On June 12, 2008, the last reading class of the semester was held at Chaoyang District No. 1 New Citizen School, marking the completion of the first semester of the “Seeds of Happiness” reading pilot program.
This last time, we were seriously short of volunteers. Carrot Inspector led a team to teach at Renai School in Hanwang, Mianzhu, Sichuan (see link:Chronicles of the Ren’ai School in Qunxin VillageDing Ding was ill, and Xiao Ai, Dou Dou, and Hippo couldn’t come for some reason. Fortunately, we still had Ma Shuoya and the popular painter-lawyer duo Xu Cui and Li Ke. Later, I learned that several volunteers had struggled with their own work during that time, but they persisted in coming to the New Citizen School to help. No one knew about it, no one applauded them, only the children’s enthusiasm and eagerness spurred them on. It was only a weekly Thursday afternoon, but the challenge was persistence.
The four of us can just teach one class in each class: Ma Shuoya is responsible for Grade 1 (1) and Grade 3; Xu Cui-Li Ke is responsible for Grade 4 and Grade 2; A Jia is responsible for Grade 1 (2), Grade 6, and Grade 5.
Because those days were very busy, and I had to leave for Sichuan Hanwang to teach early the next morning (June 13th), I couldn’t prepare the content for the three classes separately. I decided to use the same book for all three classes: Miyanishi Tatsuya’s new book “Love You Forever” and “Sophie’s Masterpiece” (see link:Chatting about “Sophie’s Masterpiece”).
Every time I stepped into the Grade 1 (2) class, I was treated like an idol. As usual, the children cheered, and a few rushed over, not to give me flowers, but mainly to see what books I had brought. I raised the book and slammed it hard on the table, and the children started slamming it too. The few who had rushed over retreated to their seats and started slamming again. They shouted at the top of their lungs, “The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low, and we see cattle and sheep!” — this was the code we agreed on. After this ritual, story time began. When I raised the book “I Will Always Love You” and showed them the familiar-looking Tyrannosaurus Rex on the cover, they almost all quieted down and looked at me longingly.
I’m 100% sure these kids are going to love this book.
I remember my first storytime with this class on March 13th. It was also the first time all the volunteers gathered at the New Citizen School for an activity. I chose Tatsuya Miyanishi’s “You Look Delicious.” I usually turn to this book when I’m feeling overwhelmed because it’s perfect for storytelling, and everyone from three- and four-year-olds to fifth- and sixth-graders will be captivated and moved by it. And, boy and girl, that’s fine. But that time, despite my best efforts, the children’s response was quite apathetic. There were moments when everyone quieted down and their eyes focused, but overall, they were still quite distracted. Honestly, it was a bit of a blow to my confidence, haha. But later I realized that was actually the best performance these little ones had ever had. They really loved the story, and because of it, they also liked me.
This class was a rather unusual situation. It was newly opened during the school’s expansion of enrollment for the new semester. Some of the students were first graders from the previous semester, while others had just enrolled this semester. Overall, discipline was almost nonexistent. Some children had barely touched a book before, and upon receiving a new book, they would instantly crumple the cover until it was as black as pickles. Perhaps the school wasn’t fully prepared for the teaching staff, as the class went through three homeroom teachers over the next three months, and there was no permanent teacher for the reading course. One can only imagine the disciplinary situation in this class.
However, after three months of reading activities, primarily through two reading classes every Thursday afternoon and the initial establishment of a classroom bookshelf, the children in this class have at best developed a basic reading habit. Their enthusiasm for storytelling is particularly high, allowing them to listen attentively throughout a class. They also actively participate in interactive activities. However, to be honest, getting them to settle down and engage in independent group reading for even five minutes is still very difficult.
From the reading experiment of Class 1 (2), I think I have learned at least two lessons: First, as a reading activity for the whole class, rules and discipline are very important, and can even be said to be prerequisites, because this is possible to create an environment and generate a “sense of ritual” on the whole; second, for lower grades, especially children with weak reading habits, it is difficult to rely solely on weekly activities. Daily activities are more important. Of course, both of these are very dependent on the long-term and effective cultivation of the class teacher and the subject teachers.
