Chapter 7 7. Part-time teacher

From 1939 to 1944 were the most difficult years for me.When I was a middle school student in Beijing before the Anti-Japanese War, the school ate three meals a day, and it only cost more than five yuan a month. The quality was good, and I could eat it openly. It is fine grain.But it was no longer possible in 1939. Prices soared. Although school meals were free, they were very poor. It was a bit like the situation of not having enough to eat during the three-year difficult period in the 1960s.After all, people's appetites are limited, and food rations mean limiting your rations. Although there was no ration at the Southwest Associated University, everyone rushed to grab it, and the time was gone after a while.It wasn't until 1942, when I could find a part-time job outside, that it was better.

After I graduated from graduate school in 1943, I worked as a part-time teacher in a middle school. My monthly salary was several thousand, roughly equivalent to seven or eight hundred yuan in today’s money. If you are full, as long as you don't support your family, you can live a decent life.There are dozens of middle schools in Kunming, and there is a relatively short supply of teachers. Almost all of them are taken care of by Lianlian students.Young people are full of energy, and they can "negotiate the price". The wages are relatively low, and the level of Lianhe students is higher than that of local students, so the school is willing to use them.

When we were graduate students, almost no one was not a middle school teacher, except for the engineering college. They can go to factories, build roads, railways, or cars. In addition, I think most of the students are taking part-time courses, including famous people. Yang Zhenning.Yang Zhenning was teaching at the High School Attached to the United Nations University, and his lover Du Zhili was a student in his class. Later, when he went abroad, Wang Hao took over and taught there.At that time, not only were the students teaching, but even the teachers of the United Nations University also worked part-time in the middle school.I have taught in several middle schools, such as Qiushi Middle School, Wuhua Middle School, Longyuan Middle School, and Kunhua Girls' Middle School. I taught Chinese, English, history, and geography. I have basically been a graduate student for three years.When teaching Chinese at Wuhua Middle School, Mr. Zhu Ziqing also taught one class there, and I taught another class. His prestige and reputation are much greater than mine. He is a professor and writer, so of course he should be much better than me. Much, so I don't feel discouraged.Mr. Wen Yiduo also taught in a middle school in Kunming. The school authorities knew that Mr. Wen was a famous poet, so they paid him a very high salary and gave him a house. That's amazing.