Chapter 254: Chapter 254: On Raising Children

Gu Qinghuan officially entered a busy period of study and work, and the two children also began their own learning journeys. Thanks to the extra tutoring Gu Qinghuan had given them in advance, both kids were basically doing fine—they could keep up with the pace and even excel with ease.

Actually, Beibei was a bit young to be starting first grade—she was only four years old.

But she didn’t want to be separated from her older brother, and since she could keep up with the lessons, Gu Qinghuan let her be. The most important thing was that the children felt comfortable.

During this time, Lin Xiaomeng casually reminded her to read more and prepare, saying that maybe she’d get a chance to take the college entrance exam someday.

Gu Qinghuan played along, pretending to take her advice to heart. Whenever she had time, she would pick up a book to read, which in turn had a positive influence on the two children.

They both loved reading books and newspapers. If there were no phonetic annotations, they’d ask Gu Qinghuan to read to them. They were genuinely enthusiastic about learning.

Lin Xiaomeng was now a math teacher for first and second grades. There were three first-grade classes and two second-grade classes, so she taught five classes in total and was quite busy.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to be a homeroom teacher, so after class, her time was her own, and she could occasionally look after these little ones.

She noticed that Gu Qinghuan really had a knack for educating children. There was no need to nag or scold—the two kids were just naturally motivated to learn.

Unlike her own son, Dacheng, who seemed to study only to please her. He was always making excuses and trying to get out of it. Forget about keeping up with Dabao—even Beibei was ahead of him. It was honestly embarrassing.

She used to think that these two kids studied hard because they were afraid of Gu Qinghuan—after all, she was their stepmother, and stepmothers are never as close as birth mothers.

As the saying goes, “When a child sees their mother, they cry three times for no reason.”

Her own Dacheng would start whining “Mom, Mom!” before he even opened his mouth, leaving her with no temper at all.

But after observing for a while, she realized it was the opposite of what she thought. These two kids genuinely loved reading and learning; it wasn’t just for show.

Even when Gu Qinghuan wasn’t around, they stuck to their own routines and rhythms.

Gu Qinghuan acted more as a guide—she just needed to assign tasks, and the kids would complete them well.

And to be fair, these two really had a gift for studying. Their comprehension was exceptional.

Dabao had clearly finished the first-grade curriculum already—ordinary questions were no challenge for him now.

Lin Xiaomeng was so envious that she asked Gu Qinghuan, “How do you teach your kids? I’m honestly dying of envy.”

Having been through it herself, she knew how important education was, so she wanted her own son to study well too.

But with learning, the more anxious parents get, the worse things often turn out. It’s easy to overcorrect and even make kids hate studying.

Her Dacheng was already showing signs of this—acting one way in front of her and another behind her back, starting to pay lip service and disobey. Lin Xiaomeng was at her wits’ end.

Gu Qinghuan just told her one thing: “Being anxious doesn’t help. What you need to do is guide your child to enjoy reading on their own.

Simply put, you have to awaken their internal motivation.

If you want people to build a ship, don’t hire them to gather wood, don’t issue orders, and don’t assign tasks. Instead, inspire in them a longing for the sea.

In reality, very few children are naturally self-motivated to love learning. The key is that their intrinsic motivation has been fully awakened.

Children with intrinsic motivation are interested in knowledge, learning, and solving problems. They think proactively, manage their own study tasks, and gain satisfaction and a sense of achievement from learning.

Children who lack intrinsic motivation are like ‘an old ox pulling a broken cart’—parents and teachers have to push and prod them every step of the way. Their learning and thinking are all passive.”

“I have to admit, you’re absolutely right. My Dacheng is just like that broken cart. I have to use all my strength to get him to move, but I’ve been working so hard to guide him! I guess every child is just different.

I make study plans for him every day, set aside time to study with him, and sometimes even use simple rewards and punishments to motivate him.

I’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to work. It’s making me really anxious.”

Especially when she saw Gu Qinghuan’s two kids studying so well on their own without much supervision—it made her even more envious.

Gu Qinghuan shook her head.

“Nagging and hovering are counterproductive. You’re worrying too much and taking on things your child should be managing themselves. You’re more anxious and stressed than your child.

When you take over things they should be handling, you end up controlling everything, and the child becomes like a ‘robot’ with no thoughts of their own.

They just mechanically follow orders and do what you say. Over time, how can they still be enthusiastic about learning?

Inappropriate rewards and punishments can also destroy a child’s interest. Psychological studies show that predictable rewards actually undermine a child’s love and interest in the activity itself.

