Huang Yongteng explained the boundary knowledge to the team members of Tansan Primary School in Naliang Town, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi. Photo by Huang Jingshun
■ Magnificent 70-year Struggle New Era Wan Li Frontier Education Bank
Huang Yongteng, a retired teacher in Fangchenggang, Guangxi, a family courtyard in the southwest border of the motherland, is a little busy these days. His daughter urged him to go to Nanning for physical examination and medicine. Since last year, arthritis synovitis has troubled him, with habitual leg cramps, severe tinnitus and loss of sense of smell … … The 80-year-old man who has undergone four operations and claims to be "four knives can’t fail" sometimes has to accept his old age.
But as soon as he entered the school, Huang Yongteng always showed his high spirits. Recently, he is instructing Huashi Primary School and Naliang Town Central Primary School to design Young Pioneers activities. In the living room at home, there is a customized map of Fangchenggang. His goal is to visit every school once. The Young Pioneers’ activity of "one town, one brand" is his wish, and several towns have not been realized. He is a little anxious.
People around him said, "Mr. Huang, your illness is because you are too hard." Huang Yongteng particularly disagreed. He felt that he was not hard, and he was happy when he saw the children. When he talked about the "Young Pioneers", his voice became louder.
A promise that has been kept for 65 years.
In a rice noodle shop in Naliang town, every few days, near noon, there will be an "old boy" (Hakka: old man) who patronizes. The upper of the cloth shoes is covered with mud and the upper is dusty, which doesn’t look like the people of this town.
"Laozai" is short and thin, with an old canvas bag on his back. Every time he eats a bowl of rice noodles, he leaves in a hurry.
Once, "Lao Zi" just came out, and the owner of the barber shop next door said, "Boss, I see you come here often. Are you here to collect mountain products?"
"No, I’m a retired teacher."
"It is very profitable to receive mountain products now."
"I also make money."
"What did you earn?"
"I came down to engage in activities and educated so many children."
It was Huang Yongteng who was mistaken for "the boss of mountain products". In 1999, Huang Yongteng retired and didn’t want to do nothing. He found Tansan Primary School in Naliang Town, which was 80 or 90 kilometers away from home and once worked. The headmaster welcomed the purpose, but it was a bit embarrassing: we don’t have a part-time young pioneers counselor here, and we don’t get paid. Huang Yongteng said, I don’t get paid, I just like doing this job.
Since then, Huang Yongteng has become a volunteer counselor in Tansan Primary School, and the school sends a letter of appointment every year. Later, he was simply given a certificate of "lifelong volunteer counselor", which became the most important certificate in his life. In order not to add a little burden to the school, every time he goes to the countryside, Huang Yongteng goes to eat a bowl of rice noodles before going to school.
Huang Yongteng is indeed not a border person. His hometown is in Qinzhou, Guangxi. Huang Yongteng himself did not expect that because of a promise, he became a teacher at the border for a lifetime.
"I have many unforgettable experiences and many touching things, but the most touching and unforgettable thing is a number: 8.50 yuan." Huang Yongteng said.
After Huang Yongteng graduated from primary school, his father died and his family was poor, so he couldn’t guarantee a porridge every day. When he was most difficult and helpless, the state gave him a monthly subsidy — — Eight dollars and fifty cents.
"The number is not big, but it means a lot to me. It is this 8.50 yuan, which allows me to go to a normal school after graduating from primary school and become a people’s teacher." After graduating from Qinzhou Normal School in 1955, 16-year-old Huang Yongteng made a promise to the organization with the simplest gratitude: to be a teacher in the border for life. He chose to go to "Zhibian" in Fangchenggang Autonomous County, which belonged to "the old and the young are poor" at that time, and became a teacher in a border rural primary school.
Nadong Primary School is the first primary school where Huang Yongteng works. The school is in a ruined temple, and the conditions are very difficult. At that time, there were not many literate people. When other teachers changed schools and left their jobs one after another, Huang Yongteng stayed. He taught in border rural primary schools for more than 20 years. At work, he gradually found himself very fond of dealing with children, especially the work of the Young Pioneers. In 1981, he was transferred to Fangcheng Town for two hours. Huang Yongteng was very unhappy. Someone advised him: "If you come out, you can also go out to be a mountain counselor." After being promoted to vice president, he never went to the principal’s office for a month, so he soaked in the Young Pioneers’ room. The principal couldn’t help asking, "Do you have a problem?"
