Once, Dashan inspired generations of students to work hard and study hard, saying, 'Go out, the world is right in front of you.'. Nowadays, the mountains summon batches of young people to return home after completing their studies, 'to go to the places where the motherland and the people need it the most'. Starting from 2021, the country has launched the "Targeted Training Program for Outstanding Teachers in Underdeveloped Regions of Central and Western China" (referred to as the "Excellent Teacher Program"), which trains 10000 teacher trainees annually for primary and secondary schools in over 800 poverty-stricken counties and land border counties in central and western China. In 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping replied to the "Excellent Teacher Plan" teacher trainees at Beijing Normal University, encouraging them to "go to the places where the country and the people need it most after graduation, strive to become good teachers with the" Four Haves "that satisfy the Party and the people, and contribute to the cultivation of socialist builders and successors with comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. This autumn, more than 360 graduates of the first Beijing Normal University "Excellent Teacher Plan" took up teaching positions, like seeds of hope sown in the fields of basic education in the central and western regions. In the late autumn afternoon, graduates from prestigious universities arrived in the county, and the wind on the Loess Plateau was already chilly. In the physics group office of Yuzhong County No.1 Middle School in Gansu Province, Wang Minyu and her seniors are discussing how to design a friction experiment teaching plan. As a graduate of the "Excellent Teacher Plan" of Beijing Normal University in 2025, she recently returned to her hometown and became a county-level teacher. I am trying to design more experimental teaching examples, so that students do not have to memorize formulas by rote, but can remember them in practice and understand 'why'. ”A physics teacher who has just entered the workplace is using what he has learned to open a "window to the world" for children in the mountains. Graduating from a prestigious school and entering the county has caused quite a stir in the local area. In the county, it is a key focus to improve the fair and high-quality basic education system, and plays an important mission in the construction of an educational powerhouse and the revitalization of rural areas. However, in the past period of time, there has been a serious loss of excellent teachers and students in many counties, and some places have even experienced a "collapse" of the county. When conducting research in some central and western counties, many grassroots cadres expressed their expectations for high-quality educational resources, but the situation of "difficulty in attracting and retaining talents" is widespread in the counties. For several years, we haven't seen any graduates from 'Double First Class' universities enter the workforce, "is a common sentiment among many county principals. Teachers are the foundation and source of education. To achieve the revitalization of the county, the key is to increase the supply of high-quality teachers in the county. As the "pacesetter" of normal education, Beijing Normal University investigated the needs of many counties and cities, communicated and cooperated with relevant provinces and cities, launched the "Zhiyuan Plan" for the first time in 2020, and targeted training teachers for 52 national poor counties at that time. One year later, the "Zhiyuan Plan" was upgraded to a national level "Excellent Teacher Plan", and Beijing Normal University and other affiliated normal universities jointly recruited targeted employment normal students from central and western provinces. Graduates can choose from both sides of the county and provide teaching services for no less than 6 years. Over the course of 5 years, 3418 students from 21 central and western provinces were admitted to the "Excellent Teacher Program" at Beijing Normal University, with the determination to return to the mountains to teach and nurture students after graduation. In the past, it was unimaginable to recruit students from prestigious universities to become teachers. This year, 13 graduates from Beijing Normal University came at once. ”Chen Shengquan, the principal of Guangxi Dahua Yao Autonomous County Senior High School, still couldn't hide his excitement. "Students and parents are very excited, and we have more confidence in the development of local education." "The 'Excellent Teacher Plan' is a key measure planned and implemented by the country for the construction of the teacher team in underdeveloped areas in central and western China. ”Cheng Jianping, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing Normal University, stated that Beijing Normal University should leverage the "leading goose effect" to precisely cultivate outstanding talents that meet the needs of the country, and provide strong support for promoting comprehensive rural revitalization and building an educational powerhouse. Yang Qing, who grew up in the mountainous areas of Guizhou to cultivate excellent teachers rooted in the countryside, still remembers the long journey of studying abroad during her high school years. At the age of 12, in order to have a better education, he left home and his parents for the first time. He went from Sanjiazhai Village in Xingren County, Qiannan Prefecture, to Xingyi City, nearly 100 kilometers away, to attend middle school. Every time I travel back and forth between school and home during holidays, I always wonder, when will there be good schools and teachers at my doorstep? ”Yang Qing said that it was this six-year study experience that led him to decide to apply for the "Excellent Teacher Program" at Beijing Normal University four years ago. This autumn, Yang Qing returned to teach at the Second Middle School in Panzhou City, Guizhou Province, a poverty-stricken county. Like him, the first batch of graduates from Beijing Normal University's "Excellent Teacher Plan" went to 148 poverty-stricken counties and land border counties in 13 provinces (autonomous regions) in central and western China to join the front line of basic education. The proportion of signed contracts with schools in poverty-stricken counties in the source provinces has reached over 98%, and the performance has been significant, ranking among the top in various