The School on the Move—A New Long March

What Is the Long March?

The Long March we are familiar with refers to the strategic retreat carried out by the main forces of the Central Red Army in 1934 to escape the encirclement and pursuit by the Kuomintang (KMT, the Nationalist Party of China). The Red Army was forced to conduct a strategic transfer and undertake the Long March (the term “Long March” was not used initially; it was summarized and proposed by Zhu De during the journey). During this period, the Red Army traversed 14 provinces, crossed 18 mountains, 24 rivers, and walked through desolate grasslands and snow-capped mountains, covering a distance of 25,000 li (approximately 12,500 kilometers). In October 1936, the three main forces of the Red Army met, marking the end of the two-year-long Long March. The Long March was an essential experience for the Communist Party’s victory.

A New Long March for Education

At present, we seem to be a group of people on a new Long March for the sake of our children. I initially started a school in Chengdu in 2016, but after 2019, due to the tightening of educational ideology in China, we were forced to close the Chengdu campus in the sixth year of operation. We relocated the school to Xi’an, but due to similar policy issues and differences in philosophy with our partners, we were forced to shut down the school and disband the teachers and students.

Finding Faith through Trials

However, personally, I gained the most from the trials of running the school, as it ultimately led me to the path of faith. During my time running the school in Chengdu, I encountered a group of people who changed my life. Initially, I only knew that they were very loving and willing to dedicate themselves to their work. I didn’t understand why they behaved this way until I saw their faith. They didn’t just talk about it; they practiced it every day. From each of them, I seemed to piece together the image of Christ, which deeply attracted me to become one of them.

At the same time, the difficulties the school encountered constantly struck me. Only by truly letting go of personal arrogance and pride can one achieve self-redemption. Fortunately, this ultimately brought about a significant transformation for me, from searching for the meaning of work to finding the meaning of life. This also made me understand my mission: to nurture a group of young people who understand the truth, have rich inner lives, and are full of life. In the future, under their leadership, they can help us unite and overcome the common problems of humanity.

Emergence of the Mobile School Concept

In June 2022, one month before the disbandment, we took most of the students and teachers to our sister school in a southern city, where we completed our final studies and activities. It was also at this time that the idea of the mobile school began to emerge. I realized that we had already taken students to study and live in three different cities, and their growth and adaptability far exceeded our expectations. Their initiative was fully mobilized; learning without school walls was the most authentic. I discovered that walls unconsciously hindered children’s contact with the rich social and natural resources.

Another important point was that when we moved through different cities and regions, policies could not effectively regulate us. There were no education bureau officials to find us and interfere with our direction of running the school. This was very precious to us because as long as we operated a physical school, various government functional departments would find us and demand that we return to “mainstream education.”

Differences between Homeschooling and Mobile School

This type of mobile school shares some similarities with homeschooling, notably in emphasizing character over academic success. However, balancing character development with professional knowledge cultivation is challenging and often isolating for many families. Our experience in managing international schools enables us to address these challenges effectively. We focus on middle school students, who require more specialized educational resources and management than younger children. While grades one to five benefit immensely from the family involvement and behavioral norm development inherent in homeschooling, older students face increasing academic and social demands. Our programs cater specifically to these needs, alleviating the burdens faced by families and complementing traditional homeschooling by providing targeted support and expertise for adolescents.

Challenges in Implementing the Mobile School

During this year, the mobile school was not implemented as planned due to several specific issues. One major challenge was that this method was not well accepted by most parents and teachers. For teachers, this role is more than just a job; it requires being with students 24/7, learning, living, and influencing each other. It is more of a ministry and a parental role, demanding a sense of mission and calling. For parents, being separated from their children for an extended period is inherently difficult, making it hard for them to choose the mobile school. Some parents also felt it conflicted with their Christian values.

To address this dilemma, instead of having weekend breaks, we scheduled one week of rest each month to allow families more complete parent-child time.

However, an unexpected issue arose—most parents did not want their children to go home. They preferred that the children stay with us, believing it was more beneficial for them. Most of our students were teenagers, and their relationships with their parents were generally tense, even though most of them were from Christian families. The main conflict was that parents wanted their children to become the people they wanted, instead of respecting their children’s individuality. Additionally, some families faced economic challenges, as monthly round-trip airfare was a significant expense. In fact, parents needed more education because many were inexperienced in dealing with teenagers.

Why Not Return to the Public School System or Study Abroad?