If you want to raise a self-motivated, self-managing learner, the key is to spark their interest in learning and awaken their sense of achievement and satisfaction from gaining knowledge, solving problems, and making progress.”

“You make a lot of sense, but what should I actually do?”

At this moment, Lin Xiaomeng was completely convinced by Gu Qinghuan. She felt like Gu Qinghuan had spoken right to her heart. Lin Xiaomeng knew some things weren’t right, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Every parent wants their son to be a dragon and their daughter a phoenix—no one’s an exception.

“First, don’t act like a supervisor.

Let him be responsible for his own things. For example, if he forgets to do his homework and gets scolded by the teacher, next time he’ll find a way to remember and avoid forgetting.

Second, set rules and build habits.

Start by setting rules around studying—like doing homework before playing, checking homework carefully after finishing, packing the school bag before bed, and so on. Good habits benefit a person for life.

Remember, never sit with your child while they do homework. Learn to focus on the big picture and let go of the small stuff—the main thing is to cultivate good habits.

Third, set appropriate goals.

The right goals give children motivation to work hard. The joy of achieving those goals gives them a sense of accomplishment and confidence, which in turn encourages them to keep striving and surpassing themselves.

Fourth, learn to leave some breathing room.

Don’t overload your child with study tasks. If you assign extra work after they finish their homework, over time, they’ll become mentally and physically exhausted.

They’ll start thinking, ‘There’s always more waiting for me after this, I can never play,’ and end up dragging their feet, developing bad habits like procrastination and passivity.

You must leave your child some free time.”

Lin Xiaomeng took out a notebook and wrote down everything Gu Qinghuan said.

“Thank you, Qinghuan. I have to write all this down. I’ll definitely be coming to you for advice on raising kids in the future. Honestly, you’re so young and don’t even have kids of your own—how are you better at this than me, a mother?”"

"Chapter 255: The Homeroom Teacher

Lin Xiaomeng only dared to joke around like this because she’d gotten close to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the nerve.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t get upset either. So what if she was called a stepmother? It’s not like she had any kids of her own anyway.

But when it came to educating children, she had plenty of theories—she could talk about it for days.

Some of these ideas she’d already tested out on two kids, and they’d proven to be very effective.

At the very least, she’d successfully sparked intrinsic motivation in Dabao and Beibei.

Every step she’d taken with them had been meaningful. For kids with a narrow worldview, broadening their horizons was crucial.

She often tried to use what she’d learned to solve problems, which really stimulated the kids’ curiosity.

They genuinely wanted to learn, to solve problems, and were interested in knowledge itself.

They also longed to change their circumstances through education and have a brighter future—another form of intrinsic motivation.

As the two were chatting, a soft cough sounded behind them.

“Ahem!”

“Oh, it’s Teacher Lin!” Lin Xiaomeng turned around with a smile. When did Teacher Lin get here? He walked so quietly—did he overhear their conversation?

“Um, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was looking for Teacher Gu, but since you two were talking, I didn’t want to interrupt,” Lin Muyang said awkwardly.

In truth, he’d been there for a while, listening to their entire discussion about raising children. It was a real eye-opener.

“It’s fine, this is the office after all. Everyone’s welcome. Is there something you need?” Gu Qinghuan looked at him in confusion.

“It’s nothing urgent. Principal Chen asked you to come over—your work assignment has been finalized.

But I accidentally overheard your conversation just now, Teacher Gu. You really keep a low profile.

Your insights could easily be turned into an article for a newspaper or magazine. I’m sure any publication would be happy to have it.

Your ideas are so advanced—sometimes I feel like you’re miles ahead of us. No wonder you’re a scholar from Beijing.”

He wasn’t wrong—Gu Qinghuan wasn’t just a little ahead; she was ahead of her time.

In this era, kids were expected to rely on self-discipline to study. If they could focus, they were considered gifted; if not, they were thought to lack talent.

The concept of intrinsic motivation for learning was basically nonexistent. In reality, some kids weren’t lacking ability—they just needed a push.

Lin Muyang had been teaching for years and completely agreed with Gu Qinghuan’s perspective.

Different children need individualized teaching, but all kids require one thing: the drive to learn. That’s what gets them through years of schooling.

Gu Qinghuan waved her hand. “You flatter me, Teacher Lin. I was just sharing some personal thoughts, nothing worthy of publication.”

Lin Xiaomeng chimed in, “Don’t say that! I think Teacher Lin is right. Your educational philosophy could really become influential. Why not give it a try?”

“No, no.” Most of what she’d said was borrowed from the future anyway—she felt embarrassed to claim it as her own.

Besides, she had no interest in publishing articles.

