I am Free Lunch Girl and my name is Can Niuniu who is four years old now. My birthday is on April 2. I hope this column can record stories and people accompanied my growth.
I made up my mind to write a passage at the end of the teaching period barely after I arrived at School Butoujiang, to record this half year. The title was determined long time ago, derived fromMy Own Private Deutschland, my favourite movie.
"The last half year was totally a unique experience to me. Lots of things I have never experienced before nor thought of before."I had intended to sort out small events recorded in Weibo before but it would be far too lengthy if i told every thing. So I only put down several trifling matters, not for commemoration, but for memories in the future.
School Butoujiang
Butoujiang Miao Nationality Village is located in the southern part of Xinhuang Tong Nationality Autonomous Counties.
School Butoujiang is a central institution with grades from kindergarten up to middle school, comprised of 600 faculty and students.When I first arrived, the instead of a gate, there was just an opening in a row of houses in the street, scarcely enough for a van to pass.
Cement, sands and stones prepared for building the gate were piled on the playground. On the right side there was a newly painted, old-fashioned, single-sided three-story classroom building. The front was a three-story dormitory. Another classroom building which was for middle school lied left front and a multi-functional building (including an amphitheater, computer room and laboratory) was on the left side.
There were standard classroom buildings here but in general hardwares were outdated. In my classroom, the blackboard was shabby; I couldn’t remember how many times the tilting pieces of the board poked me when I wrote on it. Students' desks and chairs, which had faint traces of spray paint of some Hope project, were standard and adjustable but battered.
Our class was fortunately equipped with multi-media projector though it was unpractical. In the Computer room, there only had antiquated computers which could not be used in education. More horribly, no office for the teacher!
The school had cafeteria for the regular operation of Free Lunch. Nonetheless, most students had lunch on the playground because dining tables and chairs were far from sufficient.
I taught Math for students from Grade 3 Class 1 and due to lack of teachers I was a PE teacher as well. Children in their age were immature and therefore worrisome. Exercise books were often painted black; boys bullied girls just because they were stronger; moner for breakfast was frequently used to buy snacks. All in all, plenty of problems existed.
As an inexperienced teacher, I utilized every method I came up with. From chicken soup to 'physical punishment', I tried almost anything.
The only inexorable point was that I never allowed students to 'control' other students. For most people, I believe, they used to have a disciplinary monitor at their class. However, I told my students: I would rather you all lie to me than spy on your classmates.
After the half year, I finally made it.
Gradually, I found my own teaching methods and ways to deal with children after a short honeymoon: don't spoil them.
According to my dad, once I cried on the ground when I fell down and he passed straight without a glance, then disappeared around the corner. But surprisingly, I stood up and followed him immediately.
Originally, I didn't believe my dad because it was too cruel to treat his son like this. But my nephew, upon learning to walk, didn’t cry at all when fell down and stood up on his own when no one helped him.
Probably, it was because of my dad that I ddn't spoil my students, I contemplated years after I first tried to walk. Thanks to this teaching pattern, lots of students made progress.
Except for daily teaching mission，as a Free Lunch volunteer I should visit destitute students' families. Actually, a good teacher is supposed to call on students’homes and get to know more since children's behavior at school is closely related to their families and conditions.
So I decided to visit one family each weekend. If the location of the family is close, I would return ; otherwise, I would stay at that student's house.
Initially, the work was distressing：I had to travel back and forth in mountainous areas, cope with many strangers, and my communication withe them was hampered because of their strong local accent. In spite of adverse circumstances, I never thought about giving up. And Pu Xi was a poor student in remote mountain areas I met during visiting.
Pu Xi was a girl in her Grade 9 and was going to take High School Entrance Examination, one of the essential tests in life. She lost her father when she was only a baby. Her mother chose not to remarry and leave, went through difficulties to take care of her. And her grandparents couldn't do farm work on account of illness.
However, contrary to other poor families, Pu Xi's home was very neat. Bathroom was so clean that I didn't believe I was in a place without 3G network; a piece of paper written with 'door' was attached to the door and another one with 'toilet' was adhered to the bathroom; an iron plate awarded for five-virtue family was hung on the wall in the main room.
The only word I came up with was 'organized'. Puxi's home changed my view of penury completely. And poverty doesn't always result in dirtiness and disorder.
