(Minghui.org) I am a retired female schoolteacher. I used to suffer from many health problems and tried many medical treatments as well as folk remedies, but to no avail. Several months after I began to practice Falun Dafa, all my ailments were gone.
In 2013, I participated in a Physical Education (PE) teacher’s individual skills competition. Only two of the participants were over 50—I was one and the other was a male. One of the activities was a backward roll and shoulder-elbow stand, which older people might find difficult as they are prone to spinal problems. In fact, before I was 34, with my many ailments I didn’t dare to do such movements. But after I began practicing Dafa at the age of 50, I was able to participate in a competition like that and I even received an award.
I would like to share some of my stories before and after I began practicing Falun Dafa.
I used to have strong attachments to fame, wealth, jealousy, resentment, competitiveness, and fighting. I did many things that I’m ashamed of now. I’d like to share two examples with you.
Once, during an evaluation of professional titles, I thought I was the best candidate for the title of “First-class Teacher,” either due to my work performance or my seniority. When I wasn’t selected. I argued with the two principals and even went to the Education Bureau to complain. At that time, I saw myself as a fighter.
Another time, I had an argument with a male PE teacher because we had different opinions on some work-related issues. Both of us held to our opinions and refused to give in. The argument went from verbal criticism and curses to a physical fight.
These examples reflected my state of mind before I practiced Dafa. After I started to practice, at work I followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and behaved like Master Li taught us to.
When I taught at a middle school, the PE teachers were required to take turns leading the student morning exercises, which meant getting up at 6 a.m. for a measly three yuan. So no one was willing to do it. Other PE teachers found excuses to avoid leading the morning exercises. If I didn’t practice Falun Dafa, I would have done the same. But a Dafa practitioner should be selfless and consider others first, so I took on the task and led the morning exercises every day for years. As a consequence, the only time I could only go home to be with my family was on weekends. The other PE teachers did not have to be at work until 8 a.m.. It made things difficult for me, but no one forced me to do it. I did it willingly, as I was putting others before myself.
PE requires special skills and is physically and mentally demanding. For some reason, the class time coefficient for a PE class was only 0.9 class hours, while the coefficient for other subjects was 1.0-1.2 hours. That directly affected our monthly, term, and year-end bonuses. Others in the PE department believed that the school leaders were unfair to us and decided to protest by not leading the exercises during breaks.
I didn’t want the school leaders to have a difficult time, so I was the only one who led the exercises during breaks. However, some of my coworkers in the PE department were not happy and criticized me for not joining them. Once, during a district-wide meeting for PE teachers, another PE teacher from my school said at the dinner table, “There is a teacher in our school [referring to me], who would never cooperate with us.” Teachers from other schools said that it would be impossible to work with such a person.
It was hard to be a good person in such an environment. If I did not practice Dafa, I would definitely not do such a thing, which made others angry because I worked hard. But a practitioner should hold herself to high standards and not fight back when punched or insulted. So I endured it without resenting my colleagues. In fact, during that time, I was the only one who led the exercises during class breaks. I didn’t get any extra pay, the school leaders didn’t praise me, and other coworkers criticized me. At the end of the year, one of my coworkers asked me how much of a bonus I got for leading the break exercises. I told him I got none.
He said, “I thought you were paid a lot! You did so much but for nothing.” I just looked at him with a smile.
Every year, the district held a basketball and track and field meet. I used my spare time to train students for it, as well as the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The school assigned another teacher to train the track and field team with me, but he often found excuses and left, leaving me on my own to do the training. I did not mind. For many years in a row, our school won first or second place. The district education bureau gave bonuses to the PE teachers as an incentive. The teacher who did hardly any work was happy when I shared the bonus with him equally, which I didn’t mind.
In the township school, we did not have a dedicated PE equipment custodian. PE teachers usually borrowed and took care of the equipment themselves. Once, another PE teacher borrowed the gymnastics mat that I’d borrowed but didn’t return it. When I asked him about, he insisted that he’d returned it to me. I didn’t resent him and just quietly compensated the school for the mat.
As a practitioner, I should handle the relationships with my coworkers well, and I should do my job well. I prepared each lesson carefully. When a higher-level official came to inspect our PE classes, he gave my class a very positive evaluation.
To illustrate how the cornering techniques of endurance running reflect the principles of centripetal and centrifugal forces in physics, I used the whistle around my neck and demonstrated them by swinging it around and throwing the object. The students quickly mastered the concepts and the cornering techniques. To spark their interest, I used a game format, dividing them into four teams and having them run a relay race around a large circle. This was very effective.
I was also assigned to host various arts activities, including martial arts, aerobics, Latin dance, and a circle dance resembling the Olympic rings. I put in a lot of effort in preparing these programs, winning honors for the school.
When I was a homeroom teacher, I had all kinds of students, including thieves, extortionists, and bullies. Fights were not uncommon. Some of the students hung out with criminal fugitives, while others were dating prematurely. I always guided the students patiently, teaching them the principles of life and traditional culture. I collaborated with teachers who taught different subjects and with the students’ parents. This took up much of my lunch breaks. As a result, many students gave up their bad behavior and improved in their studies.
One girl had very low grades. She also had many bad habits, such as stealing from those at school as well as from her own famlily and extorting money even from kindergartners. I paid special attention to her and talked to her parents. After more than a year of patient encouragement, she finally changed some of her bad habits.
At work, I followed Dafa’s principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I worked diligently, considered others first, tried to do more good deeds, and did not care about fame and fortune or loss and gain. When I was assigned to work in a large office, I was the one who cleaned it every day. When I was assigned to work in the biology lab, I took the initiative to clean the corridor of the building.
I held my students to high standards, but I used a caring approach to address their disciplinary violations and help them understand the goals of learning and the principles of life. I sincerely cared for them. I proactively coordinated with homeroom teachers and parents to educate the students. I visited their homes and sometimes even walked the students home. When I spotted any litter, I picked it up and threw it in the trash. I also used steel wool to erase students’ graffiti on the walls. Through my actions, I influenced my students in a positive way, turning their bad habits into good ones. I earned their respect and the unanimous praise of my coworkers and superiors.
After the Chinese Communist Party launched the persecution of Falun Dafa, I was illegally detained and sent to a forced labor camp and a brainwashing center. I was tortured because I upheld my belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Yet I had no regrets. I am so grateful for Dafa! It was Dafa that helped me through the most difficult time. It was Dafa that taught me to treat those who hurt me with compassion and kindness. Dafa brought me strength and hope. I thank Dafa and Master! Practicing Dafa is a choice I will never regret!