Based on these lessons, when I arrived at Ren’ai School in the Hanwang bamboo forest of Mianzhu, an earthquake-stricken area, the first thing I felt was to establish rules and enforce discipline. Although the environment there was harsh, and the living and teaching conditions were extremely difficult, all the volunteer teachers worked together to restore order to this small bamboo forest school.
http://www.hongniba.com.cn/bbs/resman.aspx?action=download&uri=@@__5/2688/object/0
A good environment must be created by oneself
http://www.hongniba.com.cn/bbs/resman.aspx?action=download&uri=@@__5/2678/object/20
Nine Articles of Agreement
In less than a month, children in remote mountain villages far from the disaster area have transformed from completely undisciplined activities to a relatively orderly and collaborative approach to learning, labor, and exercise, and have begun to enjoy the beauty and sense of accomplishment that this orderliness brings. There, through daily, free, and relaxed reading activities, a group of rural children have entered a state of enjoyment.
The ancients said: “Quiet as a virgin, swift as a rabbit.” In fact, children’s education should also combine movement and stillness. In such an increasingly noisy world we live in, “stillness” is a luxury in education.
Let me talk about my Class 1 (2) again. That day, they listened to “Love You Forever” and enjoyed it very much. They had already listened to several other “warm Tyrannosaurus Rex” stories by Miyanishi Tatsuya and loved them very much. Tyrannosaurus Rex, which represents the image of ferocity, strength, fearlessness and even a bit of cruelty, is full of human touch in these stories. If “You Look Delicious” represents “father-son love”, then “I Am Tyrannosaurus Rex” adds “ordinary people’s love” to the parenting of parents, and “You Are So Good” is “friends’ love” like brothers. And this new book “Love You Forever” is the strongest “mother’s love” and a little mysterious “father’s love”. It is probably these deep emotions that deeply touched the children and made them fascinated.
After reading the story about the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the children were still not satisfied, so we briefly discussed it. However, it was difficult for the children in this class to hold an orderly discussion. They would soon wander off and the whole class would be in chaos, so I stopped as soon as possible and moved on to the next book, Sophie’s Masterpiece.
When reading to younger children, I usually open a few pages and share the pictures with them in advance, primarily to pique their curiosity. However, after turning a few pages of “Sophie’s Masterpiece,” I noticed they weren’t very enthusiastic, perhaps because the illustrations were too subdued. I began reading, but after two or three pages, I noticed some of the children were restless. After two more, half the children were unresponsive. So I changed my approach midway, focusing primarily on storytelling, discarding the somewhat flowery text and using the pictures to tell the story. This finally calmed them down a bit, allowing me to finish the story. The class was almost over.
Telling stories to these first graders is incredibly tiring. I once taught two classes in a row, and it took me three days to recover from the sore throat. But they’re such lovely kids, you can’t get angry at them.
In the second class, I went to the sixth grade and read “Sophie’s Masterpiece” to them.
Li Jian, the sixth-grade homeroom teacher, is a highly experienced Chinese language teacher. She reads aloud with great enthusiasm and is a pleasure to listen to. This semester, she quickly found her groove. After trying a few books, she began sharing “Charlotte’s Web” with her classmates. She not only reads it every Thursday afternoon during reading class but also continues to do so daily, interspersing it with recommendations for other books. The class’s reading progress has improved rapidly, and happily reading a book has become a common occurrence. In particular, the children are deeply drawn to “Charlotte’s Web,” and their love for it is growing. While only a small number of students initially truly engaged, nearly everyone became engrossed in the story, falling in love with the spider named Charlotte and the piglet named Wilbur. The second half of the novel was a collaborative effort for the entire class, and they even staged a short play about it, which they performed at a school party. (See link:Three things that touched me on April 17th)
I didn’t interact with this class often, only covering it when Xiao Ai was temporarily overwhelmed. But those few times left a profound impression, and I even remember the names of nearly half the children in the class. (To be honest, I can’t even remember the names of most of the first graders.) We shared “Courage” and “You Look Delicious.” Sixth graders can also read the same picture book that others might consider kindergarten, though the approach is slightly different. For example, in that book, we first read it aloud. This is the same for both young and old children. They need to fully enjoy the story before engaging in subsequent activities. However, sixth graders already have strong thinking and discussion skills, so simply listening to the story is somewhat of a waste and won’t satisfy them. So, after reading the book, we played a “catch the ghost” game, where we searched for questions. This game involves group collaboration, discussion, debate, and negotiation, ultimately selecting the “three most valuable questions.” This game method can be referenced in the last chapter of “Creating a Children’s Reading Environment,” but of course, it needs to be modified to suit the characteristics of Chinese children. Even I hadn’t anticipated the children’s response. Although we couldn’t agree on which three questions were most valuable by the end of get out of class, we all found it incredibly engaging: It turns out the same book, viewed from a different perspective, can become a whole new book! These kinds of discussions never require definitive answers.