Huang Yongteng knows better than anyone the sufferings of children in the border areas, including one thing: there is no extracurricular reading. In this old man’s home, thousands of books are neatly placed in the living room of less than 10 square meters, and children can come to read and listen to stories in their spare time. This family library was established in the 1960s, and Huang Yongteng saved his salary of several tens of yuan every month and bought books at his own expense. At the peak, there were more than 8,000 books.
Huang Yongteng also turned himself into a "flowing bookcase". In the mountains on the Sino-Vietnamese border, there are scattered teaching points of different sizes, especially in the remote Yaoshan Primary School, where there are no extracurricular reading materials. Huang Yongteng carries the books on his back, so that children can have good books to read. Since the endorsement box was started in 1977, more than 100,000 children have benefited from Huang Yongteng’s library and mobile book box. In recent years, with the improvement of school conditions, the library of Huang Yongteng’s family has slowly shrunk.
"I think dad did what Mencius said ‘ Young people and young people ’ Dad loves the children in the mountains as much as he loves me. " Huang Shanshan, Huang Yongteng’s only daughter, said that once my father bought a large bundle of red silk and made thousands of red scarves with a sewing machine and gave them to poor children in mountainous areas. There is a homestead at home, and my father sold more than 200 thousand, all of which bought books and school supplies for children in rural teaching points and teaching equipment for young pioneers counselors.
A reporter once asked Huang Yongteng: "How much did you give to children in mountainous areas?"
"Not counted."
"Why not count?"
"I never thought about statistics."
Huang Shanshan knows what his father thinks. He often says: The salary is given by the state, and it is enough to eat and use. It is appropriate to take some out and do something meaningful for the border.
From 1955 to 2019, it has been 65 years, and things have changed. Perhaps no one remembers the promise made by Huang Yongteng at all. "This solemn promise, I have been insisting until now." Huang Yongteng feels lucky. "My life experience is very simple, and it can be summarized in 12345." Huang Yongteng said, "A promise; Two jobs: class teacher and counselor; Changed three schools successively; Had four operations; Do it after retirement ‘ Five old ’ " .
super ideas
In fact, Huang Yongteng became famous after retirement because of a special talent.
The turbulent Beilun River is separated from China and Vietnam by a river. Stones engraved with "Sino-Vietnamese friendship lasts forever" can be seen in the river, and boundary pillar No.1346 (2) is erected on the bank of the river. Turn a corner, the distance is less than 500 meters, which is Tansan Primary School.
Huang Yongteng took the red scarf to protect the boundary markers, carrying the red flag, bamboo sticks and buckets, singing the song of protecting the boundary markers: "The mountains are green, the rivers are clear, the green mountains and green waters reflect the scarves, the scarves are reflected, hey, hey, protect the boundary markers, love the boundary markers, and it keeps raining in the wind. All of them are good players. " Go to boundary pillar 1346(2).
It’s not far from the school to the boundary pillar, but the summer sun in Guangxi is extremely hot. Halfway there, teachers and students often take a rest in the shade of the roadside. Worried about Huang Yongteng’s health, the teacher around him handed me a bottle of mineral water. The 80-year-old man unscrewed the bottle cap, but he didn’t drink it himself, so that the children looked up. He held the water bottle high and fed a little to each child. A row of children looked up together, just like a chick with its mouth open for food. The glittering and translucent water was gulped down, and the scene was very moving.
In front of the boundary pillar, the loud national song sounded, and Huang Yongteng and the children faced the national flag, raised their right hands, and saluted the Young Pioneers. This "red scarf" with gray temples moves in a standard way, with his palms facing the direction of nine or ten o’clock, and his expression is solemn.
"Red Scarf Protecting Boundary Monument" is the first activity designed by Huang Yongteng when he went to Tansan Primary School as a volunteer counselor after retirement. Why design this activity? Huang Yongteng has been working in the border and observed a phenomenon. In the past, the people’s national defense concept was not strong. Many people didn’t care about the boundary markers, and they basked in cassava next to the boundary markers. Young people drank beer and didn’t even know it was a boundary marker to tie cattle.
In 2001, the children in Tansan Primary School were at a loss about what a boundary marker is and why they should love and protect it. Huang Yongteng surveyed more than 20 children. When asked what a boundary pillar was, no one could answer it, only knowing that it was a big stone pillar.