targeted training programs. These young people have fulfilled their promises through their actions. The craftsmanship of teacher education is first reflected in the careful recognition of 'raw jade' and the careful selection of 'excellent materials'. In the enrollment process, we have discovered more talents who are willing to teach and suitable for teaching through various forms such as on-site visits and special lectures, and encouraged them to choose to apply for the 'Excellent Teacher Program'. ”Vice President Wang Ming of Beijing Normal University said. How can we cultivate first-class' excellent teachers' by selecting good seedlings? Walking into the Yueyu Academy of Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus, perhaps you can find some answers. As a platform for collaborative education between colleges and academies, students of the "Excellent Teacher Program" grow and succeed here. The college focuses on classroom teaching, cultivates students' professional foundations, deeply integrates ideological and political education, aesthetic education, physical education, and practical teaching, and achieves comprehensive cultivation of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills; As an important support, academies rely on various platforms such as the "dual mentor system", "renowned teacher and principal lecture halls", and "world champion lecture halls" to expand students' horizons. The two are mutually integrated and promote each other, jointly building a community of education that enhances students' professional knowledge, ideological character, and comprehensive literacy as a whole. To cultivate 'excellent teachers', practical classrooms cannot be lacking. From Gouba in Guizhou to Fuping in Hebei, from Yao Township in Guangxi to Tibetan areas in Qinghai... The footprints of students under the "Excellent Teacher Plan" cover multiple urban and rural primary and secondary schools. Li Ruoyu, a graduate of the class of 2025, said, "By exploring educational laws and accumulating teaching experience in real educational scenarios, we have gained the confidence and confidence to step onto the podium." "The school innovatively proposes the 'urban-rural dual practice' system, and each 'Excellent Teacher Plan' student's internship practice should cover both urban and rural teaching environments, so as to accurately grasp the characteristics of education in the new era. ”Wei Wei, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing Normal University and Secretary of the Party Committee of Zhuhai Campus, introduced that currently 191 education and teaching practice bases and 101 summer practice bases have been built. President Yu Jihong of Beijing Normal University said that the school takes the "one body, two wings" strategy as the rudder, relies on the Zhuhai campus to build a southern highland for teacher education, actively explores the reform of the teacher education system and mechanism in the new era, promotes high-quality teacher training work such as the "Excellent Teacher Plan", and strives to provide "four haves" good teachers for underdeveloped areas in the central and western regions, consolidating the foundation for balanced development of education. A little more protection to illuminate the road to school in more mountainous areas. "Support the horse, send a journey, and serve for life. ”Schools pay extra attention to graduates who teach in underdeveloped areas. The graduating class of 2024 is deeply touched by this. When I first started teaching in Tongwei County, Gansu Province, my personal financial pressure was not small. The reward from my alma mater solved my urgent need, "he said. The continuous training, expert guidance, and rewards after joining provide a solid support for us rural children to enter the workplace. ”Liu Xiantao, a graduate of the 2025 "Excellent Teacher Plan" and a teacher at Chacheng Senior High School in Meitan County, Guizhou Province, said that he was also invited by his alma mater this year to return to Zhuhai in mid November to participate in the "County Youth Teacher Growth and Development" forum of the 7th China Education Innovation Achievement Public Welfare Expo, to exchange and learn from experts and alumni, and further strengthen his teaching and education skills. According to grassroots cadres interviewed in multiple places, the addition of graduates from affiliated normal universities not only improves the quality of teaching, but also drives the growth of local teachers and boosts the confidence of county-level education development. They hope that the country will continue to increase the allocation of quotas for graduates from the "Excellent Teacher Program", especially for scarce subject teachers in sports, arts, science, and other fields. At the same time, the reporter found through research that some places have not included the "Excellent Teacher Plan" in their talent introduction policies, and some places lack support in areas such as staffing allocation and living security. The interviewed experts and grassroots cadres suggest that we should start from the perspective of revitalizing the county and building a strong education country, coordinate the efforts of the government, enterprises, and schools, improve supporting policy guarantees, and optimize the overall allocation mechanism of teacher staffing and job resources. Graduates of the "Excellent Teacher Plan" also look forward to the education department actively researching supporting policies to support the post employment education improvement of "Excellent Teacher Plan" normal students. In addition, the interviewed experts suggest exploring the mechanism of selecting and transferring students for education programs, and recruiting college graduates who are willing to serve the development of grassroots education to work in the county education department. There will always be people leaving my hometown, and there will always be people coming back. ”Wei Yu, a recent graduate of the "Excellent Teacher Program" who has just become a high school teacher in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Guangxi, said, "To become a teacher in my hometown is a double respect for both my hometown and the education industry." Walking out of the mountains is the long cherished wish of my predecessors; Returning to the mountains is the responsibility of youth. Their story continues, illuminating the way forward for more dream chasers who look up at the stars. (New Society)