(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, and I participated in a grand activity where many practitioners gathered to do the exercises and introduce Falun Dafa. We did the exercises in the park every morning, and it was wonderful.
I graduated from university in 1999 and worked for six months before I lost my job due to the persecution of Falun Dafa. I haven’t had a steady job for more than 20 years. I worked in different industries but was never able to keep a job for more than a year. Later, I looked after my elderly parents and my child, and I became a housewife.
Last year, a friend encouraged me to apply to teach at a university. She said that I wasn’t qualified, but I could take some classes and become qualified. I was very happy but also worried.
I started to prepare my resume, but I had many challenges.
I didn’t have a laptop. I rented an apartment near my child’s school. No other family members were in the same city. Luckily, the apartment had internet. I found an old laptop, but some of the keys were broken. The plastic components around the screen and keyboard were brittle with age and falling apart. Even though it was 20 years old, the main parts were still usable.
The problem was that I was not familiar with computers, TV, cell phones, and the internet. I seldom used a computer. When my friend told me to download an app and send over my resume and the completed forms to her, I didn’t quite understand what she meant. I didn’t know how to download software or how to use the online platform. The friend taught me how to use a computer step by step. I didn’t use word processing program, so I didn’t know how to save it and messed up the format. I then submitted my documents and asked the university teacher to fix the format for me.
I worked in different industries and had various certifications. I sent them to my friend. She was happy to see that I had taken many psychology courses and could make up for my computer deficiencies.
I visited the university after submitting my resume and learned that becoming a university teacher was not easy, especially for someone like me, who was not professionally trained. First, I had to pass the Mandarin language test. Second, I was required to attend the pre-employment training, which I passed. Third, I had to complete the teaching demonstration. Fourth, I was required to have one year of teaching experience, and pass the assessment before I had the opportunity to apply for the university teacher qualification. I didn’t really understand what each step meant, so I didn't even know to be afraid. I just knew that I needed to tackle each problem one at a time.
I searched for information about the Mandarin test online. The algorithm recommended a training organization that helped register me for the test. It wasn’t expensive and would provide a question bank. That could solve my problem. So, I registered to sit for the test a week later.
I was familiar with the exam venue. I found that most of the people were university students, and they all received a pamphlet. I could have registered for the test myself and bought a workbook online, which would have saved me some money. The training organization hid this information. I felt like I was cheated and unsettled. I thought, “It’s important to pass the test. If I fail it, I’ll regard it as a lesson and I won’t have lost anything.” When the score came out one month later I had passed the test.
I needed to attend the training courses during the summer holiday. There were six courses. Two were in-person courses with exams. Four were online courses with assignments. My child had graduated, so we moved back to our hometown. There was no internet. My laptop was too old to connect to the hotspot on my cell phone, so I went to my friend’s home with my child to use her internet. I felt a lot of pressure in doing the assignments. I didn’t know how to use AI to write. My friend didn’t know either. I wanted to write the assignment myself instead of using AI. I listened to the teachers in class, so I gained knowledge about areas I wasn’t familiar with. To do the job well, I increased my knowledge quickly and did everything solidly. I completed the online courses after I stayed up late several nights.
A few things happened at home. My child finished the university entrance exams, so he was waiting for the final scores and began filling out university preference applications. I had to squeeze in time to attend the training courses. When I finally had a break, I heard that several practitioners had been arrested, and we didn’t know where they were. This was sad news. Though my child had good scores and was accepted by a prestigious university, I felt depressed. By then, much of the holiday had already passed.
I started to prepare for the exams for the in-person courses after I sent my child off to the university. The exams were in two weeks. I had to read many books. The teacher’s questions were complicated, and I couldn’t find any ready answers in the books. I must fully understand the information and read the books systematically, but I didn’t have time. I used AI to search for the answers, but its answers were formulaic and subpar. I could hardly remember them. My preparation pace was slow and I could hardly control my anxiety. I felt helpless. I even thought about withdrawing.
I sent a text message to a teacher who would sit for the exams with me. I asked her how she was doing with her preparations. She said she studied but couldn’t remember anything. She dozed off as soon as she picked up the books. She was thinking of other options. She sent me the content that she had prepared. It was a complete AI version. No wonder she couldn’t remember anything. I shared my version with her after organizing my notes.
I felt I couldn’t keep going this way. As a practitioner, the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are inscribed in my heart. I shouldn’t think about doing things that a practitioner shouldn’t do. If it was not an open-book exam, I must answer the questions myself. But I didn’t have much time. I worked out a way. I couldn’t go through all the contents in such a short time. I gave up 20% and memorized a shorter version of every question and further cut off the content that was hard to memorize. I translated the existing content into understandable and oral language. I condensed it into short answers and wrote it down in my notebook, and I memorized them. There was still a lot of content that I hadn’t memorized.
