Teacher leaves family to volunteer at rural school

For many years, Xu Qiuping missed her old teaching desk.

Then, last year, her dream of becoming a teacher again came true, when she got a job as a volunteer teacher at Jiefang Primary School in Xinning county, Hunan province.

In January last year, Xu learned from a friend that a primary school in Hunan was recruiting teachers.

Without hesitation, the 57-year-old phoned the school, indicating that she very much wanted to become one of their teachers and didn't need a salary.

A few days later, the school replied, accepting her application. "I was so excited by the good news that I wasn't able to sleep that night," she said.

Born and raised in Jiangxi province, Xu lived in Macao for many years after getting married, but with her children grown up, she wanted to pursue her dream of teaching.

Three days after she was notified that she'd been recruited, Xu packed her bags and said goodbye to her family.

In her teaching diary, which she shared on Meipian, an online platform for sharing stories of everyday life, Xu wrote about her journey from Macao to Xinning. She traveled through Zhuhai in Guangdong province and Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region by train and then onward to Xinning by bus.

"The first class I gave was on March 1. When I saw the children's confused looks after I introduced myself in English, I realized they were not yet used to speaking in English," Xu said, speaking about her first day of teaching.

She wrote several articles on Meipian, the first on Nov 14, sharing her thoughts and experience of teaching and living in Xinning.

Along the way, the volunteer teacher encountered many acts of kindness, including one old woman who offered to take her from Wugang airport in Shaoyang in Hunan to Xinning, a distance of about 58 kilometers.

"I've met many people during the past year, the students' parents who treat me like family, an editor who helps me publish my articles and colleagues who care about my health. They make my teaching here colorful," she wrote in her diary.

To encourage an interest in English, Xu holds performance, writing and recitation competitions for the students.

Those that do well are given prizes of stationery.

"After I learned that over half my students were left-behind children (whose parents are migrant workers), I offered to give them extracurricular lessons during my free time if they wanted, so I could keep them company," she said.

For Children's Day, one of the most eagerly-awaited days for her students, Xu prepared gifts for each of them.

One of the girls asked for maltose, which the teacher was not able to get in time. She kept the request in mind though, and was finally able to buy it during the summer break.

"Getting some maltose is not a big deal, but I promised I would buy it, and promises must be kept. This is also a lesson for the students," Xu said.

This care goes both ways.

Xu often gets freshly-made chicken soup and eggs from parents. "Every morning when I get to the office, there is a hot cup of tea from my colleague waiting on the desk," she said.

It rains a lot in Xinning. When it's sunny and warm, Xu likes to go traveling or wander around with the children.

In her diary, Xu wrote about picking navel oranges in the Langshan Mountains with students. They met the owner of an orchard, and volunteered to help him pick his oranges.

"The sunshine of early winter is warm, the oranges are sweet, and the orchard is warm. This time next year, I will also volunteer to pick oranges for the farmers with my students," she wrote.

Posting on WeChat, one parent wrote: "With Teacher Xu's help, third graders can now recite the textbook fluently in English. She is selfless and uses her weekends to give extra lessons. She is also careful to correct their pronunciation."

A year has passed since Xu first arrived in Xinning.

"I am so grateful. I didn't expect the parents would give me such praise. It's very touching. Many have also asked me to stay," she said, adding that she has decided to go back to Xinning again later this year.

Zhu Youfang contributed to this story.