People visiting Nantou County’s Jhongliao Township (中寮) might be surprised to see many elementary-school children practicing their English language skills with an older man who they call “Grandpa Liao.”
“Grandpa Liao” — 81-year-old Liao Hsiu-lin (廖修霖) — said he moved to the township because his youngest grandchild had severe allergies, and by the time his grandchild’s condition improved, he and his wife, Liu Pi-li (劉碧麗), had decided to settle down there.
The northern part of the township where they reside is remote and even lacks a convenience store, Liao said, adding that finding a cram school to help children improve their English was even less likely.
Photo: Chen Feng-li, Taipei Times
“If we must go without something, it should not be education,” Liao said.
“Young people must be proficient at foreign languages if they wish to move smoothly across international borders,” he added.
Having served as a liaison officer between the former US Military Assistance Advisory Group and the Republic of China (ROC), and having lived in the US for more than a decade, Liao decided to help tutor his grandchild in English.
Photo: Chen Feng-li, Taipei Times
Liao thought he might as well invite the neighboring children to the lessons, if only to give his grandchild some company, he said, adding that news of the lessons eventually spread throughout the township.
“I think that we had at most 29 children crammed into our living room,” Liao said.
His success with the elementary-school children soon prompted Liao to begin holding lessons for older children.
“When Cingshuei Elementary School principal Lin Yi-cheng (林宜城) heard about the lessons, he invited me to give classes at the school,” Liao said, adding that this led to what later became known as “Grandpa Liao’s morning English class.”
To encourage children of financially disadvantaged families in Jhongliao to study and learn, Liao opened the first floor of his home — which he named the “Lung Lin Study” — to local students for study in the evenings.
The space is open to students even on holidays and weekends, Liao said.
Liao’s generosity moved Lin and his wife to join Liao in offering children evening tutoring sessions in mathematics one to two days per week.
Over the past 16 years, Liao and his wife have focused their efforts on bringing more educational resources to the township.
Their friends in the business sector, such as Taiwan Korean Business Association founder Hu Ching-tung (胡慶桐) and the Rotary Club, have donated to the local elementary schools, including Cingshuei Elementary School and Shuangwen Elementary School, to help them purchase uniforms and replace equipment.
These groups also set up a scholarship that has continued to assist students in need for the past 16 years, although when asked, they say that their contribution is nothing compared with what “Grandpa Liao” has done for the township.
Liao, who has a passion for learning, completed Tunghai University’s executive master of business administration program and has since enrolled in a philosophy course.
“I wanted children to know that I’m still learning at my age and that youngsters should not be lagging behind an old man,” Liao said.
While studying at Tunghai University, Liao encouraged others to assist in spreading education in rural areas and elicited the aid of Hsu En-te (許恩得), director of the university’s Center for International Internship Development.
Promising himself that he would help cultivate learning in Jhongliao Township over the next 10 years, Hsu said he has held summer camps there for four consecutive years.
The number of university volunteers has grown each year, Hsu said, adding that this year, students from the township were among those who signed up.
This year, Liao became director of the Jhangping River (樟平溪) Culture and Arts Association, hoping that through the association, he could give a helping hand to local industries.
“I don’t feel old — I feel like I need to dedicate myself to volunteer work to prove that I’m still quite young.” Liao said. “I would like to be a volunteer here forever!”
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