(Minghui.org) After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated its persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999, I petitioned for the right to practice Dafa to the provincial government and clarified the truth to people about Dafa. As a result, I was transferred to work at an elementary school in a rural area.
I didn’t feel bad or embarrassed about being transferred because I felt fortunate to have found Falun Dafa and to live by its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
The new work conditions were a little worse than at the previous school, but it didn’t worry me. I told my coworkers why I had been transferred to that school, and about the persecution of Falun Dafa.
I volunteered to buy the groceries needed to make lunch and washed the dishes after lunch. Ever since I arrived at the workplace everyone has been eating well, while spending little money.
I also took care of my students, helped them prepare their meals and gave them hot water to drink throughout the day. I also purchased school supplies for the children, saving the parents an extra trip and time. The parents were moved.
A little girl from a neighboring village refused to go to school, but to the delight of her parents, she no longer refused once she was assigned to my class. They brought me some eggs, which I did not accept, explaining that I practiced Falun Dafa and don't accept gifts. They stopped me on the way home from work and I had no other choice but to take the eggs home. My husband, not a practitioner, suggested that we put the money in an envelope and sent it home with the little girl.
Dealing with Problems Peacefully
After working at this new school for three years, I was transferred back to my prior workplace. I was given the most chaotic grade to teach – second grade.
Some well-intentioned coworkers suggested that I should come up with some excuses to drop the class. I thought that I had a predestined relationship with the children and would do all I could to change the children for the better. I would use the Dafa principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and be selfless and always consider the well-being of others.
I attached three flower baskets to the back wall of the classroom. Each row of students faced a basket, and written on each basket were: “focus – honesty, kindness - compassion, self-control - tolerance. Every student got many pre-cut flower petals or leaves. Students with good behavior would write their names on the pedals or leaves and put them in their row’s basket. Then they would compare to see which row’s flower basket was flourishing, and the kids would try to be good people.
I also helped the students who were struggling with schoolwork. I never accepted any gifts from parents and never accepted a fee from students who purchased the study materials I recommended. The bookstore had connections with our Dafa practitioners and knew the truth about Dafa, so they understood why I did not accept gifts or fees.
I urged the kids to be considerate of the sacrifices of their parents and to not let their parents be too concerned about them. Sometimes I gave my students special homework of helping their parents with chores. The next day, the kids would share with the class the process of how they did the chores. After sharing, they gave themselves a pat on the back, increasing their confidence.
Teaching the Children to Look Inward
Every time there was a conflict between the children, I did not scold them. Instead, I had them calm down and search within themselves to see where they acted poorly. They weren’t allowed to bring up the names of the opposing party while doing so. This way after the conflict, the kids could apologize to one another, shake hands, and make up. This is a Falun Dafa principle that Master Li (the founder) has taught us – to look inward.
Being a Dafa practitioner has given me unlimited strength. Within a month, my class had taken a 180-degree turn for the better. Eventually, the higher-ups came to shadow classes at school. The principal trusted me and assigned my class to be shadowed and to represent the school.
Parents also trusted me. Every time the school asked for tuition money, the parents of my students paid for it very quickly. Parents from other classes would first come to me to verify the expense and then pay the money.
My students also know that Falun Dafa is good! Once, a little boy in my class had a headache and recited the words, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” The headache stopped soon after.
On the eve of my students’ graduation, I gave them a notebook as a graduation present. I told them that presents can be bought with money, but the message I gave them would benefit them a lot.
My message was, “Do things and speak a little more truthfully; socialize with a bit more compassion; and when encountering conflicts, be a bit more tolerant.”