“How about this: if you agree, Teacher Gu, I’d like to organize your ideas into an article. If it gets published, we can co-sign it, and you can have the payment. How about that?” Lin Muyang was clearly confident about the article, his eyes full of excitement and determination.

Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and agreed.

“If it really gets published, just putting my name on it is enough. You can have the rest.” She didn’t care about the money.

Lin Muyang left happily, even borrowing Lin Xiaomeng’s notes before he went.

Gu Qinghuan’s new assignment was settled. For now, she’d be assisting Lin Muyang—he was the busiest teacher in the entire school.

She never expected that her next job would be as the homeroom teacher for Class 1, Grade 8!

She was a total newbie in education, barely had any real teaching experience—how was she qualified to be homeroom teacher for a graduating class?

(During the Great Leap Forward, the school system was five years of elementary, two years of junior high, and two years of high school, greatly shortening the education process.)

The pressure was enormous.

Gu Qinghuan’s first reaction was to refuse: “Principal Chen, I can’t do it. I’m a beginner—just let me teach my regular classes. Being a homeroom teacher, especially for a graduating class, is too much for me.”

Gu Qinghuan was a person of principle. If she took on a task, she’d see it through to the end. If she couldn’t do it well, she’d rather not do it at all.

That’s exactly why she was hesitant to take on this job—it was just too exhausting.

But Principal Chen was determined to give her the role.

“Teacher Lin is already handling two classes on his own—it’s too much for one person.

The entrance exams are coming up, and I’m worried he’ll be overwhelmed. I want someone to share the load.

I’ve seen your abilities, and you’re more than capable. Teacher Lin Muyang also highly recommended you. Don’t turn it down—just give it a try!”

Gu Qinghuan’s face fell, her brows furrowed. She’d just wanted to coast along at the school, pass the time—how did she end up as a homeroom teacher?

And for a graduating class, no less—a real tough job.

With no way out, she had to accept.

“All right, I’ll give it a try!”

Lin Muyang mainly taught science—math and physics.

Gu Qinghuan was more focused on the humanities. Recently, she’d been teaching Chinese and history to two classes, while other teachers handled the rest.

After taking over as homeroom teacher for Class 1, Grade 8, Gu Qinghuan’s life got much busier. The only consolation was that the pay for teaching a graduating class was a bit higher.

With just a few months left before the entrance exams, there were sixty students in the class. How many of them would make it to high school?

Lin Muyang was a very responsible person. Not only did he tell her all about the students’ backgrounds, he also gave her plenty of advice, saving her the trouble of getting to know the kids from scratch.

On the surface, Gu Qinghuan didn’t seem as sociable as Lin Xiaomeng, but that wasn’t really the case.

She was the type who could get along with anyone she wanted to—it just depended on whether she felt like it. After all, not everyone was worth her effort.

There’s a saying: if you feel especially comfortable talking to someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re your soulmate.

It’s very possible they’re just accommodating you, because their emotional intelligence and intellect are far above yours.

Gu Qinghuan was that kind of person—if she put her mind to it, there was no one she couldn’t win over.

Naturally, this group of kids was no exception.

As soon as she showed her abilities, the students were won over—they listened to her without question.

This had a lot to do with her recent research. Whether now or in the future when she applied to university, her ultimate goal was psychology.

So now, she also saw these kids as her experimental subjects."

"Chapter 256: Loving the Teacher, Trusting the Way

How can one become a teacher that students like and admire?

First and foremost, competence is key. A teacher should be eloquent, knowledgeable, and able to demonstrate a wealth of expertise in their field through everyday conversation, allowing students to feel the teacher’s depth and solid foundation in their subject.

Secondly, a sense of humor is important. It makes a teacher more charming and more popular with students.

A good teacher-student relationship is the foundation of education, and humor helps foster deeper connections between people. It’s an effective way to build a positive rapport with students.

When a student makes a mistake, if the teacher can handle it with a sense of humor and appropriate tact, it allows the student to feel the teacher’s kindness, understanding, and tolerance. This helps dissolve resistance or rebelliousness, making students more willing to accept guidance.

Another important aspect is expressing appreciation. Psychological studies show that when people are told they are liked, they tend to reciprocate those feelings. Appropriate praise in interpersonal interactions can yield excellent results.

Research also finds that the degree to which a person likes someone can predict how much that person likes them in return.

Therefore, teachers should make an effort to express appreciation, praise, and recognition to their students. In turn, they will gain the students’ affection.

But above all, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon. Treating students with genuine sincerity will surely make you a teacher they like, and help you achieve your educational goals.

