Yueyue and Yangyang nodded, and Shuying sat on the sofa. The children sat obediently in a row. When they encountered unfamiliar words, the two little ones would be the first to look them up in the dictionary.
Xie Mingzhu tilted her head, propping her face up with one hand, and holding another children's picture book. Her basic knowledge was relatively poor, so she could only start learning from these simple things. She wanted to learn more, but all the basics had to start with recognizing characters.
"When I was a child, I always wished I could have a dictionary, but it was a precious thing for children in the countryside. Even schools didn't necessarily have one. Teachers would only borrow one when city leaders came to the countryside for inspections, but we were usually not allowed to take it home to read."
Rural areas have limited educational resources, and most of the time a school has only one teacher who teaches all subjects, including physical education.
Some good data may not even have been seen by teachers, and most of the time children just imitate what they see. There are a few good students who, when they reach a certain age, can no longer be taught by teachers.
If it happens to be a boy, and the family is better off, they might be able to afford to send him to school even if they have to sell everything they own. But if it's a girl, no matter how good her education is, she can't escape the fate of getting married.
Xie Mingzhu always felt regretful. She longed to learn, but her lack of knowledge prevented her from having a complete objective understanding of herself. Especially after arriving in the capital, she realized the importance of knowledge even more when she saw people around her speaking eloquently and not understanding the deeper meaning behind their sarcastic remarks.
Shu Ying held a collection of literary classics written entirely in English. She reads almost anything and has a basic understanding of various subjects, though only superficially. She hopes to improve herself, so she reads every day.
“We have lots of books at home now, you can read whatever you want. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me. I’m home every day anyway, so teaching you is like reviewing the material myself.”
She is very patient, and she could actually be a very good teacher. However, her two young children at home already leave her somewhat exhausted. She probably wouldn't have the energy to face so many children alone at school.
Xie Mingzhu looked at the children's English picture books and pointed to a word with one finger. "Yingying, do you think this is apple? Am I pronouncing it correctly? I know this means apple."
Shu Ying was a little surprised. "You know, sister? Your pronunciation is very correct, but your accent needs a little correction. But that's not important. At your current stage, being able to recognize these words and speak them bravely is already amazing."
Many people, even if they know how to pronounce a word, dare not say it. This fear of expression is the biggest obstacle to language learning.
Xie Mingzhu's face flushed slightly. "I remembered it when I heard the children reciting it yesterday. You taught the children to pronounce it last week. The phonetic symbols are marked on this, so I learned it."
Shu Ying found an English beginner book more suitable for adults. She opened to the word group section at the back and pointed to the phonetic symbols with one hand. "Do you know how to spell this?"
Xie Mingzhu looked carefully at the phonetic symbols at the end, and struggled to piece them together, "The, People?"
After she finished speaking, she tentatively looked at Shu Ying, seeking an answer.
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