Volunteer teacher provides a lesson in devotion

After a long day at work, Yuan Hui decided to stay back in the office until late and review the midterm exam papers of his students.

The silence of the night was occasionally interrupted by the symphony of frogs and crickets, as the 33-year-old Yuan continued his work unfazed.

Yuan is a volunteer teacher in a village in Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Central China's Hubei province, and this year marks the 10th anniversary of his volunteer teaching career in the countryside.

Nestled deep in the mountains, all of the prefecture's two cities and six counties were once crippled by poverty. Despite all challenges, Yuan believes that it was a worthwhile and deeply gratifying experience growing up among his students.

"I did not come here on a whim. I love teaching from the bottom of my heart," says Yuan, who teaches a variety of courses, including history, geography and music, in different primary and middle schools in Enshi.

"Spreading joy and knowledge among others makes me feel valuable. Living in the midst of the woods and lush greenery, I seemed to have reached a tacit understanding with nature, and discovered the essence of life," he says.

When asked how long he would persist with volunteer teaching, Yuan says, "Persistence is not the accurate word. Volunteer teaching is vital to me, in the same way that breathing is vital to humans. Breathing is necessary for survival so we don't say we persist in breathing."

Back in 2012, when Yuan was about to graduate from Nanjing University, one of the top universities in China, his mentor wrote a recommendation letter for him to work at a magazine in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

Though the chief editor made him a job offer after an interview, Yuan hesitated in accepting it.

"Since I was a high school student, I've dreamed of being a volunteer teacher. In contrast to the conventional teaching style, I feel there is another way, and I hope to have the opportunity to put my ideas into practice," he says, adding that his teaching may have a greater impact on students living in mountain villages with inadequate education resources.

"I had thought of going to other mountainous places in Chongqing or Sichuan, but I couldn't find a volunteer position in schools there," says Yuan.

While he was exploring other places, he came across a news story about a disabled teacher in Enshi named Tan Dingcai.

"Tan, the only teacher for the 27 students in Enshi's Jiangjiawan village, suffered from paralysis around six years back. So, I thought a volunteer teacher like me might be needed there," Yuan says, adding that he feels really lucky that Tan allowed him to volunteer, marking the start of a new chapter in his life.

Yuan, finally following his inner calling, grabbed a sleeping bag and some clothes, packed a bunch of books and left for Enshi, which is over 1,000 kilometers away from his hometown.

When Yuan first started teaching, he encountered students with different temperaments. Some were reserved in class, some were naughty, while some would shed tears when the word "mother" was mentioned.

In order to find out the reasons, on the weekends, Yuan visited every student's family. "Most of them were 'left-behind' children, and some were from single-parent families," says Yuan, adding that the lack of proper companionship and parental guidance was having an influence on the children.

"In such cases, it's important to help them build up their confidence," says Yuan.

He decided to help the children become more expressive and proficient in their studies by developing good habits.

To achieve that goal, Yuan designed activity-based curriculums, one of which integrated sitcom elements, to encourage children to express themselves more confidently.

For example, when teaching the famous traditional Chinese poem Swordsman, Yuan brought props, such as toy swords and sunglasses, to the classroom and organized a performance of the poem.

The courses developed by Yuan, an excellent storyteller brimming with ideas, not only appealed to the children, but also piqued the curiosity of the parents who would sometimes peep through the classroom windows.

Yuan's unique teaching methods gradually became more popular in the county, and other schools invited him to deliver lectures. During his busiest time, Yuan conducted more than 30 sessions at different schools in a week, yet he never saw it as a burden. "I think I'm living a happy life," he says.

Unlike regular teachers, Yuan does not receive a monthly salary as a volunteer. He gets free accommodation and meals at school and sometimes receives no money at all.

Yet, he believes volunteering is the best career for him. "I'm in a very good state. I have food to eat, a place to live, and something to do-I'm satisfied enough."

Yuan notes that the local education administration officials have offered to make him a regular full-time teacher on several occasions, which could bring him a stable income and better welfare insurance. But he has declined all such offers. "Life is very short, and I want to stay who I am," he says.

Though his salary is meager, Yuan often helps students in need. While working in Baishaping Primary School, he learned of a first-grader who was unable to attend school due to osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder that renders an individual's bones extremely fragile.

"I couldn't bear to see her drop out of school," says Yuan. So, he tutored the student two to three times a week, free of charge, for six years until she entered middle school.

During that period, Yuan damaged two motorcycles because he had to travel more than 20 km every time, riding along rough mountain roads to the student's home and back.

Over the past decade, Yuan has won many national, provincial and municipal honors. "I think they are an outcome of my dedication. Only through unwavering dedication can one attain lasting inner peace and joy," he says.

Xinhua