A message from the Seng Girls new Chinese teacher

SPECIAL STORY UPDATE:  Since this story was published (June 19) an anonymous donation of HK$42,600 (US$5,500) was received by someone amazing.  Whoever you are, thank-you so much for your generosity.  We will update you soon on how your donation has been used to address some of the things outlined in this report.– Captivating.

“My name is Hongping Wang. I am from Huang Yuan County, Qinghai Province and I’m teaching Chinese to the students of grade two and six in the Seng Girls Vocational Training School.

Time flies, it’s already been a month since I first came to this school. In this one month, I had to adapt to the high altitude environment and different folk customs, which was quite a challenge to me, but I can already see it is becoming a precious  treasure in my life. I still remember the first day I came here.  I was deeply sparkled while I saw those smiley faces looking like blossoming flowers and the eager eyes enriched with an unshakable will.  It also gave me a throw back to my childhood, of which I had so many beautiful memories that I couldn’t help but grin to.

These children are dream chasers, and they always look so tranquil and optimistic and they unite whenever they face the obstacles and challenges in their learning. Thinking of this, I feel a bit ashamed of my own childhood:  taking everything for granted, and always trying to find excuses to avoid difficulties and responsibilities.

In my opinion, the school is doing a great job on the education and management part, however, it seems quite difficult  for the kids to digest all the things that we have been teaching them. This is due, I think, to different reasons:  weak basic education with so many years of education lost to many of them; and the shyness so on. It is wonderful that the government has licensed this program to allow the team here to help these girls really progress.  For our teaching challenges, it requires all of us as teachers to further improve our teaching skills and how to best communicate with the students.

Meanwhile, I think there is great need to improve the outside surroundings for the children to let them be able to study, grow and achieve their dreams through play, sports and group based experiences. Right now students learn knowledge through textbooks and teachers’ explanation, therefore, visual and auditory impact are so limited. Most of the students can not apply the new words learned into their life, and their writing is lacking in the language of experience and courage. To also provide something like media education facilities will help children improve Chinese communication and social skills.

During my stay, I have been inspired by so much. The school and the children are my biggest motivation at this current stage in my life. Thank you to all those who support this wonderful program – local governments, donors, the teaching team, Dockpo, LOVEQTRA and Captivating.