People’s Daily People’s Forum: Love is the soul of education

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People often say that “mothers are superheroes.” Not long ago, a photo of a female teacher carrying her sleeping child while working on a blackboard display moved many people, making them realize that teacher-mothers are “even greater than superheroes””； Many people choose to spend their retirement years in peace, but Ye Lianping, a 91-year-old retired teacher, persists in giving free tutoring to children left behind, hoping to take his last breath at the podium. This love that stems from the hearts of teachers endows the cause of education with a unique charm, lighting the way forward for countless souls. 　　The educator Xia Mianzun compared love in education to the water in a pond, saying, “Without love, there is no education.” What is love? When parents release their holding hands, love is a form of trust that enables children to learn to walk and move forward independently ； When a teacher diligently imparts knowledge and resolves doubts, love takes the form of appreciation – the ability to recognize strengths in students and help bring out their potential ； When students enter the classroom of society, love is a form of understanding and respect that inspires individuals to hold firm to their beliefs and act with courage and determination. At different times, love has various interpretations. Yet, no matter how diverse its forms or how times change, love is the sunshine and rain that nurture growth, and can be regarded as the soul of education. 　　“Love is a great emotion; it always creates miracles and brings forth new people. ”Helping people develop a rich inner life and abundant emotions is an important goal of education. We are amazed by the miraculous journey of Helen Keller, who found light in darkness, but we should also recognize the candlelight kindled with love by her teacher, Sullivan, who was by her side day and night ； We are moved by the beautiful singing of the children in Wumeng Mountain, who say that \"even though the moss flowers are as small as grains of rice, they still strive to bloom like peonies,\" and we should also understand the pure and simple love behind those melodies. Education means not only the imparting of knowledge but also the exchange of hearts. Cultivating love, inspiring love, and spreading love – moving people with emotion, educating them through emotion, and transforming them with emotion – is the only way to foster a more sound personality and a nobler spirit. 　　Lacking education in love, it is doomed to be cold, empty, and soulless. These days, some outstanding students, after years of hard study and entry into prestigious universities, enjoy favorable personal conditions and no worries about basic needs, yet they often feel an emptiness within them; they are unable to identify their true goals, nor can they find meaning in life or the motivation to move forward, as if they were adrift at sea. An important reason for developing a \"heart of emptiness\" is that, for too long, our schools, families, and society have placed too much emphasis on grades, which has made education rigid; as a result, children grow up under heavy burdens and lack the nourishment of love. This also teaches us to invest emotion and true love, to show caring concern and comfort souls beyond the classroom, thereby enriching the contemporary meaning of education through the holistic development of individuals. 　　Educator Gu Mingyuan has served as a teacher in primary schools, middle schools, and universities for over six decades. He has always upheld the educational philosophy that \"there is no education without love, and no learning without interest\"; that teaching and nurturing take place in the details, and that students grow through activities. He is known as an \"educator filled with love\". It has been proven that only by putting in utmost effort, just as silkworms spin silk; by giving out one’s light and heat until they are exhausted, just as candles burn to ashes; and by nurturing people’s hearts gently, just as a mild breeze and gentle rain, can one \"come with a pure heart and leave without taking anything\", exchanging true feelings for genuine sincerity. Of course, the education of love is not indulgence in love or an excess of love. To kindle love, inspire love, spread love, and protect love; to understand life through love, achieve growth through it, and strive for perfection – such education will undoubtedly bring benefits to one throughout their lifetime. 　　“True education is an activity of heart-to-heart connection. Only what comes from the heart can reach deep into the heart. ”With the caring hearts of parents, the compassionate hearts of teachers, and the universal love of society, we can enlighten minds and help people grow; by creating paths of love for children, the future of education will be even brighter.