Chapter 76 Observations
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Shu Ran woke up with a start, feeling somewhat disoriented, thinking she was still in the animal husbandry company's dugout. It wasn't until she saw the white walls and glass windows of the guesthouse that she realized where she was.
As usual, she took a small spoonful of snow lotus ointment after getting up. The slightly bitter taste of the ointment melted in her mouth, making her feel much more awake. After washing up, she took her enamel mug to the cafeteria to get breakfast.
The division's mess hall was much larger than the company's, with several neat lines of people waiting at the food windows. Shu Ran noticed that the food here was indeed better; breakfast included corn porridge, steamed buns made with a mixture of wheat and cornmeal, a small dish of pickled vegetables, and even an egg.
"Comrade Shu Ran, over here!" Zhang Ming waved to her from a short distance away. Several other people were standing beside him, all members of the textbook writing team.
Shu Ran walked over, and everyone made room for her. A middle-aged man wearing glasses smiled and asked her, "Teacher Shu, are you settling in well at the division headquarters? Are the conditions better than in your livestock company?"
“It’s much better now,” Shu Ran answered honestly. “At least there are electric lights now, instead of kerosene lamps.”
A woman who looked to be around thirty years old took over the conversation: "I am Liu Shufang from the Third Regiment. I heard that the literacy textbooks you compiled are very practical. I must ask you for advice today."
As everyone ate breakfast and chatted about work, Shu Ran sensed an atmosphere different from that in the company. Here, people were discussing educational issues across the entire division, with a broader and more macro-level perspective.
After breakfast, the writing team began their work in an office in the Education Department.
Director Sun personally gave a brief mobilization speech, emphasizing that the textbooks to be compiled this time should be "practical, easy to understand, and down-to-earth".
Shu Ran was assigned to the basic literacy group, where she was responsible for writing the most basic literacy materials.
Based on her experience in the livestock company, she suggested starting with the most practical words and phrases: "For example, 'work points,' 'grain coupons,' and 'names.' The trainees can use these immediately, which will increase their enthusiasm for learning."
Liu Shufang nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. Some literacy classes in our regiment start teaching from 'Long live Chairman Mao.' Although it's politically correct, the students can't apply what they've learned and quickly forget it."
The discussion was so lively that the morning passed by in the blink of an eye.
After finishing his work in the morning, Director Sun called Shu Ran over and asked, "Comrade Shu Ran, I remember you also set up a women's literacy class in the animal husbandry company?"
“Yes, Director Sun. The family members also have a need for literacy, such as recognizing receipts and keeping accounts,” Shu Ran replied.
Director Sun nodded: "Very good. This afternoon, please take some time to visit the family factory and check on the literacy progress there. Provide us with some firsthand information."
Shu Ran's heart stirred; this was a good opportunity to learn more about the division headquarters.
When she returned to the guesthouse to rest at noon, she found that the room had been cleaned, and the mint in the small earthenware pot on the windowsill had been carefully watered and was growing well. There was also a copy of "Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Education Newsletter" on her pillow, with several reports about literacy work carefully folded in the corners.
Shu Ran picked up the magazine and noticed a line of small pencil writing on the title page: "Page 7 contains three groups' literacy experiences, which may be helpful. — Chen"
She couldn't help but smile. This man, though hundreds of miles away, seemed to be everywhere.
In the afternoon, following Director Sun's instructions, Shu Ran went to the division headquarters' family factory.
This is a row of simple sheds where dozens of women are sewing, weaving, and making various daily necessities.
The factory manager was a middle-aged woman in her forties surnamed Zhao. After hearing the purpose of Shu Ran's visit, she warmly showed her around.
"Most of our factory's employees came from rural areas with their husbands, and they are not very literate. The factory has organized literacy programs, but the results haven't been very good," Director Zhao said frankly.
Shu observed for a while and noticed that the women were glancing at her furtively as they worked, their eyes filled with both curiosity and wariness. After thinking for a moment, she didn't bring up the matter of literacy directly, but instead walked over to a woman who was sewing.
"Big sister, your stitches are so tight, how did you learn that?" Shu Ran asked with a smile.
The woman paused for a moment, then said proudly, "My mother taught me. My family is from the hometown of Lu embroidery."
"That's amazing!" Shu Ran exclaimed sincerely. "Can I try?"
Under the women's guidance, Shu Ran tried sewing a few stitches, clumsily but managing to close the distance. Gradually, the surrounding women gathered around, offering their advice.
"Teacher Shu, you can't hold the needle like that..."
"The line needs to be stretched evenly and firmly..."
"Ouch, did that prick your hand? Quick, suck on it..."
After the atmosphere became lively, Shu Ran took the opportunity to ask, "Ladies, do you think learning to read is useful?"
After a moment of silence, a younger woman whispered, "Why didn't it work? Last time when we got the cloth coupons, I couldn't read, so I got half a foot less. I was at a disadvantage."
Another woman chimed in, "Exactly, they can't even keep track of the accounts properly, they're always making mistakes."
Shu Ran nodded: "How about I teach everyone how to read the words on the cloth ration coupons and how to keep accounts?"
The women looked at each other, all somewhat intrigued. Seeing this, Factory Director Zhao immediately said, "That's wonderful! Teacher Shu, why don't you give them a lesson right now?"
