The Wisdom of Education – A Letter to Primary and Secondary School Teachers

Author: Du Chongde
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features:
Fragment: And so, on the 23 choices for the college entrance exam that year, I filled them all with "teacher training," and with excellent results, I was admitted to the Psychology program of the Education Department at Beijing Normal University. From then on, the curtain was drawn for my educational career. Five years of university life, under the influence of Beijing Normal University's "teacher training education," made me increasingly firm in my professional beliefs. In 1965, after graduation, I was assigned to teach in primary and secondary schools in Beijing. Thirteen years of primary and secondary school education work, I loved my career and never wavered a day. Even during the period when teachers were impacted by the "Cultural Revolution," I never felt fear toward my work. During the "Ten-Year Turmoil" and the "Daily Reading" period, I mainly memorized one slogan: "Loyalty to the Party's educational cause." Until the 1980s, I published a book almost every year, and when I received the sample copies, I still wrote on the title page: "Loyalty to the Party's educational cause." This became my lifelong motto, and I have practiced it with my actions, blood, wisdom, and strength. In September 1978, I returned to my alma mater to resume my old career in psychology, but I did not leave the primary and secondary schools that had become deeply connected with me. Following the guidance of my mentor, Professor Zhu Zhiqian, I have been deeply involved in primary and secondary school education since 1978, researching students' psychology and teachers' qualities. Looking back at the paths taken by educators at home and abroad, there are three common points: first, familiarity with the history of education in their own country (or even abroad); second, understanding the needs of current education; and third, adhering to the combination of theory and practice. For a long time, I have been exploring this path, and as a result, my experimental classes have grown from few to many, expanding from one to over 3,000, spread across 26 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China. I love primary and secondary school teachers and am also quite familiar with them. I have made long-term and systematic observations and studies of the characteristics and work of primary and secondary school teachers, accumulating some materials. Comparing some popular readers translated from abroad, such as Talks on Education, Conversations with Teachers, and Advice to Teachers, I felt that my materials still had some unique features. Therefore, I decided to compile these materials and explore the laws of education and teaching with primary and secondary school teachers, as well as our educational subjects—students—and ourselves, teachers, so that we can remain more loyal to our shared educational cause and become expert teachers. This is the origin of writing this book. This small booklet was written with my heart, and I would like to dedicate it to all primary and secondary school teachers.