Rural schools bring families closer through learning initiative

"Come on, time to go to school." Tan Xiangying, 70, would once urge her two grandchildren, but now it is the other way around-the kids remind Tan about her classes.

Thanks to a unique education model that is slowly gaining traction in the rural areas of Southwest China's Chongqing, children are enjoying a healthy family environment.

In 2019, Tan began attending a reading salon at the local primary school with her grandchildren under the initiative.

Organized by the primary school in Xituo township, Shizhu Tujia autonomous county, the weekly salon focuses on family education, emphasizing the important role of the parents in children's growth.

Tan's son and daughter-in-law work far away from home. To learn how to get along better with their two children, Tan joined the salon following her daughter-in-law's suggestion.

The reading salon focuses on specific topics for guardians, such as how to manage their emotions and how to get along with children. The adults read together and exchange their thoughts, while teachers deliver formal lectures.

Initially, many attendees, including Tan, were apprehensive about such a concept. "If they want us to teach our children or grandchildren, what will teachers do?" That was, initially, the prevailing thought among the locals.

According to the guardians, a teacher's job is to teach while guardians are obliged to just ensure the children's basic needs are fulfilled.

However, after the first session at the salon, Tan was shocked to realize how wrong she had been.

"I had no idea my every small move could have massive impacts on the children. I used to berate them frequently. However, I have tried to befriend them now," Tan says.

Liu Jinxin, Tan's granddaughter, says she has noticed significant changes in her grandmother. "She is more gentle now and often praises us."

Tan's mindset has undergone remarkable changes and she has immersed herself in the learning process. She dropped out of primary school at a young age and since then, most of her life has been about doing farm work and looking after cattle.

Thanks to this reading salon, Tan has rediscovered the joy of learning. From being a person who could barely write characters before, she has already filled six notebooks to document what the teacher said in the salon.

"I am so happy now. I never imagined that I could have such a wonderful school life," says Tan. She also invited more than 10 other elderly people to join the salon.