I know that “Charlotte’s Web” is the favorite of the students in this class, so in the May activity I specially found the movie adapted from it, “Charlotte’s Web”. In the reading class on a Thursday afternoon, they finished watching it and were also fascinated by it.
How would you feel if there is a book that you love very much and it is loved by a group of children, a group of children you love?
So, in my last reading class with them, I deliberately chose “Sophie’s Masterpiece”.
After this class, I’ll be leaving for Sichuan for a while. By the time I return, the schools here will have already closed for the holidays, and these sixth-graders will be graduating soon. So, you could say this is my last class with these children. I’ll miss them, and I hope they’ll occasionally remember Uncle Ajia, the storyteller.
On that sleepy early summer afternoon, I read to them from Sophie’s Masterpiece. Unlike in first grade, I didn’t have to manage audience discipline. I simply held the book, facing the entire class, and read to them word for word. They listened in complete silence. I noticed only one boy, engrossed in a newly borrowed book, seemed a little annoyed at first by my voice, but gradually he put his book down.
“Sophie’s Masterpiece” might not be a book everyone will love, but I’m certain the children in this class will enjoy it, as they’re so fond of “Charlotte’s Web.” The picture book and the novel are, in a way, incredibly similar—not just in form, but in spirit. As I reached the last few pages, I felt a lump in my throat. The story and the atmosphere I was experiencing moved me so deeply that I couldn’t continue. I cleared my throat and continued reading until the end. After closing the book, it took a few seconds for everyone to recover.
I told the children that today might be our last shared reading. I chose this book to share with you for two reasons: First, it’s a picture book. You’ll soon graduate and enter middle school. I believe you’ll be exposed to a variety of books in your future schooling, but picture books are unlikely to be yours. Few teachers or parents would consider it necessary for you to read this kind of book. But I hope you’ll still read it if you have the opportunity, especially when you become parents (don’t laugh, that’s not too far off). Please remember to share this kind of book with your children. Another reason is that this story is so much like a book! — At this point, several children couldn’t help but shout, “Charlotte’s Web” — By the way, let’s talk about these two books together.
The conversation that day was relatively free-flowing. It primarily revolved around the similarities and differences between Sophie’s Masterpiece and Charlotte’s Web: What were the similarities? What were the differences? What were the main characters in each story? How were these characters related? In other words, were there any similarities or differences between the characters in the two stories? — This is because both stories feature a spider as their protagonist. We chatted about these topics for about 20 minutes, quite animated. Finally, I followed the plot lines they had provided and asked two questions: The spider dies in both stories. What are the similarities and differences between these two deaths? In Sophie’s Masterpiece, a baby is born, while in Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte’s children are born. Are there any connections between the two? These were challenging topics. A few children shared their thoughts, but most felt they couldn’t articulate them, so the topic was dropped.
I don’t actually know the definitive answers to these two questions, but I do have a sense of what they might mean. So I told them the story of E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web: his origins, his work, his journey to establish a farm, cultivate the land, and raise pigs, his essay “The Death of a Pig,” the process of writing Charlotte’s Web, and his lifelong admiration for the author, Thoreau… The more we learn about this author, the more we can reflect on the real issues raised in his work. In my understanding, Charlotte’s death and the birth of her children were natural processes. Charlotte exhausted herself helping Wilbur, which hastened her death, but also acquired a different kind of value. Sophie’s death was also a natural process; she was nearing death from old age. The birth of the baby had nothing to do with Sophie’s death, but when Sophie decided to do something for the baby, they became connected, hastening Sophie’s death and acquiring a similar kind of value. Therefore, the birth of Charlotte’s children and the birth of the baby are essential to both stories and hold symbolic significance.
Finally, I thought of O. Henry’s “The Last Leaf” and briefly told them the general plot. I think “Sophie’s Masterpiece” is somewhat similar to that short story. I hope the children will have the opportunity to read this novel in the future, as well as some of E.B. White’s essays.
