In schools of all sizes in Beijing, this is an inconspicuous corner. It is quietly at the end of a road, with no traffic and no towering buildings. The campus is small, with a spacious playground and several ordinary teaching buildings. However, for many children, this is the brightest part of their world.
This is Beijing School for the Blind. It is the earliest special education school in China.
For many children, blind children are unfortunate. They may be born in the dark, or they may only have a few years to see the world clearly. Anyway, every day now, they are plunged into deep, shallow and endless darkness. Begins in darkness and ends in darkness.
Fortunately, there are always good people who are willing to create a beautiful environment for them. They believe that when darkness cannot be banished, a beautiful mind can bring a happy life.
In the morning, the sun woke up this place. The trees on both sides are lush, and dewdrops are dancing happily on the slender grass tips in the lawn. The ringing bell slowly pushed open the door of knowledge.
They can't see the color of the sun, the color of trees, the scarlet school gate that goes in and out every day, and the red and white plastic runway. However, they know that the warmth of sunny days and outdoors is given by the sun. They know that in summer, early in the morning, when you approach those small trees, when you approach the garden, you can smell the fragrance of leaves and the sweetness of flowers. They know that there is a music fountain at the end of the playground, where there will be wonderful music and cheerful water droplets dancing.
They don't know what the teacher looks like, although the teacher lives with them every day. After a long time, sensitive children can always tell who came to the classroom from the teacher's footsteps. When I was a child, I liked to hold the teacher's hand and explore in a small step in the dark world. When they grow up, they can skillfully go upstairs and downstairs along the barrier-free stairs dedicated to the school.
Their world begins at the fingertips. Before they can read and write, they know everything by touch. Children attending kindergartens for the blind have their own toys and playrooms just like ordinary children. Those toys are as colorful as ordinary toys, and all kinds of cute children's paintings are painted on the corridor leading to their bedroom.
Although they can't see it, they will definitely feel it in their hearts. Although there is no light, it is still a beautiful and lovely world. Children like to play in the music fountain, listen to the brushing sound of the water column, and feel the happiness of water splashing on their bodies and faces. This is reminiscent of the story of Helen Keller. When she was a bad-tempered child, her teacher Anne taught her to understand the meaning of "water" in the running water column. At that moment, Helen was surprised to find that "this movable type awakened my heart, gave me light, hope and joy, and released my heart!" Yes, there are still obstacles in the future, but they can be removed sooner or later. "
Yes, maybe it's flowers, grass, water, or the sun ... You don't know which word might inspire a blind child's life.
Thick Braille textbooks are made up of numerous concave and convex points. They read quietly and move their fingertips deftly, as if they were shuttling through the corridor leading to the world. If they know nothing about the real world, darkness will always be their blind spot and obstacle. The school is like such a long corridor, which allows them to start from the moment they step in, from a little reading and progress to hope for the future. At the end of the corridor, they should be able to cope with life freely.
There is a piano room in the school, and the piano is very loud. A child is intoxicated with music. His fingertips moved briskly on the black and white keys, playing a tune that he was already very familiar with. For blind children who like music, a world that depends more on listening, a world that also needs to be perceived with heart. At that moment, darkness became unimportant. They also have the talent and ability to create beauty.
Schools for the blind have piano lessons and also teach piano tuning. Many people can't imagine that a blind person can operate piano tuning which is quite complicated for normal people. Perhaps, they have more sensitive fingertips and more persistent will to create their own lives.
I remember a movie about love, and the heroine was blind. Someone asked her, "If you can't see, is it black in front of you?" She said, "I don't think everything is black. Black is also a color, but I can't see the color. "
They can't see colors, but their world has its own colorful. In the craft class, children create their world with paper and scissors. They have a unique understanding and perception of color, so colorful works are more like eyes that look at the world uniquely.
When the bell rang, they helped each other downstairs and went to the playground to do exercises. Here, they learned to get out of the autistic world and support each other on the road of life.
Sometimes, children play football. Football is special, with bells in it. When the football rolls, it makes a crisp sound, which is cheerful and pleasant. The children ran a few steps, then stopped to listen, ran a few more steps, and chattered to exchange views. During the game, they will hang wind chimes on the goal, ding-dong ding-dong, and guide the children to run with devotion.
The downtown is noisy, but this remote and ordinary corner is constantly warming one world after another that has lost its light.
Children fall asleep gently, and when they wake up, it may still be dark in front of them. But if they are happier and more confident every day, then they will see the world and light and shadow that they have thought about or have not thought about in the corner of the city, in the breeze in the treetops and in the station after station of life.