Of course, in modern times, there are even higher expectations for teachers: not only must they be professionally competent, but they must also respect students, practice empathy, be fair and just, and often surprise students with thoughtful gestures.

But in this era, many things can be simplified. Children are pure and more inclined to trust their teachers.

Looking at the faces of the students below the podium—so innocent, youthful, and full of energy—she was reminded of a time she could never return to.

Gu Qinghuan felt both pressure and a strange sense of being moved.

Life, it seems, is half spent rushing through dust and wind, and half gazing at the stars and the sea. It may be filled with trivialities, but it is also soaked in hope and sunshine.

At this moment, she suddenly understood Shi Tiesheng’s words:

“The bullet I fired carelessly at the age of seventeen hit me ten years later, when I was twenty-seven.”

Now, she was standing where her teachers once stood, imparting wisdom, and though the students before her were not herself, they reminded her so much of her younger self.

The regret is that one cannot possess both youth and the feelings that come with youth at the same time.

Gu Qinghuan was, without a doubt, a charismatic teacher.

All the students trusted this new female teacher immensely. She seemed so gentle yet steadfast, as if she could shield them from all the world’s filth and noise, preserving a pure land just for them.

Gu Qinghuan also lived up to her own moral standards, striving to shoulder this responsibility.

Her life became simple and routine: office, classroom, dormitory, and cafeteria.

Yes, she started eating at the cafeteria too. She used to dislike the food there—greasy, bland, and unappetizing. But now, to save time for work, she no longer had the energy to prepare delicious meals, so she and her two children ate at the cafeteria.

Occasionally, when she had time, she’d sneak in a treat—boiling an egg or steaming some cured fish to go with porridge.

Fortunately, both children had known hardship, so they ate cafeteria food without complaint, even reassuring their mother not to overwork herself.

Her eldest, Dabao, even took the initiative to look after his younger sister and help her with her studies, so Gu Qinghuan had one less thing to worry about.

Lin Muyang noticed all of this and felt even more admiration and respect for Gu Qinghuan.

She was even more outstanding than he had imagined, and her excellence came from within.

She truly was a responsible and dedicated teacher.

No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say: she was a truly earnest person.

Someone like her could probably do anything well.

—

Spring had arrived, but Gu Qinghuan still hadn’t found time to tend to her assigned vegetable plot.

She wanted to devote more time to making plans tailored to each student’s needs—there wasn’t much time left.

She had considered giving up the plot altogether.

But then, Wang Qingchuan from her class found out by chance, and he rallied a few classmates to help till the soil in their spare time.

They borrowed hoes from the school’s tool shed.

Each brought some vegetable seeds from home and planted them for Gu Qinghuan.

These kids, all from rural backgrounds, were naturals at farm work. They didn’t need much instruction—just a few moves and the job was done.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t even know about it until Lin Xiaomeng told her.

When the kids went over, Lin Xiaomeng was struggling to dig her own plot.

Then she saw a group of half-grown boys carrying hoes, and after confirming which plot was Gu Qinghuan’s, they got right to work. In no time, it was finished.

They even thoughtfully divided the plot into sections and planted different seedlings.

Lin Xiaomeng was stunned.

Why didn’t she have such capable and considerate students?

No, it’s just that her students were still too young.

She never knew that being a teacher came with such perks.

When Gu Qinghuan found out, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She called the kids over to sincerely thank them and invited them to her home for a meal.

Yes, spring had thawed the ground, and the weather was getting warmer by the day.

Lately, except for weekends when she went home, she mostly stayed in the dorm.

She’d gradually brought over all the frozen dumplings, buns, bean paste buns, and crispy pork she’d stored in Xujia Village, finishing them off.

During this period, the kids had suffered along with her, making do with whatever was simplest.

Heat up some buns, boil some dumplings, steam a few bean buns—enough for a meal.

Most of the time, they just ate at the cafeteria.

The last of the cured fish and dried meat at home had also been finished off.

Now, all that was left was a pile of frozen pork and pig liver outside, which needed to be dealt with soon before the weather got too warm and it spoiled.

Of course, she could just stash it in her space, but to be safe, it was better to eat it.

With Qingming Festival approaching, there would be a few days off.

These kids had helped her so much without a word—she had to treat them to something nice.

She had moved to share an office with Lin Muyang, and when he heard about it, he shamelessly asked to join the meal.

Gu Qinghuan had no choice but to invite him too.

The day before Qingming Festival, she only had one class in the morning. As soon as it was over, she rushed home to prepare.

Since she only had one stove, she borrowed Lin Xiaomeng’s kitchen as well.

Two stoves, cooking side by side."

"Chapter 257: Trouble from Helping Out, and Green Rice Balls