In a distant-region school, the principal is doing ALL that she can, to keep the school open, so the local children CAN receive the education they needed! Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…
Five years ago, the Miaoli Dahu County’s Hsinkai Elementary School was facing getting closed down being located in the distant region, as the talks of closing ceased, there came a female principal, Cheng, at first, the locals were doubtful toward her, worried that this very first-time in the distant-region principal was the “terminator”, and the school was even more low key, not hosted a welcoming for her.
a photo of this, principal who really tried, to make a change, courtesy of UDN.com
And now, every student of the school is a violin player, and other than the arts, plus the food safety, dual-language track and international education, and other innovative classes offered to the students, the locals noted a different path of development that this school had, taken, and finally, came to understand, and, switched their attitudes of being aloof, uncaring toward the school’s operations, to affirming it, and supporting it.
All Twenty-Four of the School’s Students are All Trained as Violin Players
There are only, a total of TWENTY-FOUR students in the entire elementary school, Cheng told, that the parents are mostly, agricultural workers, planted the pears, and many other, crops, plus the makeup of the local population aging fast, the parents in these, distant-region areas, in order, to make ends meet, often were made to sacrifice the time they had to spend with their young. And, because of the traditional beliefs of the parents in education, of letting them do what they will, the children didn’t get enough support in learning, and there’s that lacking in resources too, which caused the sharp difference in the level of education compared to in the cities.
As Cheng started as the school principal, she’d, pushed force the agricultural produces, the arts, the dual-language and international education, the talents, the night angels programs, and fought hard for the resources from the government and the enterprises to give to the school. And currently, every student in the school takes up violin, the three meals are provided in school for the children, and, from seven in the morn, to seven at night, the kids stay in school, to receive their, education, and this tiny school not only, became the focus of the community now, and it’d, helped shouldered the responsibilities of each of the families as well.
Hosting the Feasts Under the Olive Trees, Shaking Loose the Thought of the School Closing Down
The Hsin-Kai Elementary’s pushing forth the produce program, and had its own, vegetable gardens and fruit plantations, four years ago, the school hosted a “banquet underneath the olive tree”, with the students dressed up as chefs, serving the guests, the school officials, the students, and the local residents enjoyed the meals in the sounds of the classical music that played, shared the joys of the harvests, and, shaken loose the thought of not having the school anymore.
The problems that these distant-region schools faced include not having the teachers due to unsteady pay, art education paled by comparison with the city. Three years back the Hsin-Kai Elementary started pushing forth the education of aesthetics, the school continued developing its violin classes, and hosted the recitals, the performances in the schools often, and now, every student in the school plays the violin, and, they’d gained, even MORE opportunity to discover the joys of music, than the students in the cities.
Shouldering More Responsibilities of Educating the Students Who Don’t Have Enough Resources Offered to Them
Cheng told, that the teachers in the distant-region schools are the pillars for the students, they’re also, the inspiring for the students, and needed to keep that positive relationship with the parents, at the same time, educate the parents, to have the parents join in the education process, “Distant region schools need to carry more responsibilities for the families that don’t get enough resources.”
After Cheng served her four-year-term as the principal, she’d, stayed onboard, and started the experimental education, to instill the Montessori method that focused on the child, sowing the seeds of hope, to help the children to open a world to their own futures.
And so, you can see, how this educator’s dedication to helping the children in the distant-region schools affected the parents too, at first, the parents were doubtful toward her, but after the parents started noting how much this educator puts into helping the school to develop its, specialties, they’d all, come onboard, in supporting the school’s operations, and all it takes, is still, just ONE person, with the fires, to light up the world!
Life, the Obstacle Course 