I spent several days organizing my notes and started to feel confident. When I called my husband, he said, “Don’t put yourself under such pressure. Even if you fail, is that a big deal?” I was surprised. I had never thought of failure. I must do my best if I have decided to do something. I hesitated a bit and said, “If I fail, there is a make-up exam. But I’ll feel like I lost face.” After the conversation, I felt relieved. If I didn’t burden myself with fame or personal interest, I would feel much more relaxed.
When I was on the last stage of preparing for the exams, my son resigned from his work and came home suddenly. He said he was going to prepare for the foreign language test. He wanted to go overseas to a country that his father disapproved of. His father said he would cut off his finances. He wouldn’t allow me to give our son any money either. I was caught in the middle and felt helpless. I hoped that my son would come home after I had finished my exams! But now I had to cook three meals a day, wash and clean, and solve this issue. I must keep calm and focus on preparing for my exams. Miraculously, I was able to stay calm. It’s so good to be a Falun Dafa practitioner. I was able to keep myself away from the outside interference and see through the situation. I knew this was the great wisdom that Falun Dafa had bestowed on me.
Two weeks passed quickly. When I got the test papers for the two courses, I was very impressed by the teachers who designed the questions. None of the questions were among the ones we had prepared. Many indirect questions required sophisticated answers. But if the student listened to the lectures attentively and studied hard, they could answer the questions. Most of the people who took the tests were young, had high qualifications, and majored in education. After the scores were published, some had to take make-up exams.
I achieved high scores in the two tests. I knew this was because Dafa gave me wisdom. I knew it was a practitioner’s power and wisdom, which is different from an everyday person’s cleverness.
The university coordinator called me after I passed the test. He asked me if I could take a big class on a specific major course. The current teacher was not experienced and needed to be replaced. This course was in my major. I agreed to give a teaching demo the next day. I didn’t know how long the teaching demo should last or what I should lecture on. The materials were at the university. I decided to take them home that day.
My home was far away from the university. I didn’t want to spend money to take a taxi, so I took the bus to the university. My friend learned that I was going to give a teaching demo and waited for me. She said the coordinator said that it was short notice, and she agreed to postpone several days for me because other experienced teachers needed at least one week to prepare while I knew nothing about the teaching demo. I said the coordinator told me, but I felt it wasn’t good to delay the class. The coordinator was willing to give me a try the following day. If I failed, they would have extra time to ask for help from other teachers. The time was tight.
My friend took me to her office for urgent training, but each trade has its own secrets. She became anxious about being unable to help me and suggested that I find a video to watch on Bilibili. I should follow the video on how to give lectures. I asked her what Bilibili was. She was speechless. She felt the urgency for me as if she was on fire. She helped me download the software and answered my key questions. She said that the teaching demo was to condense a one-hour class into a 10 to 15-minute demo, and there should be an introduction, main subject, core content, summary, and homework. She asked me to pay particular attention to interacting with the students. She said that I must find a video on Bilibili and follow it. She said everything was on Bilibili.
I spent several dozen yuan on a taxi, and it was 9 p.m. when I came home. I ate briefly and calmed down. I opened my cell phone to search for a video to watch. To my surprise, I couldn’t find any videos that fit my course content. I then turned to the books, but didn’t know where to start. At that moment my blood pressure was up and I was trembling. I was in an awkward position and felt like I was in a firestorm.
Luckily, I saw a video showing how to give a teaching demo. I felt everything was arranged. The demo mentioned a very important point which was “flexibility,” to not be rigid or just memorize content.
My friend’s method was not practical. It was already midnight, so I had to find my own way. I quickly worked out a simpler subject. My son let me borrow his laptop to make a PowerPoint presentation. I wanted to have a good base color and design. But he didn’t understand what I wanted, and I felt he was too fast. He went on to the next step before I understood what he was doing. In the end I found an easy solution. I asked him to copy a few blank pages, and then I started to prepare my notes. It was already past midnight at that point.
I quickly prepared a draft in my mind and made some simple slides. It was already 1 a.m. I had a headache. I told myself that I must get some sleep. My mind raced while I lay in bed. I should teach this way and that way. I couldn’t stop thinking. I tried my best to empty my mind and think nothing. I felt tired physically, but my mind was very active. I had a sleepless night for the first time in my life.
I was so nervous that I had diarrhea the next morning. I went to the toilet several times. I knew that I must be focused and free from any distraction. I asked my son to take care of his three meals because I had to rehearse my demo. I recorded my demo and shortened it to 10 minutes. This way I wouldn’t exceed the time limit. I rehearsed several times before I left home. The university was far from my home and I wasn’t familiar with the route.
