Chapter 71 70. Meng Erdong——A good teacher and model in frontier education

Meng Erdong (1957-2006), born in Su County, Anhui Province, is a professor and doctoral supervisor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University.Over the years, he has adhered to the party's education policy, and has been unremittingly educating students to pursue true knowledge and establish life ideals. He was awarded the National May 1st Labor Medal, a national model teacher, and a national outstanding Communist Party member. At 1:20 a.m. on April 23, 2006, Meng Erdong died at the Beijing Cancer Hospital at the age of 49 due to a malignant tumor (advanced stage).

Professor Meng Erdong came to Shihezi University from Peking University to teach in the spring of 2004. Although the time was only two months, for the teachers and students of Shihezi University, this early spring left them with too many unusual memories , too many unforgettable touch... Shihezi University is located in Shihezi City, a new city of military reclamation at the foot of Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang.In the new era, my country's education industry is developing rapidly. The university built on the Gobi Desert is looking forward to strengthening exchanges with mainland universities. In June 2001, the Ministry of Education launched the "Pairing Support Program for Higher Education Institutions in the Western Region", and determined that Peking University would support Shihezi University as a counterpart.

In early 2003, Professor Meng Erdong, a 47-year-old doctoral supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University, volunteered to teach at Shihezi University. On March 2, 2004, Meng Erdong came to Shihezi University and asked to attend classes the next day. The official class time is 4 pm, and he came to the classroom early.Unexpectedly, there were no empty seats in the classroom, and some teachers even brought their own stools to sit in the back.Seeing the eager faces in the audience, Meng Erdong was moved, and he started teaching 10 minutes earlier.In that class, he spoke passionately, and the students were fascinated... After that, he started every class 10 minutes earlier.He said: "The time of supporting teaching is limited. I must make full use of every minute and second to impart as much knowledge as possible to the students." He asked the teaching secretary to increase his class hours to three times the normal workload.In addition to teaching students, he also opened an elective course of "Tang Dynasty Science Examination" for the teachers of the Chinese Department.

From the second week of Meng Erdong's lecture at Shihezi University, the students found that Mr. Meng's loud and magnetic voice began to become hoarse.At first, everyone didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that the climate in Xinjiang was too dry and Mr. Meng's classes were too busy.Meng Erdong didn't pay much attention to this.The leader of the department advised him to pay more attention to rest, and he joked: "Is my hoarse voice a bit like your Xinjiang singer Dao Lang?" Day by day, Meng Erdong's hoarseness became worse instead of getting better. He was often accompanied by coughing, and it was very difficult to drink water and swallow.After a lecture, Meng Erdong staggered off the podium, suddenly he staggered and almost fell, blood gushed from his throat.

Shihezi University immediately sent people to escort Meng Erdong back to Beijing for treatment.Before leaving, Mr. Meng held the hand of Zhou Shenggui, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shihezi University, and said, "I've finished my lecture, but...the papers haven't been released yet. I...go back and get the papers out...and send them over." After returning to Beijing, Meng Erdong underwent three major operations.Every time I brushed shoulders with death.However, he is always thinking about his disciples, thinking about his three-foot podium.Meng Erdong, who fell on the podium to aid Xinjiang, experienced a life-and-death rescue in Beijing, and his condition was temporarily under control.After three major surgeries and several chemotherapy treatments, he faced the serious illness calmly with tenacious perseverance, and his optimism moved everyone around him.While on the sickbed, he always insisted on guiding students.

Meng Erdong is worthy of being a model of contemporary people's teachers.With the most authentic state of a teacher, he gives his heart to the students, preaches, teaches, and solves doubts. He does it by himself, and perfectly interprets the sacred mission of a contemporary people's teacher.He has truly become a teacher by example and has noble morals.