In the past two years, topics such as education and class have been hotly discussed on the Internet, and the terms "small town youth" and "small town problem solvers" have naturally become popular terms. Behind the two words, there is a sense of irony and self-deprecation. Although there is no clear and clear definition, it appropriately abstracts the characteristics of a certain group. Especially "a question writer in a small town".
The reason why I am interested in the term "small town as a questioner" is because I feel that I am also a member of this huge group. Like many people who passed the college entrance examination and came out of the countryside, I also found the gap in the starting point of education in the constant collision and reality. I once told my friends that the urban-rural gap in reading may be that rural students only read textbooks and textbooks, while urban students have the opportunity to read "idle books". Invisible barriers in life. This habit is still affecting me. I still prefer to read history, economics, and political social science books. I hardly read novels, and I have never read the "Four Great Masterpieces". I learned about it through CCTV TV series.
If we look at reading from a utilitarian point of view and regard reading as an investment, for "small town essayists", reading textbooks is the inevitable choice with the least investment and the greatest short-term output. "Xianshu" or extensive reading, The payback cycle is long and results cannot be immediate. The ancients said, "The rich think about the coming year, while the poor look at the present." When it comes to education, there are also differences between urban and rural areas and class differences.
(School at the foot of the mountains in western Hunan)
My wife and I both came from the countryside, and both families have rural teachers. Therefore, we have always believed that reading can change your destiny. In the past ten years, together with many friends, I have sponsored some children in the rural areas of western Hunan to study. Now, some children have been admitted to colleges, some have studied nursing, and some have also been admitted to local public offices. Work. I have deep feelings about the issue of reading in rural areas. In fact, I knew very early that reading is not only about the college entrance examination, but also about education and reading itself. But our advice to these children is also very realistic. We hope that they will do a good job in their studies, understand the textbooks, and not be distracted by reading idle books . Changing the education gap between urban and rural areas or narrowing the class gap is easier said than done.
The children I sponsored in the past were all very successful, and one of them had always had poor grades, but she persevered and this year she passed the vocational college entrance examination and entered a junior college. The little girl told her wife that she could become independent and support herself through college. She also worked in Changsha during the summer vacation before school started and came to see us on weekends. Seeing her growth, we are very relieved. We didn’t give her any money when we parted. We bought fruits and snacks, took her around the study room at home, and asked her to pick two books as gifts for her. If you are anxious to make money, the most important thing is your studies. You should study more.
For rural children, reading is not only spiritual food, but more importantly, it is also a rare way to change their destiny.
(A village in western Hunan in 2015)
In the matter of reading, there are urban-rural gaps and class differences, but in fact, everyone's demand for books is the same. It can even be said that rural children are more curious about the world and thirst for knowledge, but they may be affected by many social factors such as transportation and economy.
Under the impact of the two waves of urbanization and the Internet, rural education is also facing new problems: first, the "hollowing out" of the countryside, the decline of local culture, the lack of educational resources for rural children, and left-behind children; second, the Internet education in While narrowing the information gap, it also invisibly widens the urban-rural education gap, and the proliferation of short videos, games, etc. also affects reading. Compared with urban children, rural children lack an environment and atmosphere for reading.
Of course, how to continue "reading" and reduce dependence on short videos and games in the Internet age is a problem faced by both urban and rural children, but these have a greater impact on left-behind children. As you know, reading requires an atmosphere, and even many parents of rural children have not considered the impact of short videos and games on their children.
In the past few years, the Internet has popularized the concept of a “second half”. In a sense, grand social projects such as targeted poverty alleviation, rural revitalization, and universal knowledge should also have a “second half”—rural education and reading. In the past few years, many enterprises and social organizations have invested a lot of money and resources in rural economic construction, and the problem of rural education has gradually improved.
(Pinduoduo’s “Reading for You” charity event poster)
In response to the problem of reading in rural areas, the Internet company Pinduoduo launched the "Reading for You" public welfare activity. In April 2021, Pinduoduo confirmed that knowledge inclusiveness is a long-term strategy, launched large-scale activities such as "Duoduo Reading Month", and also launched a public welfare donation action of "Reading for You". The first stop of "Reading for You" began in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. For more than a year, it has been in remote areas of Hubei, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Guizhou, Yunnan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan and other provinces and autonomous regions. Local primary and middle school students initiated the "Reading for You" charity donation, and so far have donated 200,000 books.
At present, more and more platforms are aware of the importance of corporate social responsibility, and many Internet companies have also raised public welfare and social value to the strategic height of enterprises. We will see many enterprises actively donating money and materials for public welfare. It is worthy of encouragement and appreciation. However, with the development of the times and the progress of society, the concept of public welfare and the implementation of enterprises are also improving. For example, in terms of "reading for you", what Pinduoduo has to do is not just donating books. Rural education and rural reading need not only books, but also things other than books.
(In the "Reading for You" book corner of the Galaxy Observatory, children are reading astronomy books. Photo by Wang Wei丨)
For "Reading for You" to really take root in the countryside, there are many things to do besides books. At the beginning of the design of this public welfare project, Pinduoduo realized this, and therefore, "Reading for You" is choosing books. I have put a lot of effort into "reading".
For example, the donated book list invites educators, writers and cultural figures to express their opinions, and carefully selects genuine books suitable for them according to the specific conditions of the donated schools. For another example, co-authors took books to school for reading and poetry classes. In Liuyang, Hunan, the "Reading for You" activity became a popular science reading club at the Observatory.
Professor Qian Liqun of Peking University once said that education issues have become more and more complicated these years, and now we should return to the basics. The most practical work is to rebuild the "reading" principal and "reading" teacher to lead the students to "read" environment . I hope that while you are concerned about rural education, you can also read more books, whether it is with the purpose of changing your destiny, or other things.