sheep."

Director Sun smiled genuinely. He then pointed to a girl's writing nearby, and the girl immediately exclaimed, "'Canal'! My father went to dig a canal!"

Director Sun stood up, looked at Shu Ran, and his eyes showed more approval: "Not bad. It's not just rote memorization; you can apply what you've learned." He looked around at the group of children, especially lingering for a moment on the faces of the children from the pastoral areas, and said with emotion, "To be able to get children from the pastoral areas to sit down and study peacefully, to be willing to speak Chinese, and to recognize work point tickets—that's a remarkable achievement!"

He turned to Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma, his tone becoming more serious: "Grassroots education, especially literacy and education work in ethnic minority areas, is of great significance and also very difficult. It is truly remarkable that Comrade Shu Ran was able to break through and gain the support of the masses under such difficult conditions! This shows that her working methods are effective and that she has truly reached out to the people!"

Secretary Liu repeatedly agreed, saying, "Yes, yes, Teacher Shu has indeed made a lot of sacrifices, and we will definitely continue to support her!"

Director Sun then said to Shu Ran, "Officer Yang Zhenhua mentioned your situation to me. The Education Department of the Division will give priority to the needs of your demonstration site, and will allocate necessary teaching materials as a priority."

He paused, then raised his voice slightly to make sure everyone around could hear him, "Comrade Shu Ran, keep up the good work! We're determined to make you a role model! We must not only solve the current difficulties, but also summarize our experiences and strive to promote them throughout the entire division!"

These words brought pride to Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma, and their gazes towards Shu Ran changed. The surrounding employees and their families whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Shu Ran.

Shu Ran's heart pounded. This was not just material support, but also formal recognition from the division headquarters.

She suppressed her excitement and said, "Please rest assured, leader, I will definitely continue to work hard and live up to the trust of the organization and everyone's expectations!"

Director Sun nodded in satisfaction, offered a few more words of encouragement, and then left accompanied by the company leaders.

As soon as they left, Sister Wang rushed over, grabbed Shu Ran's arm, and said excitedly, "Teacher Shu! From what I heard, it means that the whole school is going to make us role models!"

Li Xiulan's cheeks flushed with excitement: "That's great! We'll never have to worry about running out of chalk again!"

Although the children didn't quite understand the specific meaning of "setting an example," they sensed the adults' joy and laughed and jumped around Shu Ran.

Looking at the joyful faces before her, Shu Ran felt a great sense of accomplishment.