MMeM, Vol.12 Issue 39 – Who WANTS to learn?

…eye-rolling you used to do.

See, I don’t expect anyone to remember this because, well, we are who we are. But, some time ago I wrote about a group of Asian children that would literally CLIMB cliffs and mountains just to get to and from school everyday. These were CHILDREN, risking their lives to have the privilege to sit in a classroom and LEARN! I remember lamenting about how many ridiculous excuses I used to come up with for not wanting to go to school.

That story helped to explain why, maybe, JUST maybe, we are always so quick to point out how the smartest kids in our American classrooms aren’t even “from here” as we so ignorantly will point out in our ultimate pot-kettle black ways.

The other day I saw a story about a young Asian boy in some remote area of China I believe, who was undergoing chemotherapy. The hospital for his treatment was about 30 miles from his home and school. Nevertheless, he was WALKING TO AND FROM SCHOOL AFTER TREATMENTS.

Today I wanted to write about that story, but the story has apparently been taken down by the Dark Army or someone in that region. I tried to find it by Googling for it, but to no avail. No worries though, because if I wanted to write about tales of how highly some cultures hold education, well there are dozens of stories out there to pick from at any moment!

I give you, Zhang Chi, who suffers from muscular dystrophy and has never missed a class! How you may ask? His friend, err, class-mate, Xie Xu, has been carrying Zhang Chi to and from school everyday ON HIS BACK! FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

china-friends

Now, let that sink in for a minute and then think about all of the internal and observable eye-rolling you used to do when someone asked you for a ride to or from school in YOUR CAR when you were in school. Don’t EVEN pretend you didn’t do that.

china-friends-4china-friends-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furthermore, tell Grandpa he can stuff his walking to and from school, uphill, both ways, in the snow, in a SACK!

About

Blogger, in search of humor, always. Writer of MidwesternMeditations.com, formerly hosted on Blogger.