When I arrived, I learned that everyone taught different courses. I gave my teaching demo to PhD students. The university leaders would raise questions after we finished the demos. One question was raised to everyone: “How would you inject the ideological and political aspect into your teaching?” I didn’t know how to answer the question. I didn’t know what ideological and political education was about. The previous teachers didn’t answer the question in detail. I didn’t quite get it. I guessed it must be something to do with moral character. We must educate the students to become talents with moral character. I told myself to take it easy and just follow the course of nature.
I was asked to do the demo early because the teacher before me didn’t have the USB ready. When I was at the podium, I was calm. I didn’t greet the people in the room with “Hello students” as the previous teachers did. They were university leaders. I couldn’t call them “students.” I didn’t say “Hello leaders,” either. This would indicate that the people on the stage and those off the stage were not equal. I said, “Hello everyone!” Then I put up a few PowerPoint slides. I didn’t write anything on the board. I just talked. Within 10 minutes, I covered the content, including the major topics, background context, and my own experience. I saw everyone listening to me attentively. I raised some questions. Everyone thought about them and some replied. I thought of some of the questions on the spot, as I saw the leaders were older. I raised questions that I thought would resonate with them. When the question about the ideological and political issue was raised, I said, “I will definitely cover this topic. One entrepreneur said that if you want to set up an enterprise, first you must be an upright person. I mean if you want to be a teacher, first you must be an upright person. If a person doesn’t behave righteously, he or she cannot go far.” I gave some examples. Everyone listened because what I talked about was different from other teachers.
I passed the teaching demo successfully. I was told that the direction of my demo was wrong. When the leader explained it to me, I understood my mistake.
I started to teach a large class several days later. But before I began teaching, I needed to write a lesson plan and complete some content not used in the class. I also needed to prepare the lesson. I had never seen a lesson plan before. I knew this time no one could help me. I followed the format and wrote a plan according to my own understanding. My understanding was that the students should learn something meaningful, and they should gain valuable knowledge from every lesson. My class should be practical and full of meaningful content. It should be interesting so that students were willing to attend. I didn’t know how teachers gave lessons at the university. I was told to arrange them myself. So, I designed lessons according to my own ideas. I found it much easier than I thought. I submitted my teaching plans, and nobody said anything. I didn’t know that this should be a theory class. I designed it to be a practical class, and I lectured all semester.
A university leader came to the first lesson. He introduced me to the students as the third teacher for this lesson, as the first two teachers were inexperienced and replaced. He said that I had a rich work and teaching experience. He asked the students to raise any questions they had to me. I received dozens of questions after the first lesson.
The university paid a lot of attention to this class due to the special circumstances of this class. The leaders talked to the students after the first lesson. My friend quickly gave me positive feedback. I liked teaching this class. The students came to class and were very cooperative. They handed in homework. I praised them highly and we got along very well.
After some time, the university sent me a screenshot of the survey which asked the students which teacher they liked and why they liked them. Some said that I was soft. Some said that I was humorous. Some liked my way of teaching. The university coordinator thanked me for taking over the class.
Some special features of my class were that the student attendance rate was high; there were many students in this big class, but few were absent. I gave the students homework after each lesson. Everyone handed in their homework. I asked many questions and the students responded. They were very cooperative. I thought this should be normal in class. But gradually I learned from my son and other students that it was not like what I thought. On my last lesson, a student on the first row waited until all the other students left and gave me a bunch of flowers. My son said, “You are doing well. You are a successful teacher.”
I didn’t get any feedback from the university. My contract was renewed at the end of the school term. I got the priority to choose the class I wanted to teach for the next semester. They showed me the criteria for certifying double-qualified teachers. Double-qualified teachers refer to the teachers who can teach both theoretical lessons and practical lessons. I finally understood that I accidentally turned a theoretical course into a practical session.
I continuously explored and refined the way I teach. I studied the contents, designed the course and studied how to teach well. I came from outside of the industry, so I was fresh. I didn’t come from universities or enterprises. I didn’t have a formal job for many years. I couldn’t say that I came from a family environment. I lived a simple life. I even couldn’t cook a good meal. My wisdom came from Falun Dafa. I am different from other people in that I have a different mentality. I was able to see through things clearly, and I saw the essence of things. I conveyed my messages in a simple and profound way. The students suddenly understood everything perfectly.
The most important difference is that practitioners have a good energy field, a serene energy field that can rectify what is wrong, and benefit the students both physically and mentally. The students felt comfortable and wished to attend class.
Falun Dafa practitioners do good deeds and consider other people first. All my thoughts are for the good of the students and the university. I keep myself free of chaotic thoughts, and I only focus on studying the Fa and teaching.
I spent 2,000 yuan to buy a new laptop, and although it was slow, it was good enough for me.
I never thought I would stand at a podium one day and teach. Looking at the young students with blank faces, I hope Falun Dafa will shine on them and that the universal values of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will bring them hope.
(Selected submission in celebration of 2026 World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)