Little Teacher

In a rural primary school nestled in the mountainous regions of northern Sichuan, there was once a school known as the "e;Farm-Study Primary School,"e; later renamed a private school, where students spent half their day studying and the other half producing. The teacher was Yan Xingyun, who had just returned from his own primary school education and was not much taller or older than his students. Hence, he was affectionately known as the "e;Little Teacher."e; The salary of the Farm-Study Primary School teachers was low, amounting to only twelve yuan per month, of which only five yuan was provided in cash by the government, with the remainder to be collected from the production brigade. In such circumstances, his grandfather encouraged him, saying, "e;Don't be afraid. Others use their skills to support their families, but we support our skills."e; At that time, teachers generally only had a primary school education, and his grandfather added, "e;Teaching is such a thing: if you teach well, you nurture the next generation; if not, you mislead them."e; With the simple sentiment of "e;not misleading the next generation,"e; Yan Xingyun diligently studied, worked hard, and remained committed even when faced with adversity. While other teachers' classes dwindled in size, Yan Xingyun's grew larger and larger, and the students in his private classes outperformed those in the public classes. His students published numerous compositions at national, provincial, municipal, and county levels. He was also praised and rewarded multiple times by the county party committee and government. Thus, Yan Xingyun became a primary school teacher without a diploma but with immense capabilities.