The passions that just, refused to get put out, despite all the trying things that are happening, in the distant region schools, the dedication of these men is truly, amazing, from the Front Page Sections, translated…
“Principal Mommy, will you come and watch me demo my teaching skills?”, a child I’d taught from before had, invited me to go to the school he was interning in to see his teaching demonstration, I’d gladly made my way there. The other teachers at the school had nothing but good things to say about his proactive ways in acquiring more experiences in the teaching field. His professor also commended him on being a hardworking man, but, they’d all felt bad for him, “Unfortunately, he wasn’t born in the right era, these couple of years, the country had been impacted by the decline in birthrate, perhaps, there’s, no teachers’ qualifications exams being held anymore.”, the office manager at his school also asked me, if he should try and persuade him, to do something else other than teaching.
I’d analyzed for him last year, asked him to think thoroughly about what he wanted to do, but he’d smiled and asked me, “do you remember what I’d shared with you when I was in the last year of high school?”, back then, I’d nodded, and, sighed, but still offered him my best blessings, “I hope that heaven is on your side in this.”
This young man was from a cross-generation family, he’d worked hard, tested and gotten into his first choice high school, and, as he was the valedictorian of his graduation class, he’d shared how rebellious he was on his first day as his grandmother took him to school, he’d said, “Everybody, there’s a saying in Taiwanese, that thirty percent of life is already written in stone, this, is wrong, and I am the proof of it, fate is our own to create, our own, to change……”, back then, a lot of people were moved to tears by his speech, his grandmother hoped that he can enter into medical school, but he’d wanted to study physics, and work in the technologies industry.
instructors such as this one, interacting with her students on a personal level, photo from online…
But, in his last year of high school, he had a sudden shift in goals, his first choice of university became the National University of Education, because he bore witness to a group of young men fight, it’d, shocked him; school teachers, recalling how he grew up, he may have damn well become one of them, later on, he’d told me, “I was mistaken, I’m NOT the one who’d, changed my own fate and future, it’s the school teachers who’d done that for me”, and from that day forth, he’d wanted to become a teacher, who can, alter the future of his students too.
I’d asked him out to a meal this year, he’d mentioned how he’d wanted to stay teaching in the distant regions in Nantou, to help the students who couldn’t receive as much resources, and that way, he’s able to, be closer to his elderly grandmother to care for her too. I’d told him, that there’s, a series surplus of teachers, that it doesn’t look good for him, and advised him, “You may also consider take the test for the office officials at school too”, back then he’d nodded; six months later, he’d told me, he’d looked into it, and still chosen to “work in the frontlines, to become a teacher who encouraged his own students”. As he’d stated it, there was, that same passion that I saw from him as he graduated from middle school.
“National University of Education had given me formal and disciplined training, I’m sure, that I would be the instructor who helped changed the students’ lives, I will NEVER give up”, I’d given him the affirmations, but still showed worries I had for his future, and he’d consoled me, “If there’s a government sponsored programs, I would, without a doubt, take that college entrance exam, I will keep on working hard, don’t you worry for me anymore.”
There was, another child, who didn’t need me to worry, who’d worked in Ren-Ai Township, after a lecture, he’d run toward me and started mentioning of the trials and the joys of teaching in the distant region schools, back then I’d asked, if he would keep on substituting the classes? He’d nodded, and told me not to worry, and promised, that he is, to become, the inspiration to his students, and smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be the one, who’s a bad influence on all my students.”
the one-on-one tutoring provided here, photo from online…
From these kids, I saw, the passions and persistence of empathy, they’re not looking for the hourly wages to get adjusted, nor do they care about the terms of their contracts in teaching, they’d wanted to give back to their hometowns, to be closer to their loved ones, to look after them, and make their dreams of using their own lives, as a good example for their students.
He did, have a successful demo teaching session, the students interacted with him passionately, and naturally too, it wasn’t forced, but from the long-term care and concern, and love he’d, shown toward his students, after his demo, he’d, shifted his gaze toward me, with that questioning look in his eyes, wanted to know how I felt about his demo, I’d given him a thumbs up, he’d smiled that genuine, down-to-earth smile of his, and I’d, smiled back at him too, but, there’s, my heart that’s, aching for him in my smiles!
So, we have people here, who truly wanted to dedicate their lives, in helping to make a change in the students’ lives, and, this is just the start of their teaching careers, and, nobody knows what sort of hardships, difficulties these men will face in their teaching careers, but, with their attitudes, their goals for teaching, one thing can be certain, that they will, persist in their teaching careers, and help touch the lives of the students they come in contact with, just like how they were both, touched by their school instructors too.
Life, the Obstacle Course 