From the Front Page Sections, translated…
Before this New Year holiday was over, I’d invited a good friend over to my house to dine; after the meals, we’d started talking about how the vacation was, almost over, then, sighs started coming from all around, those who are working hollered out, “Nine days off, gone, in a jiffy!”, and the kids who are about to begin school again also chimed in, “Winter’s vacation is way too short!”, and a couple of us, adults started reminiscing over the past, we’d shared common memories of our past winter vacations—with tears in our eyes, as we’d, rushed to finish up our assignments for the holidays.
“As the parents scolded on the side, we’d started to cry, and, in a chaos, the homework assignments were, finally finished, some of the activities that needed the hands, we’d had to have our moms MAKE our older brothers or sisters to help us out”, as the youngest, Er started telling us about how she was able to, weasel her way out of doing her own assignments, she’d laughed and said, that this, was the BEST part about being the youngest of the family.
“Now, there’s the talent program for the winter vacation, it should be less stressful these days.” As Er stated, this, Ying immediately rebutted, “Right after school started, the kids were given reviewing exams, they’re under even MORE stresses!”
I’d laughed and started telling, that awhile ago, the parents called me up, and told me about the learning processes of their children, that child knew his mother was worried, and so, he’d buckled himself down to study every single day, the parents asked me, “How come my son’s grades aren’t improving?” I’d then asked her, if she’d pulled on a rubber band long term, would the rubber band return to its original size and shape?
“Take your son out to hang for awhile! Turning around in circles again and again, is NOT an effective way of learning!”, the parent took my advice, and later on, she’d told me, that her son was more than ecstatic, when she’d asked him to go on exercise trail walks; I’d told her, that this lesson in parent-child relations IS the best homework assignment.
As I’d stated this, some of the kids in my class started looking at us with that agreeing gaze, a child said, “Yeah! Certainly! I not only have to just study, I’d also needed to practice violin too, every single day, it’s too trying and tiresome!”, as the mother heard, she’d said, “Back then, you were the one who wanted to take the violin up, I’m just making sure, that you still practiced is all!”
I’d immediately jumped in as the middleman, mentioned how my good friend, Wei-Ya, who’d taken the holidays to bring her daughter who was learning the piano as well as her classmates to the hospitals to put on performances for the patients there, and, not all the patients were all welcoming to them, “How to deal with those patients who are aloof, and try to melt their defenses, it’s also, something worth learning”, Wei-Ya said that the kids told her on the way home, “We’re making memories of bliss together.”
I’d told Wei-Ya, this is NOT just making the memories of happiness for oneself, it’s also, instilling hope into others’ lives as well, their performances made the patients more active in fighting their own illnesses.
I’d continued, that in the aftermath of the earthquake in Tainan, the choir from the region went to the hospitals to perform their music, and even sold the DVDs of their performances to help raise funding for those who’d lost their home in the earthquake to rebuild; I saw how Principal Ma shared that on Facebook, that the kids were all tired out, but not of them complained of the hardships, instead, they’d all become even MORE motivated in their performances.
“This winter break, the assignment is for the kids to learn to share, to give, to be gratified with what they have, isn’t it great?”
“Principal, it’s because the teachers of your school and you knew how to schedule these events for your students to attend, how are we able to?” Ying said, that as a daughter-in-law, she’d busied herself this holiday season, making the specialty foods, setting up offerings for the ancestors, entertaining guests, she’d become, tired out, without the mind OR the time, to make sure that her kids are learning something!
“You’d forgotten, that you are the BEST teacher.”, I’d told Ying, to have your kids help make those specialty food items, it’s also, a lesson in hands-on, very hard to come by opportunity too, “And the offerings and ushering in the guests are very important rituals too, it’d teaches your kids how to do things, and how to treat others as well, how wonderful IS that!”
After Ying heard me, she’d smiled and told, that “when my child said he wanted to help, I’d chased him to get back to the books, looks like I’d taken away an opportunity to learn for him; it looks like, we adults also need our assignments for the holidays too, to learn how to lead the kids to learn in everyday activities.”
Her words reminded me of how when I was younger, how right after the New Year’s holidays, we’re to plant the gingers, so during the holidays, in the field that was a part of our place were all mature and aged gingers, and, before we’d planted them, the gingers needed to be sundried, I was in charge of turning the pieces over after sometime, and, I’d complained on how boring the deed was, and why we’d needed to plant ginger? My dad only told me, that I’d made great contributions for the family, that because after the old gingers dried up and were planted, the beautiful fresh gingers can grow from it, that we’d have a great harvest.
“You are important”, these words had deterred me from hanging out with my friends around the holidays, because I’d needed to keep an eye on the ginger pieces being sundried, but I knew, that what I was doing, was important.
As the vacation comes to an end, and the holidays are over, did you think about, what the children had learned during this time? What, did we give to them?
So, this is stressing that learning should be occurring every single day, and NOT just in the classroom settings, and that it would be important, to instill that love of learning in your young, because with the right attitude, the attitude for the love of learning, your child will be able to find the lessons any and everywhere s/he goes…
Life, the Obstacle Course 