(Minghui.org) I was born in the winter of 1966. Due to my awkward position, it was a difficult birth for my mother. My skin was dark purple, and I still didn’t cry even hours after I was born. Because my mother already had eight children before me and our family was very poor, they didn’t care if I did not survive.
Then a neighbor visited us, and she tried to save me by padding me with ice-cold water. Twenty minutes later, I finally had my first cry. My skin color turned normal the next day.
When I was a teenager, I was found to have a severe heart condition. I developed even more ailments after I got married, including a kidney cyst, lumbar disc herniation, stomach problems, arthritis, trigeminal neuralgia, frozen shoulder, pancreatitis, and gynecological diseases.
Four months after I took up Falun Dafa in 2014, I completely recovered from all illnesses. Over 100 teachers in the school where I worked were amazed by my quick recovery. The department secretary also gave me a thumbs-up when he saw me on the stairs.
I realized that the founder of Falun Dafa, Master Li Hongzhi, had been watching out for me all along. I was so fortunate to have survived at birth, thanks to Master’s protection. And I finally understood why I was born in the breech position – I probably came sitting on a lotus flower!
I disciplined myself according to Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I came to work early to clean the office and prepare hot water for my office mates. They were all touched and said no one treated them as kindly as I did.
I’m 59 years old now, and still a head classroom teacher, probably the most senior in the school. In 2020, we had a boy in the first grade who always caused trouble, including turning off the computer teaching tool screen, beating other students or even teachers, or running around in the classroom. The head teacher was a young college graduate who had no experience dealing with such a situation. Other parents strongly demanded that the school find a more capable head teacher, but no one was willing to take on this job.
In the end, the school leadership came to me. I remembered Master’s teaching, “Since studying Falun Dafa, these workers have been coming to work early and going home late. They work very diligently and will do any assignment their supervisor gives. They also no longer compete for personal gain...” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun). I thought to myself: I’m a Dafa practitioner and I should accomplish the assignments given by my supervisor. So I agreed to take on the class and also to be their Chinese teacher.
I continued to discipline myself with Dafa’s principles and care about the students with compassion. Both the school leadership and the parents praised my work. That problem student also behaved much better. Shortly before Teachers’ Day, his mother gave me a very expensive gift to show her appreciation. I kindly rejected the gift and told her that I just did what I should as a teacher. She told me that what I did made her respect me even more. Not only her, but other parents also tried to give me gifts or even money, and I returned everything to them.
I took the opportunity to tell the parents that I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and Master Li Hongzhi taught us to be kind people. They said it’s hard to find a good teacher like me in today’s society. I responded, “You should thank Master Li. I was able to do everything I did because of his teachings.”
Because of the students’ good performance, the compensation for the head teacher for this class increased from 300 to 600 yuan. Then the math teacher found the principal and demanded to be the head teacher. I gave the position to him and continued to teach Chinese to the students. After the math teacher took over, he frequently had conflicts with the parents and eventually stopped teaching the class. The school leadership came to me again and asked me to be the head teacher. I agreed to take the job on for a one-year term.
When I returned to the classroom the next morning, the students gave me thunderous applause and they all came to hug me. I could see that they appreciated my return to their classroom. The principal also said he was so touched to see that scene.
I had a good relationship with the students and their parents. I became their favorite “head teacher grandma.” When my one-year term ended, many parents texted me to express their appreciation. They thanked me for my patience and for treating every student equally. They wished me good health and a happy life with my family. They also asked me to take photos with the students so they could print them out. Another parent said to me, “You are the best teacher I’ve ever encountered. I respect you like I respect my own mother, because you deserve it!”
During the summer vacation, two parents found me and gifted me the corn and potatoes they grew themselves. They understood that I don’t take gifts as a teacher, but they wanted to give me the gifts purely as friends. Touched by their sincerity, I accepted their gifts. When the fall semester started, I bought two good backpacks for those two students. Their parents were so touched and they said to me, “We wouldn’t be able to find a teacher as good as you are!”
Meanwhile, knowing how difficult it was to deal with some of the parents and students, no one wanted to be the head teacher again this year. The school principal asked me to be the head teacher again for a third time. He also gave me the office space close to the classroom and found an assistant for me. I agreed and also asked to teach a few classes, even though the principal said I didn’t have to. The school leadership was so touched and they praised me.
When I was teaching the classes, I often emphasized traditional values and taught the students the importance of being kind, tolerant, and grateful. The students all seemed to like me. They learned to look within when conflicts arose and not to point fingers at others. They also understood that suffering losses isn’t a bad thing.
Many teachers fought for the after-school classes, given the higher pay for that job. I never fought for it, because I usually used the time to study the Fa. The teachers didn’t understand me initially, but they gradually came to understand and admire me instead.
Students from a single-parent family are usually harder to teach, and I paid special attention to provide more care to such students. I’d like to share the story about one of these students below.
Jingyi was two years old when her parents divorced. She and her half-sister were both raised by their paternal grandmother. Their father was an irresponsible person with very poor manners, who would even verbally abuse his own mother. The family environment had a very negative impact on Jingyi. She began dating in fifth grade and learned to wear makeup. She also dyed her hair red, wore sunglasses in class, and spoke profanity.
Jingyi often made a mess at her desk after lunch and refused to clean it up. In the beginning, I cleaned the desk for her after classes. She left me a note saying, “Will you die if you don’t touch my stuff!” I wasn’t affected and continued to clean the desk for her. Not long after, she left me another note and repeated the same words.
One day, she was playing with plasticine during class, and I confiscated it. She chased me to the hallway, pointing at my nose and cursing with extremely foul language. I tried very hard to control my anger and reminded myself of Master’s teaching, “as a practitioner one should not fight back when being punched or insulted…” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
After both of us calmed down, I talked to her again. I told her that getting angry isn’t good for her health and affects her image; I believe she is a good child, and she didn’t mean to curse me. She was surprised to hear what I said, as she was ready to hear how I would punish her like other teachers. I could tell she was touched. From then on, I paid more attention to this student and sometimes brought her delicious food. Gradually, she opened her heart to me and rarely cursed again. Now she truly enjoys spending time with me.
Jingyi recently left me a note on her desk, “Teacher, you don’t need to clean the desk for me.” She not only took the initiative to clean her own desk, but also found ways to clean other areas of the classroom. I know it is the power of Dafa that has helped this student to change. Master was also using this opportunity to improve my xinxing. Because of Jingyi’s changes, other teachers in the school further understood the facts about Dafa and what kind of people we are as Dafa practitioners.
There are so many stories vivid before my eyes, but I cannot tell them all. I know deeply that without Dafa’s cleansing of my soul, I wouldn’t be who am I today. I also know that I’m still far away from fully assimilating to Dafa, and I still have many attachments to remove. But I’m determined to walk the path well, fulfill my mission to assist Master in Fa-rectification, and return with Master to my heavenly home.
Thank you, Master Li, for saving my life! Heshi.
(Selected submission in celebration of 2025 World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)