The second class was over. Li Ke and her classmates had also successfully completed the reading lessons for several other classes. Some of them needed to leave early, so I asked them to leave together.
For the third class, I went to the fifth grade, and I hadn’t decided which book to read to them or talk about.
Zhang Peipei, the fifth-grade homeroom teacher, is a dedicated Chinese language teacher and one of the first to get into the groove during the reading experiment. While she’s a bit weak at reading stories aloud, she’s more adept at telling them from the book, a bit like a storyteller. The fifth-grade class is very disciplined, though sometimes a bit less active. Perhaps due to their teacher’s personality, they genuinely enjoy listening to stories and are also very active in their independent reading, remaining quiet and orderly as they continue their silent reading.
I’ve shared a few books with my fifth graders, and they can’t seem to get enough of stories. If I don’t tell them a story, they don’t seem to want to hear anything else. So, I say, okay.
I took out the two books I’d just read, “Sophie’s Masterpiece” and “Love You Forever,” and asked them to pick one to talk about (I was really tired and didn’t want to talk about two more). Can you guess? They chose “Love You Forever” without hesitation, because they also loved Miyanishi Tatsuya’s “Tyrannosaurus Rex.”
Maybe you’re a little curious: What’s the difference between reading this book to a first grader and reading it to a fifth grader? Should it be different?
My experience is that there’s really no real difference, but because your audiences differ significantly, when telling a story face-to-face, you’re influenced by their reactions, so you have to approach it differently. Speaking of this subtle difference, I’d say that when telling a story to first graders or younger children, you focus more on the story’s inherent interest, and you can’t help but simulate various situations, like shouting “bang” when hitting a rock, and using more onomatopeia. When telling a story to older children, you might focus more on creating a lively atmosphere through language, striving to let the book’s language move the audience. Simply put, the former is more like storytelling, the latter is more like reading. This isn’t necessarily true for everyone, but it’s how I approach it.
Perhaps for the children in the first grade (2) class, the new story about the Maiasaur and the Tyrannosaurus Rex was just “very, very fun”, but I had a different feeling with my fifth grade class. They thought the story was “very shocking”. If you are also very involved in reading this story, you will feel a little choked up and unable to read it by the last few pages. The motherly and fatherly love in the story is very primitive, and therefore very profound.
After reading this story, I longed to have a conversation with the fifth graders. We’d never had such a relaxed conversation about books before. Although this was only the last class of the semester, what about next? After the Olympics, how many of these migrant children would leave, and how many would return to this school? How would the reading experiment go next semester?
I’d like to have a casual chat with them, perhaps about “T. Rex” and Miyanishi Tatsuya. They’ve all read those four picture books and loved them all. Which one is their favorite? Which character in each story is their favorite? Who do they dislike the most? What are their reasons? Also, each book features a different dinosaur. Which dinosaur characters are they? Are there any connections between the dinosaur characters in the books? Are there any similarities between the four books? What topics do they discuss? Are there any common themes? And so on and so forth. I believe most of them have something to say about these questions, and they can actually offer some clues. But it’s clear that this class isn’t ready for such a book discussion, and most of them aren’t very interested. However, they’re very interested in the possibility that Miyanishi Tatsuya will continue writing stories about “T. Rex.” What will the next chapters be like?
Judging by the children’s reactions, they still preferred to listen to stories. If not, they preferred to read on their own. Many were already engrossed in their books, having just borrowed new books from the previous class. I felt that was enough, so I threw out one final question—a small survey, actually. I explained that the inspector was now in the Sichuan disaster area. I’d been there once during Children’s Day (and even told the children there about “You Look Delicious”). Tomorrow I’d be back to replace the inspector and bring some books for a reading activity. Could you give me some suggestions on what to bring? The children were quite interested in this question and actually offered some suggestions, but unfortunately, the amount of books I could check in was limited.
Before the end of the third class, I left the fifth grade early and said goodbye to Teacher Zhang and the children. We made an appointment to see each other next semester.
I returned to the library, packed my things, said goodbye to Teacher Wang, and left the school with my things on my back.
When I left that day, I was the only one there. For some reason, the things I was carrying felt particularly heavy.
Argentine Primera División on August 31, 2008
