Reflections on the Meaning of Education 学当附于成长 我自与你同行 | Monthly Review

My child begins his first year in kindergarten. Seeing he carrying a small schoolbag and stepping away from me, all sorts of feelings well up in my mind.

The thought of getting up early in the morning and stay in a group several hours a day in such a young age is a little hard to take as a young parent like me. Don't tell me that children should be independent and learn this and that. To me, I just feel worry and don't want to be separate.

The teacher has set up a chat group and put some notices in the group everyday. What I did not realize is that the first grade of kindergarten already has homework.

Occasionally on the road, I heard on the radio, the show host initiated discussions on education issues. Some were about toddlers’ admission, some were about primary school and junior high school students' homework, or about the college entrance examination. The discussions were often quite intense.

Once in my hometown, which is a city with strong education tradition in Jiangsu province, there was a campaign called "Parents Schools". Since then, a new generation of parents was also involved. Whenever the children enter a higher school, you should provide your career information including your title. In spare time, you need to complete various type of homework assigned by school. I have relatives as education practitioners, who feel ridiculous by all these practices.

So what the basic education is good? Could children develop good study habits? Can that elevate children's critical thinking ability?

The answer is basically no.

Students and parents are all overwhelmed. Let alone schools and teachers.

The relevance between education and politics is too strong, leading to over-concentration of resources, which has led to a growing trend of follow-up in education.

Funding is of great importance to schools. The way of obtaining funds is grading. The grading exerts put pressures on schools. When the pressure reaches the end level, it becomes a joke-like "Parents' School". Educational innovation, however, is not carried out in a single leap. It is a method of evangelism that allows students in a new era can access knowledge more easily. It is in conformity with the results of scientific development.

Our education in the current course of economic and social development, depends mainly on enrolment rate. Isn't it kind of ridiculous? Students need a high score to go to an ideal school. Then he could graduate and find a job with a high salary. Teachers need a progression rate to complete their own metrics in return for bonus and promotion.

All this looks quite reasonable so we all play our role in the game. However, what is the purpose of education at the first place?

It is cultivation.

Let students be able to stand to sense, understand the laws of nature, familiar with the historical changes, and develop their own hobbies.

And teach them to be physically strong, healthy and alert.

Finally, when they step out of school, they all become kind, agile, thoughtful, with healthy hobby, and a positive attitude of happiness. They don't have to own first-class scholarships, or the experience of being student union president, or a stack of skills certificates.

Someone joke about that our children have to finish homework to midnight in the age of play, and end up playing games addictively day through night in their most productive age.

These are the puzzles that I have, not only as a parent of a school-age child but also a student who had spent seventeen years in schools. How do you think?

At this point, I suddenly understand. We'd better pay more attention in our children's learning and teaching practice, in stead of the benchmarks and scores. It is the responsibility of us to help them ponder the meaning of life, and to pursuit happiness, with our love and guardian.

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小朋友今年也入园，背上了小书包。念着孩子入学的身影，心中满是感慨，但说不清，也道不明。如此幼小的年纪，每天要早起，过几个小时的集体生活，对于为父者，自有些难以适应的不忍。不用和我说孩子应该独立，应该学会这样，应该学会那样。到个人心里，就是“舍不得”三个字。

老师建立了通讯群，每天会把一些通知放在群里，让我没想到的是，幼儿园小班已经开始有家庭作业了。

偶尔在路上，听到电台广播里，主持人发起讨论教育方面的问题。有关于幼儿入学的，有关于小学生、初中生家庭作业的，有关于高考的，讨论往往就很热烈。

曾经我的老家——江苏的某基础教育强市，发起了名曰“家长学校”的运动，因此，新一代的学生家长也被牢牢的抓住，孩子在入学、升学时，要提供你的工作信息，写清你的职务；你在业余，需要完成学校布置的种种作业。我有亲属为教育从业者，这些让他们都倍感荒唐。

试问，基础教育优秀又如何？能否为孩子培养出优秀的学习习惯？能够历练孩子独立思考的能力吗？

答案基本是否定的。

学生和家长不堪重负之余，学校和老师也被动负压。

教育和政治因素挂钩太重，导致了资源过于集中，而导致跟风之象在教育领域愈演愈烈。

资金是学校建设的基本，获得资金的途径是评级，评级给学校施加压力，压力到了基层，就演化成了“家长学校”这类滑稽品。而教育创新本不是一蹴而就，是在革新传道之法，让新时代学生更容易地接收知识；是顺应科学的发展结果，去伪存真。

而我们的教育到当下的经济和社会发展历程下，玩的还是升学率，似乎有些哭笑不得。学生需要高分来升入理想的学府，以求毕业找到高薪的工作；老师需要升学率完成自己的指标，以换得奖金和升职。

这一切的一切看起来多么地你情我愿，多么地合情合理。可是，我们教育的本初又是什么？

是为了成材。

让学生能够明理，了解自然的规律，熟悉历史的变迁，培养自己的兴趣爱好。

让学生强健体魄，健康的身体，清亮的身心。

最后，当走出校园之时，是一个善良、敏捷，有思想，有爱好，有幸福追求的人；并不一定要手握一等奖学金、学生会主席以及厚厚的从业资格证。

有人玩笑说，我们现在的孩子，在该玩的年纪里写作业到半夜，最后又在该发奋深造的年华里通宵游戏，挥霍青春。

这些是我作为一个新入学孩子家长，同时又是历经十七载寒窗之人的困惑。诸君又作何感想？

至此，我恍然得解。立愿，必多花些心思在孩子学、教之上，应该不是文中的那些指标之谈，而是要以爱和守护的方式，助他思索人生，追求幸福。

原文：@satisfied 学当附于成长 我自与你同行 | 月旦评征文
翻译：@kidult00