Students at Pingtung Primary School walk to school through safe temple grounds

Students at Pingtung Primary School walk to school through safe temple grounds

2023-06-27

Students at Linbian Primary School in Pingtung have an unusual routine. The school sits on a busy road, next to a temple. Many parents drop their kids off at the temple gate so they can walk the rest of the way through the safe sacred grounds. Teachers, parents and local officials all agree it’s the safest route. And for the children, it’s a chance to cultivate a daily relationship with Taiwan’s religious heritage.

As these Linbian Primary School students walk through the temple, they make a small bow to the god. It’s their daily routine.

Linbian Primary School student’s parent
It’s quicker to get to school this way, and safer, because there are fewer cars. There are more cars at the front gate.

The front gate is on a main road and lots of heavy vehicles pass by. It’s a bad spot to drop off a child. So many parents choose to ride their scooters up to the gate of the next-door temple. There the kids can take their time saying goodbye and walk safely into school through the temple.

Yao Yuan-ming
Linbian Village head
It’s our top god here. In this temple, we want to make life easier for people. If they go to school this way they can avoid the big road. There are lots of cars and it’s dangerous.

Wang Fang-tzu
Linbian Primary School principal
They allow parents to pull up in the temple courtyard. Most of all, the temple and Linbian Primary School have been neighbors, very good neighbors, for a long time now.

This special routine of praying in the temple before going to school helps children start their day in security – physically, and perhaps spiritually too.

另類校門口三山國王廟林邊國小學童"上學先拜拜"

2023-06-27

屏東林邊國小，因為門口在大馬路上，停車不便加上來往車輛多，所以家長送孩子上學的路線都很特別，先經過學校旁的三山國王廟，再進入校園上課，不少孩子都會跟著家長一樣，經過就拜拜，不少長輩說他們小時候也是這樣，非常特別。

經過廟裡，不忘虔誠拜拜，這是林邊國小學生的日常。

[[林邊國小學生家長]]
“走這邊是離學校比較近，也比較安全，因為這裡比較沒有車子，因為正門那邊車子會比較多”

林邊國小的正門剛好在大馬路上，常常有大型車輛經過，也不適合臨停接送，所以家長們都選擇把機車停在廟門口前，讓孩子可以慢慢下車，安全的經過廟宇進到校園內。

[[屏東林邊村長姚源明]]
“算是我們這邊的主神，我們這個大廟，要給大家方便，從這邊來學校，不用從公路，車輛多，危險”

[[屏東林邊國小校長王芳姿]]
“剛好廟的廣場，也讓家長停機車方便，最主要是廟長期以來，跟林邊國小就是鄰居，真的是好鄰居”

上學先拜廟的特殊習慣，也讓孩子宛如在神明庇護下，開啟每一天的生活。

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