"Pu Xi is a good student." I reached Puxi's home with her teacher's compliment. And I saw her certificated of merit cover the wall. In addition, she received three more the very day!
I had a conversation with Pu Xi carefully, though I swore I did my best not to hurt her self-esteem,but still she wept, not choking, not crying, just let tears drop. As one of the weak, she was sad, helpless but tough.
Pu Xi's grandmother told me Pu Xi would go outside to work next year. I guaranteed firmly that I could solve the problem of her tuition fees and Pu Xi should continue education.
Obviously, my words didn't win their trust. Whether it was my role as a teacher or my sincerity, after my repeated reasoning, the family finally decided to think I could raise money for Pu Xi.
After returning school, I told Ms. Cao about Pu Xi and that 2000 yuan from Chinese Rural Orphan Foundation was not adequate for high school. Ms. Cao said she would do something and asked me to see how much the total cost is.
Several days later, Ms. Cao brought back amazing news: a kind Mr. Liu was willing to pay for Pu Xi's tuition fees of high school and college. I would never forgot Pu Xi's face when she heard the news.
At that moment I felt all the effort I have done finally paid off. Later, Pu Xi's grandma and I did some account and found that the family still could not afford Pu Xi's living expenses every month which was five-hundred Yuan. To put simply, a high school student in Xinhuang needs 11,000 Yuan per year and Puxi lacked 5,000 Yuan for living expenses.
So, a new target appeared. I started to search for donors with the aim of five-thousand yuan every year. But I was young, I only found a person I met earlier on QQ, Guozi.
Guozi was a manager of Pugongying organization in Huaihua, whom I knew out of luck. He contacted me when he learned I taught in Xinhuang and assured me that I could turn to him if i am in need of help. Now, in order to raise money for the rest expenses, I could only seek his help.Several days before Jan 1st, I made contact with Guozi. He expressed adamantly, as long as Pu Xi wanted to attend school, Pugongying organization would offer assistance.
On Jan 2nd, Guozi arrived at Butoujiang school with alacrity.
Well, how could I make a stranger to come and to help an unknown needy student. Perhaps, I thought, it was because what people called 'Selfless love'.
Seeing Pu Xi's circumstances, Guozi said that they already helped a student and Pu Xi was qualified to be another. Pugonging proffered 9,000 yuan a year including tuition and living expenses, so after the deduction of tuition, that would be 400 yuan per month. As it is ten months a year at school, 2,000 yuan from China Rural Orphans Foundation was like 200 yuan a month on average. Therefore, Pugongying was going to make up for the rest 300 yuan per month, 3,000 yuan a year in total.
At last, Pu Xi's fees of three-years high schoolwould not be an obstacle!
One person was responsible for her tuition and two organizations for her living expenses. Every time I recall, I can only say it's destiny or more accurately, destiny of kindness. I promised to Pu Xi I would visit her next autumn when she is admitted to high school and provide her with a cellphone for communication.
Before I left, I bought Puxi an electronic dictionary to help her learn English. Finally I finished what I could do to aid her within my teaching period. Pu Xi, kid, you ought to work hard when I left.
Epilogue
At first I just rushed to be a volunteer and teacher with zeal and then I found out nothing was easy. But fortunately I held on to the last. I thought it was my personal Butoujiang but at last I realized the intention of love, the power of kindness were always around and would continue to flourish!
·At the end of 2012, I started to know Free Lunch and kept donating.
· In the summer of 2014, Free Lunch forwarded a Weibo @ Tianya Ms. Cao which attracted me to become a volunteer and by accident I first knew Principal Yaoxiaodong and school Butoujiang and became a volunteer teacher.
·In the early Sept of 2014 I arrived at Xinhuang County at Mid-autumn Festival and spent the festival at Principal Xiaodong’s home. After it, I registered at school and commenced my teaching life formally.
·On Nov 4th, 2014 Butoujiang Village celebrated 30thanniversary.
·On Nov 7th, I began to visit poor student families and get to know their life.
·On Jan 2nd, 2015, Guozi, volunteer from Pugongying and I went to Puxi’s in the mountain area.
·On Jan 22, 2015 I left School Butoujiang and finished the half year of teaching aid.
