Chiayi teacher runs “Walking Study” trips to get kids out and about

Chiayi teacher runs “Walking Study” trips to get kids out and about

2022-09-06

Usually we think school is in a classroom. But what if school is the great outdoors? In Chiayi County, that’s exactly true. Elementary school teacher Lin Ying-hui founded the “Walking Study” scheme to get kids out and about in Taiwan. He takes kids to every county and city in the country in one year. Kids come back with a greater appreciation for nature, excited about everything to see and do nationwide.

School students walk along a road. They’re getting a firsthand look at Taiwan’s towns and countryside, by walking through every county and city.

The “Walking Study” program was started five years ago by Lin Ying-hui, teacher at Heshun Elementary in Yizhu Township. Every year, he takes students on five to ten short trips of two or three days. They gradually explore all different parts of the country.

Heshun Elementary student
The coolest thing I saw was how you can see goats on the road on Orchid Island.

Heshun Elementary student
We can see great landscapes, and lots of different interesting things.

Lin Ying-hui
Heshun Elementary School teacher
We go on trips for 18 days a year. Every day we walk 20 kilometers. So overall, it’s 360 kilometers. And we can see all 18 counties and cities, walk all of them. I think that if we take them out to see things, to experience things firsthand, then it will broaden their horizons, won’t it?

Lin wants students to experience Taiwan on foot. He thinks it will make them care more for the Earth. He has been dedicated to education in rural areas for many years, and won numerous prizes. But each “Walking Study” trip needs to cover multiple counties – all the transport and accommodation is a big expense.

Lin Ying-hui
Heshun Elementary School teacher
I write the plans for every trip. Of course, the results of the trips over all these years have been great, so that’s why we keep doing it, so more students can benefit.

The “Walking Study” program has attracted NT$200,000 of donations from Chiling Charity Foundation. Lin hopes that with enough sponsorship he can keep the scheme going for many more years.

偏鄉熱血教師發起走讀活動用腳愛台灣

2022-09-06

嘉義縣義竹鄉和順國小，有位任教20年的林穎慧老師，長期投入心力在偏鄉教育，多次獲得獎項肯定。林穎慧五年前發起了走讀活動，帶領學生四走出教室、行遍台灣，領略都市、鄉村之美，目的是希望小朋友能用雙腳認識台灣，培養學生關注進而愛護台灣這片土地。

學生們沿途走路，領略都市、鄉村之美，要靠著雙腳，「走讀」台灣各縣市。

這是在嘉義縣義竹鄉和順國小的林穎慧老師，五年前發起的走讀活動，一年大約18天，每次2到3天，帶領學生四處領略台灣之美。

[[和順國小學生]]
“我看到最新奇的是，蘭嶼的路上都可以看到羊。”

[[和順國小學生]]
“讓我們看見很好的風景，也可以遇到很多有趣的事。”

[[和順國小老師林穎慧]]
“(一年)18天，每天20公里，剛好就是360公里的路，剛好可以到18縣市，把它走完。會覺得說，如果我們帶他們出去，親自看到，讓他們體會到，是不可以開闊他們的視野。”

希望讓小朋友用雙腳認識台灣，培養學生關注進而愛護這片土地。林穎慧長期投入心力在偏鄉教育，多次獲得獎項肯定，但每次走讀都要橫跨好幾個縣市，食宿交通都是不小的開銷。

[[和順國小老師林穎慧]]
“每次的活動(經費)都是靠我寫計畫，這麼多年做這個計畫下來，成果當然很好，所以才想要把它延續，嘉惠更多學生。”

這項活動引起各界關注，志玲姊姊慈善基金會也慷慨解囊捐，助20萬元，林穎慧也希望藉由外界援助，可以繼續帶學生走讀台灣，拓展視野。

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Last month, Taiwan proposed an increased defense budget to counter the drone threat. According to the Ministry of National Defense a NT$4.35 billion defense budget will go toward procuring five drone defense systems and 232 anti-drone guns over four years. The equipment will be first deployed in Taiwan’s outlying islands, high mountain bases, missile launch sites, and designated camps. All to be well protected against China’s remote advances.

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Soldiers stand at the ready, while others lie face down firing weapons during live-fire exercises. President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday visited a base in Hualien County, inspecting several units throughout the day, two of which operate the Hsiung Feng and Sky Bow III missile systems.

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Last month, when the Chinese military was conducting drills, the Air Force’s 5th Tactical Composite Wing grew by 63 teams and 126 members of staff. The air-defense team conducted 18 sorties with 36 aircraft. Five female officers and soldiers who ate with us today demonstrated outstanding performance in piloting aircraft, managing ground operations, conducting foreign affairs liaison, and garrisoning at camp. For example, Captain Chou Wan-chun, who is here today, took on the mission of scrambling a response when Chinese military aircraft came on an intrusion.

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Tsai Ing-wen
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Live-fire combat training and rescue-operations training have better prepared the military for wartime rescue efforts, as well as improved its capacity for disaster relief in peacetime. This training has also demonstrated to the world that Taiwan’s military seeks innovation and improvement, and is resolved to optimize its combat capabilities. Commander Sun Chih-yung 孫知勇 of the mechanized infantry battalion also confidently told me that we Taiwanese must strive to protect ourselves. As the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, I am extremely proud of every officer and soldier in the R.O.C. Armed Forces for your resolute belief and ability to defend the nation.

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Stephany Yang
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Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. A hot pot store in Taipei is offering all-you-can-eat moon cakes, pineapple cakes and pomelos.

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Member of public
I think it is much more convenient than having a barbecue. You can also eat mooncakes and pomelos here, which gives off a Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere.

Member of public
There’s also beautiful scenery here. Generally, everyone has barbecues during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but I think hot pot is also a good choice.

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Because everyone thinks of barbecues for Mid-Autumn Festival, our hot pot restaurant had no market. So we launched these mooncake and pomelo activities related to the Mid-Autumn-Festival. We plan to order 3,000 mooncakes and buy 200 kilograms of pomelos for the promotions in the early stage of the event. In the later stage, we will prepare another 200 kilograms of pomelos. In the offseason for the dining industry in September, we hope to increase our revenue by 20%.

With Mid-Autumn Festival quickly approaching, this 50-year-old bakery says it makes around 3,000 mooncakes by hand a day in order to keep up with orders. These particular mooncakes are filled with five kinds of nuts, including cashews and walnuts.

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Now, we make around 3,000 to 4,000 pieces every day. We hope to sell 35,000 to 42,000 pieces during the Mid-Autumn Festival. We’ve adjusted our prices up by about 8%. It’s because many raw materials have gone up a lot this year.

As Taiwan prepares for the Mid-Autumn Festival, stores across the island are discovering innovative ways to appeal to mooncake lovers.

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