Chapter 11 How to Cope with Childhood Developmental Defects

I walked like flying, and I was far ahead. When I crossed the finish line without taking a breath, I was surprised and happy, and my confidence increased greatly. I felt that I was no longer the stunted child. ——Gao Jianfeng Looking at such a person, you would never think that he is the leader of the "new generation" in Microsoft Research Asia.Place The so-called "new generation" is a group of people recruited by the research institute from tens of thousands of applicants in the past five years. After several years of training, there are four most outstanding among them, known as the "Microsoft Four", and he is one of them.

"When he attends an international conference, colleagues from all over the world surround him," Zhang Yaqin described him, "like a star." His name is Gao Jianfeng.If you guessed him from his name and achievements, it would be a big mistake, in fact, if you only look at the appearance, he is nothing like his name, there is no point of rattling, he is not tall, and he is very thin . "I was stunted as a kid," he begins his story with these words. He was born in Shanghai, China's most populous city.Like Beijing, children here also have some inherent "big city diseases": more than smart, not tough enough, ambitious, big-eyed, unwilling to endure hardship, afraid of setbacks, and arrogant.But Gao Jianfeng's so-called "short development" does not refer to this.This child has been sick since he was born, always coughing, always having a fever, his hair grows slower than other children, his teeth erupt later than other children, he can't be called "Mom" after one year old, and he can't call him "Mom" after two years old. He can't walk, and at the age of four, he always tumbles.At that time, the father looked at his son and couldn't help worrying: "Why didn't this child get my inheritance?"

My father is a very good athlete. He won the first place in the long-distance running competition in the city. There is only such a son. He feels that he is the continuation of his life, so he is determined to train him: even if he cannot be as strong as himself, he must Make him as strong as himself. Jianfeng's long-distance running training started at the age of 5.Training is arranged in the morning, every day, so it cannot be missed.In the first year, the father ran in front and the son ran behind.In the second year, the son ran faster and faster, and the father gradually fell behind.In the third year, the father rode on the bicycle, and the son still ran behind.In this way, Jianfeng ran for 5 years.

Gao's parents have a strict division of labor in raising their son, with the father in charge of education and the mother in charge of life.Thinking about it now, the father's education method is to instill the two things of long-distance running and mathematics into his son's childhood. At that time, the city of Shanghai was far less luxurious than it is now, and the houses of ordinary people were very small.There is only one room in the Gao family, and there is only one table in the room, and the family uses it for eating and reading.After dinner every day, the father and son sat facing each other, each reading their own books.The father looked at his son and sometimes thought: "Since this child is late in development, let the stupid bird fly first." He began to teach Jianfeng elementary school mathematics, and gave some exercises for his son to complete. By the time Jianfeng entered elementary school, he had already learned Finished primary school math.

Unknowingly, at the age of 9, he is still very small and thin. He looks a circle smaller than his classmates, and he always stands at the front of the queue.No one takes him seriously, even he himself looks down on himself. When he sees other people wearing long-distance running championship medals, he still envies their strength and feels inferior. Not as good as people. The change happened in a physical education class.On that day, the teacher tested the physical fitness of the whole class. The event was a 1200-meter long-distance race.Everyone ran out in a swarm, and Jianfeng ran among the students.Immediately afterwards, a strange thing happened. The students around him all died, and they were left behind by him. Even those who looked strong and strong fell far behind.That scene is worth recalling for a lifetime: "I walked like flying, and I was far ahead. When I crossed the finish line, I didn't take a breath. I couldn't help being surprised and happy."

The physical education teacher saw that the thin and small child had a unique skill, and he was overjoyed. He thought he had discovered a genius, and let him join the school's track and field team on the spot.Jianfeng himself also became happy, his confidence increased greatly, and he felt that he was no longer that stunted child. It became a common phenomenon in schools in the 1980s that students with good academic performance were poor in sports, and it is still the case today.Most children spend their time on books, don't like outdoor sports, don't like going out to play, and are not interested in anything other than study, but Jianfeng is more and more fond of long-distance running.He started training with the track team and also competed.

My father is getting old and can't run anymore. He often comes to see his training and encourages him to play football.Encouraged by his father, the child's playful nature intensified.I run long distances every morning and play football after school in the afternoon.A few times, the father went to school by bicycle to look for him late, complaining that his son was playful, but he was wondering what was wrong with his son's skills. On weekends, he asked his son to finish his homework in the morning. , Immediately took his son to the park to play football. Jianfeng's entire primary and secondary schools are spent in the two worlds of learning and sports.He is very busy, all the time is full, and he is full of energy and does not feel bitter.His mathematical ability developed rapidly, and his grades were particularly good.His father saw that he had learned mathematics in elementary school, so he began to teach him in junior high school, but he began to like physics again, and devoted a lot of time to physics.By junior high, he was always competing, both in distance running and in physics.The grades in physics went up, but maths went down.

"So I'm not a genius, and sometimes my brain is not enough." He said.Still, he found the two things he got from his father as a child most useful: "One was math, and the other was long-distance running." "Sports are very helpful to me, not only in terms of physical fitness, but also in terms of thinking. I think people who are good at sports are very smart. Because a good player must be very clear about tactics and team spirit. Inside, I know how to cooperate.” Jianfeng’s spare time activities during the entire study period were almost all related to sports, including football, basketball, and Go, and he was also the leader of the Shanghai Jiaotong University volleyball team. Of course, the most outstanding thing was long-distance running.

In terms of long-distance running, he seems to be the most professional among amateur athletes.From middle school to college, he has been getting places in various competitions.He has learned that a really good long-distance runner not only runs with his legs, but also runs with his mind. "A lot of smart people are actually small smart, taking advantage of a small advantage. In fact, really smart people are great wisdom." "The difference between people's superiority and inferiority is not at one moment, but in a lifetime. It is not at the beginning, but at the end. The winner is the most powerful."

"Winning or losing doesn't depend solely on physical strength. In the end, it mainly depends on perseverance, on your perseverance, and on whether you can learn from your peers or even your competitors what you don't have." These truths were not taught to him by the teacher in the classroom, but he realized them during the long-distance running. "The only thing I can get a place in school is long-distance running." He said.So what he learned from long-distance running will never be forgotten in his life. "A good long-distance runner is definitely a person who can endure hardship." The father always said this to his son back then.My father studied hard after suffering all kinds of hardships, and finally came to his head.He grew up in the rural areas of Northeast China, went to Shenyang when he was in middle school, and went to Shanghai after graduating from university.He studies theoretical physics and is an athlete, so he hopes that his son can study like an athlete and engage in sports like studying.

But at that time, neither the father nor the son thought that the father's logic not only allowed the son to eliminate the inferiority complex in childhood, but also guided the son to finish middle school and university, and guided the son to obtain a doctorate from Shanghai Jiaotong University until he became a member of Microsoft Asia Research Institute. After being a researcher at the academy, you can benefit endlessly. From the child's childhood story, we discovered the eighth concept that "E students" should have: Even if you are stunted, you can run far.