Before becoming a teacher, I was a yoga instructor. I opened two yoga studios in the county and lived a comfortable life. However, my childhood dream made me choose the teaching profession. Initially I was assigned to Qiangao Primary School in Jingjia Town, a village primary school with only 100 children and 4 teachers. When I went to the principal’s office, I saw that the only advanced equipment was a telephone. This was very different from what I imagined a middle school to be like. So I wanted to leave. However, when I walked into the classroom and saw the children's eyes and smiles, I was shaken because they were so happy. Finally, a young teacher came. At that time, I was thinking that if I left, the children would think that it was because they were not good enough. Young teachers left one after another. For the expectant eyes and happy smiles of the children, I chose to stay. At that time, I was very happy to be their teacher.
Most rural education across the country is facing the same situation: young and excellent teachers cannot be hired or retained, and many teachers cannot see the hope and future of self-growth in rural areas.
As time goes by, my original enthusiasm and feelings slowly disappeared. I was looking forward to being able to take the exam to the county seat in a few years and continue to work hard in that high-quality teaching environment. Until a training session changed my life.
In 2012, I participated in the event briefing of the National NOC Competition. At the meeting, I heard new terms such as "cloud" and "digitalization", and saw that the classrooms in other schools were already in a different form. Only then did I realize that I had been teaching modern students using traditional methods from more than ten years ago. How could I teach good children if I was a "frog in the well"? That guilt, curiosity for new things, and thirst for knowledge inspired me to change.
With the efforts of the school and several colleagues, our remote rural school started the BYOD teaching method. I am busy teaching during the day and researching how to teach in digital classroom at night. Gradually, my family began to object: "I haven't seen many teachers as busy as you, and you don't stop when you come back." Many friends didn't understand: "I really don't understand why you are so "crazy" every day. salary......". When there were too many doubts around me, I kept doing what I liked silently with my persistence and belief.
The Internet is a magical thing. In addition to playing games, watching videos, and chatting, you can also find a group of like-minded people to study together. The Internet allows remote schools like ours with uneven teachers to have famous teachers from all over the country and more high-quality resources, allowing them to open a window to the world. At the same time, it also helped our rural teachers continue to grow, allowing us to gradually become the well-known Jingzhong Middle School teacher team.
At that time, I was happiest when I was able to realize my own growth and allow rural students to enjoy high-quality educational resources.
Of course, the road to any innovation and reform is never smooth. There have been doubts, frustrations, loneliness, and thoughts of giving up. When our reforms have achieved some success, many outstanding teachers have chosen to enter the field. In fact, I have thought about it and argued with my family. However, rural education must be done by someone. I believe that as long as we can endure loneliness, stand alone, and withstand the test, we can still achieve success in the fertile soil of rural education. You can bloom your own splendor.
I am a teacher who likes to "fiddle". Not only do I fiddle with it, but I also like to bring the teachers with me. Sometimes I really admire the courage of our principal for allowing us to go through such troubles. Teachers with the graduating class opened online public welfare classes for the high school entrance examination across the country, encouraging teachers to actively participate in various competitions. In the minds of my colleagues, I am an "all-rounder", and I am willing to help them grow together without reservation, because one person can go very fast, and a group of talents can go further.
In the students’ minds, I am a teacher with many ideas, knowledge, and thoughtful ideas. Unknowingly, I have become a role model in their hearts, and I have become their “Sister Fei”. I am very happy.
Since 2015, I have become a public welfare online teacher, giving online music classes to children from Sichuan, Yunnan, Henan and other places. I can sing songs for them to spend an hour or two on the mountain road after school. No longer alone.
In September 2018, I took my team of teachers to participate in the dual-teacher Mandarin class in Nanjiang, became an online charity tutor for Xinjiang, and participated in the national targeted poverty alleviation and intellectual support project . As a teacher in the new era, even in his ordinary position, he can do his part for the country. It is a very happy thing to be able to realize his greater social value.
From a village primary school teacher to Jack Ma's award-winning rural teacher, from an ordinary teaching position to speaking out at the World Internet Conference, I was awarded the title of "Rural Teacher Spokesperson" by Sina Education in September this year. Along the way, I gradually realized my life value and social value, and it also made me understand better that as a teacher, no matter what position I am in, I can work hard to grow into a better version of myself and be able to take root in rural education. I am very happy to go up to this fertile soil and taste the taste of growth!