Teaching from the heart

Pan instructs a student as his parent watches. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

Many parents have noticed positive changes in their children after they attended Pan's classes.

"My son started to greet everyone he met politely, and his grades went up," said Reyihangul Yassen, 45. Her son Kawusab Ashan, 8, has been receiving tutoring from Pan for a year and a half.

Reyihangul runs a small grocery store with her husband. All parents in the neighborhood know about Pan and trust her, she said. "Sometimes we can only pick up Kawusab from Pan's after the shop closes at midnight. She never complains and is always very supportive," Reyihangul said.

"The classroom, which doesn't have nice desks and chairs like those in my school, is like a second home for me. Grandma Pan truly cares about us," Kawusab said.

Pan is currently tutoring more than 30 children between age 6 and 11. She knows all their names, what grade they are in and what their parents do.

She also enjoys visits from former students. Many of them have attended and some have graduated from universities.

In July, Abubilajan Wushor, a former student of Pan who is attending the University of South China in Hunan province, returned to Shule during summer vacation. He offered to teach the children English.

"It's the least I can do. It is great to be in the same classroom with Pan again," he said.

For Pan, reunions are sweet. "I feel empty without the children. They are a part of my family," she said.

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