"Children must be allowed to start from loving monuments and protecting monuments to fill the gap in national defense concepts." Huang Yongteng led Jia Shibao, the young pioneers counselor of Tansan Primary School at that time, and designed five activities for the children, such as "protecting the boundary markers with the uncle of the border guards" and "seeing the boundary markers every day". When someone else was asked to write a song for 10,000 yuan or 20,000 yuan, Huang Yongteng simply made his own moves, using the skills of writing lyrics and composing music that he taught himself at the border in the past, and created several "songs to protect the boundary markers", which were catchy. For example, the lyrics of "We are also soldiers" read: "Red scarf on the border/learning from the border guards/training and on duty, we are also soldiers/what should we call them? Please speak clearly/I’ll speak, and you can listen/let you hear clearly. " Once sung in a child’s tone, a few nifty lyrics briefly tell the far-reaching significance of the boundary monument.
The influence of "Red Scarf Boundary Monument" is increasing. The activity designed by teacher Shangougou won the first prize of the experience education exhibition activity of the National Working Committee for Young Workers. Children know that loving and protecting monuments has also inspired their families and affected the society. In the past decade or so, there has been no incident of destroying boundary monuments, and the Tansan Township Party branch has also been awarded the national excellent party branch for participating in this activity. Huang Yongteng influenced a batch of "red scarves" and erected pieces of invisible "boundary markers" on the border.
"Red Scarf Boundary Monument" is just one of Huang Yongteng’s masterpieces. "As long as Mr. Huang is with the children, there is light on his face, god in his eyes and good ideas in his heart." Chen Zhilu, director of Fangchenggang Women and Children’s Activity Center, has worked with Huang Yongteng for 28 years. He said that local teachers all call Mr. Huang "the king of super ideas".
On one occasion, Chen Zhilu and Huang Yongteng went to Naqu Primary School together and saw the children playing with mud. Several of them squatted there in a daze. They asked the children what they wanted to do when they grew up. They looked blank and held back for a long time. Only one child said, I want to work in Guangdong with my parents when I grow up. After hearing what the child said, both of them were very sad. Huang Yongteng said, "We have to find a way to help these children."
After many discussions, I still can’t find a good way. Chen Zhilu was very depressed. He thought that Huang Yongteng would be ready to give up like him. In May 2014, one weekend, at 6 o’clock in the morning, his phone rang. It was Huang Yongteng: "Zhilu, have you got up?" I thought about it last night, and I have a new idea. I want to talk to you. " Soon, Huang Yongteng came to his house and took out a small notebook, which read "dream come true room plan", and there were many traces of modification on it.
The school is very supportive, but it lacks funds and can only vacate a small house with only a dozen square meters. Huang Yongteng waved his hand: Never mind, we will do it ourselves. Sometimes theme team meetings are held, and sometimes manual competitions are held. After a short period of time, the functions and contents of this small activity room are enriched.
One thing that Chen Zhilu remembers vividly, several children saw the aircraft carrier on TV and made a model, saying: When we grow up, we will also be an aircraft carrier and be an aircraft carrier pilot! After more than two years, the "dream come true room" entered three primary schools and six villages, and nearly 10,000 people participated in the activities. Unexpectedly, in this small border town, another activity has become a national excellent case.
Over the years, there have been as many as 86 case activities such as "Left-behind Children Show Their Hands" designed and carried out by Huang Yongteng. Among them, the cases of "learning to have fun" and "I cheer for famous brands in China" won the first prize of the national innovation case of minors’ ideological and moral construction, the activity of "Holiday Monument Protection Team" won the first prize of the national exhibition of Young Pioneers’ experience education achievements and the first prize of the autonomous region, and the case of "solving troubles" won the first prize of the innovation case of minors’ ideological and moral construction in the autonomous region.
During his 22 years working in Naliang Town Central School, Huang Yongteng groped and summed up more than a dozen flexible and diverse guidance modes for Young Pioneers, which were suitable for the actual situation in remote ethnic mountainous areas and helped many teachers. At present, he is also the general consultant of the Young Pioneers in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the general consultant of the Young Pioneers in Fangchenggang City and the leader of Yongteng Master Studio.
"The activities designed by Mr. Huang are easy to operate. When we look at the plan, we will carry it out, and it is educational and interesting. He has been committed to the work of the Young Pioneers for decades and is very experienced. He often studies the work of the Young Pioneers and is familiar with its characteristics. " Jia Shibao, the general counselor of the Young Pioneers in Naliang Town Central Primary School, followed Huang Yongteng for more than 20 years and revealed Huang Yongteng’s "secret".