Shu Ran thought for a moment and said, "How about this, we'll start by learning about cloth coupons. Does anyone have cloth coupons? Take them out and let's identify them together."
Soon, several cloth coupons were handed to Shu Ran. She then used charcoal to write words on scraps of cloth on the sewing machine table, teaching the women to recognize words such as "cotton cloth," "canvas," and "size."
Surprisingly, these women, who normally struggled with literacy, learned remarkably quickly by applying the knowledge to practical needs. In less than an hour, most of them could recognize the key information on the cloth ration coupons.
"Teacher Shu, will you come again tomorrow?" A woman asked expectantly as get out of class ended.
Shu Ran smiled and nodded: "Come on, tomorrow we'll learn how to keep accounts."
On the way back to the guesthouse, Shu Ran had already made up her mind. Textbook writing couldn't be divorced from reality; she needed to understand the needs of different groups better.
During dinner, she told Zhang Ming about her idea. Zhang Ming was very supportive: "Comrade Shu Ran, your idea is excellent. Director Sun said that the writing team can flexibly arrange their time to conduct more grassroots research."
So, Shu Ran devised a plan: to participate in the writing group's work every morning and to conduct research at different units in the afternoon—family factories, machine repair companies, ranches, farm teams, etc.
She wanted to understand the literacy needs at all levels of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and compile truly practical teaching materials.
Back at the guesthouse, Shu Ran found the room had been cleaned, the sheets were neatly made, and the materials on the table had been carefully arranged. What surprised her most was a small earthenware pot on the windowsill, containing several green plants that looked like some kind of herb.
The guesthouse manager happened to pass by and saw Shu Ran staring at the potted plant, so he explained, "Oh, that was brought by a young soldier from the medical team. He said it's called mint and that putting it in the room can repel mosquitoes and refresh the mind."
Shu Ran understood immediately that this must be another arrangement by Chen Yuanjiang. Although he wasn't at the division headquarters, he always managed to take care of her in various ways.
Shu Ran became even more focused on her work in the afternoon.
She shared her experience in teaching livestock farming without reservation, and even brought students' homework notebooks for everyone to refer to.
"Look, this child couldn't even hold a pen properly at first, but now he can write neat Chinese characters," Shu Ran said proudly, pointing to Shuanzhu's notebook.
The members of the writing team passed around the assignments written on waste newspapers and cigarette boxes, marveling at the difficulties of grassroots teaching and the preciousness of the results.
"Comrade Shu Ran, it's truly remarkable that you were able to persist in running the school under such difficult conditions," a veteran staff member from the Education Section remarked. "The conditions at the division headquarters are better, so we should do our best to compile teaching materials and support the work at the grassroots level."
When it was time to leave work, Director Sun came to find Shu Ran: "Comrade Shu Ran, we are going to a school directly under the division headquarters to observe classes and conduct research tomorrow. Please prepare and give us some suggestions from a grassroots perspective."
Shu Ran nodded in agreement. When she returned to the guesthouse, she found an old magazine on her pillow, "People's Education," with several articles carefully folded at the corners, all about literacy teaching methods.
She picked up the magazine and found a line of small pencil writing on the title page: "Refer to the rural literacy experience on page 35, which may be of some use."
The next morning, the writing team visited a school directly under the division headquarters. This was the only complete primary school in the entire division, much larger than Qiming Primary School in the animal husbandry company, with more than a dozen classrooms and several hundred students.
The principal was a capable middle-aged woman surnamed Sheng, with short hair and a crisp, efficient manner. She led everyone on a tour of the campus and introduced the teaching methods.
Shu Ran noticed that although the classrooms here were also made of adobe, the windows were large and bright, and the desks and chairs were neat and uniform. What she envied most was that each classroom had a real wooden blackboard, instead of the kind of door panel used to apply ink that she used.
"We have five full-time teachers, all of whom graduated from teachers' colleges," Principal Sheng proudly introduced. "The curriculum is set according to the national teaching syllabus, and includes Chinese, arithmetic, politics, physical education, and music."
During the lesson observation session, Shu Ran chose a first-grade Chinese class.
The teacher was a young woman who delivered her lectures clearly and logically. The students followed along, reading the text aloud in unison and loudly. Everything seemed so formal and orderly.
However, Shu Ran also noticed some problems.
In the classroom, the teacher mainly uses a lecture-style teaching method, and the children passively receive information with few opportunities to speak or interact. The teaching content is also quite detached from reality, with texts featuring things like "factories" and "trains" that the children in the border region have never seen before.
During the after-class discussion, Principal Sheng asked everyone for their opinions. Everyone else politely expressed their praise, but Shu Ran hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak the truth.
“Principal Sheng, the classroom teaching is very well done, but I have a suggestion, I don’t know if it’s appropriate,” Shu Ran said cautiously. “Could the content of the text be made more relevant to the actual lives of the children in the Production and Construction Corps? For example, the pastures, farmlands, and tractors here are things that the children are familiar with.”
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Author's Note: The start of the school year has been hectic, and I've also had a sore throat requiring injections, so updates might be a little later and word count might be lower [laughing and crying emoji]. Please forgive me, dear readers! [please]
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