During this year, many of my friends also asked me why I didn’t send my children back to the public school system or simply send them abroad, since it’s difficult to fight against the tide. I explained to them: Sending the children back to the public school system may seem to solve the current problems temporarily, but more problems will emerge later. We are concerned with what kind of people we want to cultivate. We place more importance on the growth of the child’s life and the development of their character, hoping they ultimately understand the truth. It’s not just about training them at the knowledge level, because we believe a child with motivation and initiative will not be poor in academic learning.

Moreover, in public schools, the competitive mechanism starts too early in the student evaluation system, which prematurely brings out the negative aspects of human nature, even in very young children. For example, students in the public school system (especially those with good grades) are often reluctant to share their success experiences, because if they do, they might lose their ranking. Such long-term training can only cultivate “refined” egoists, so what can they contribute to the future world? This has a great negative impact on the shaping of the child’s character and the growth of their life.

I remember once visiting a prestigious school in the country, which can send dozens of students to Tsinghua and Peking University every year. I vividly remember the principal proudly introducing their school’s time management: he said that the students’ learning time is very limited, and the school manages them by the minute; even going to the bathroom, they must take a book. Their management of students is a kind of militarized management mode, where students hope to change their destiny through hard work and perseverance. I want to say that such an all-inclusive student management mode is common in public schools, but the problem is that when they enter university, freely managing their own time will become a new challenge. So who is the master of learning— the students, or others or the school?

Frankly speaking, studying abroad would be a better option as it offers more choices and resources. In my opinion, it would be best if children could start studying abroad by the ninth grade. At this stage, they become more independent and have a stronger sense of purpose. With proper preparation, their language and academic transition will also be relatively smooth. However, our children are still relatively young, and it involves many specific issues if parents accompany them abroad.

Formation of Stepping Stone

After a year of contemplation, I embarked on the journey of education again. My children and the children of a few other families formed a targeted transition class in an international school, which we named Stepping Stone. It mainly serves sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from Christian families in China, preparing them academically and spiritually so that they can eventually transition to overseas high schools in the ninth or at the latest, the tenth grade.

A Different Role

This time, my role was somewhat different from before. I needed to teach the students, manage their daily lives, and handle some very specific matters. However, I found that the longer I spent with the students, the more I enjoyed it. Each time I dealt with the children’s conflicts, it was an opportunity to encourage their growth. Guiding them with correct values had a direct impact on them; my own life was also nourished in the process. During this time, I drew on my previous experience in running schools, always ready for possible changes.

The First Trial of Mobile School

In October 2023, we took the students to Guangxi for our first mobile school. We made some adjustments to the curriculum, adding outdoor sports and labor sections. The academic courses leaned more towards project-based learning, and the English courses during the mobile school included debates and speeches. Throughout the period, we guided the students to develop a sense of ownership; they planned our lives, decided what to eat, and even set budgets. This attempt gave us greater confidence to continue with the mobile school in the future.

Government Inspections and Establishing Shepherd’s Home

From December 2023 to February 2024, government inspections of the international school became more frequent, with the main issue being the enrollment of Chinese students. To avoid causing more trouble for the school, we officially started the mobile school on February 26, 2024, and Shepherd’s Home was subsequently established. In the second semester of this academic year, I, along with two part-time teachers, planned to take a few students to three provinces in the south, visiting six different cities. They would experience different learning methods, explore various ethnic groups, cultures, landforms, climates in China, participate in rich outdoor activities, and closely integrate with nature. Many routes were designed by the students and then presented to us. We hoped that the students could truly become masters (showing a sense of ownership in life and learning), taking responsibility for themselves while we acted as their guides and resource providers. In a sense, the masters of Shepherd’s Home are indeed the students themselves!

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Looking back now, the formation of the mobile school was not man-made but arranged. We only needed to follow the guidance resolutely. Although the “Long March” has just begun, “a single spark can start a prairie fire!” We will continue to share our mobile school experiences in the future, and our learners might also continue to share them! I also hope that more people from different places with the same sense of identity and mission can join our team and serve more Chinese families and children.

Let Us Pray for Them Together!

Let us pray for the wisdom to guide these young souls, for the strength to face the challenges ahead, and for the unity to build a community that cherishes and nurtures the potential of every child. May our paths be guided by compassion and our efforts blessed with success.

Editor’s note: This article was originally written in Chinese and was translated and edited by the ChinaSource team with permission.

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