"When he sees an article, he can design a national excellent activity ‘ The teacher gives you truth, goodness and beauty ’ ; When he passes through a bamboo forest, he can create a national characteristic activity ‘ Community football ’ 。” At first, Chen Zhilu thought that Huang Yongteng was talented. After a long time of contact, he discovered that "there is no natural talent, but Mr. Huang always has children in his heart."
A child’s smile is his special medicine.
One winter night, a second-grade girl sneaked out of a relative’s house and ran to the bus stop near her home. I don’t know when I can wait for my mother who came back from the hospital to bring back news from her father. Huang Shanshan, a little girl in those days, still remembers the cold of winter night and the vague premonition of bad events.
That was in 1994. Huang Yongteng always felt unwell and went to a large hospital in the autonomous region for examination. He was diagnosed as a malignant cell tumor. When he got the medical certificate, Huang Yongteng felt that his life had come to an end and he could not continue to be with his beloved students. He felt extremely heavy and guilty when he thought of his family, his wife and his underage daughter.
When he got married that year, Huang Yongteng said frankly to his wife, "I am ‘ Three noes ’ Personnel, one has no money, the other has no time to take care of the family, and the third is that they can’t do things for the family. " Colleagues chipped in to buy a new quilt, a new mosquito net and the only savings 54 yuan, and they got married. For many years, his wife has been silently supporting Huang Yongteng’s work.
The unexpected attack plunged the family into heavy sorrow. At this moment, colleagues brought more than 100 letters of condolence written by children in two classes he taught. There are class cadres, ordinary students, students who are introverted and never love to talk, and students who are very naughty and criticized by Huang Yongteng.
The children wrote in the letter: "teacher, are you better?" We miss you. Every day when the bell rings, we are quietly waiting for you, waiting again and again, disappointed again and again. We hope you can come back to give us a class as soon as possible. " "Teacher, we are not obedient, make you angry and disappointed, so we make you sick? We are wrong, we must change it! "
After being diagnosed with cancer, Huang Yongteng didn’t cry, and he could hold back during radiotherapy, but at this time, Huang Yongteng didn’t hold back and cried bitterly. "I can’t bear to stand on the podium for decades, and I can’t bear the students who live together day and night, and I can’t bear the wish that I haven’t had time to realize."
I should have done chemotherapy for seven times, but after the third time, Huang Yongteng simply went home: "It’s boring to lie in a hospital bed. It’s better to do something meaningful while you are still active." In this way, Huang Yongteng, who walked on the gate of hell once, returned to the campus with a hearty laugh and continued to carry a "mobile book box" to deliver books to children in mountainous areas. The difference is that he has more emergency medicines in his bag.
Riding the worn-out bicycle that has been with him for decades, Huang Yongteng continued to shuttle between schools in Fangchenggang. "In the past, Mr. Huang went to Tansan Primary School, and the road was not easy to walk for dozens of kilometers. He had to reverse several times and take a long-distance bus and motorcycle, which took at least three or four hours. That is, in recent years, he was old and had a car to pick him up." Jia Shibao said.
Although Huang Yongteng doesn’t believe in miracles, miracles really take care of him. When Huang Yongteng returned to the students, his body magically recovered day by day. Despite all kinds of illnesses, he still spent more than 20 years safely.
"The children’s smiles are my special medicine." Whenever someone asks Huang Yongteng what secret recipe he has, he sincerely tells each other over and over again, "I gave my children love, and the children also gave me deep affection, educated me and inspired me."
One year on Children’s Day, Huang Yongteng went to visit Yao children. A girl stood still with a hat full of candy. The teacher asked, Don’t you like candy? Why not eat? The little girl said, I left this for Grandpa Huang.
The happiness of children makes Huang Yongteng’s life longer, wider and more meaningful. Huang Shanshan, who is also a teacher, understands his father very well: "There is no profession in the world that can have the purest love of children like a teacher."
Walking from 100 thousand mountains to the mountains, Huang Yongteng is still walking in the mountains. Some people say that he "has a realm". "What?" When Huang Yongteng, who was hard of hearing, heard these three words clearly, he went straight back and hid: "I am an ordinary teacher, doing ordinary things." (Member of Guangxi Report Group of China Education News "Wan Li Frontier Education Tour": Zhao Xiuhong, Tang Qi, Jia Wenyi and Ou Jinchang)