Volunteer Dong Min: "Sunflower" blooming in the west of the motherland
Dong Min
My name is Dong Min, a 2017 graduate of the w88 casino of English at the w88 casino, and a member of the Gansu Branch of the 19th Graduate Student Support Teaching Group of the w88 casino. Now serving Jingyuan No. 7 Middle w88 casino, Baiyin City, Gansu Province.
"Teacher Dong, my child has no mother. I am usually busy at the construction site and have no time to take care of him. If he doesn't listen to me, he just listens to the teacher. I hope you will give him more homework to prevent him from going out and playing crazy all day long." A father of a child said to me at a parent-teacher meeting.
In late October last year, because the class teacher was away studying for half a month, I was appointed as the acting class teacher of the "Sunflower" class in Jingyuan No. 7 Middle w88 casino - Class 8 of Grade 7. During this half-month, in addition to the regular work of the class teacher such as checking the dormitory, watching morning and evening self-study, and paying attention to hygiene, I also need to organize the parent-teacher meeting after the mid-term exam. This is really a challenge for a novice teacher who has just been in the job for more than a month. In addition to the longer time in class, the rupture of the throat mucous membrane due to talking too much, and the more hesitation and uneasiness of the parent-teacher meeting. But it was also this opportunity to act as a class teacher that gave me a deeper understanding of the "Sunflower" class I teach.
What is the "Sunflower" class?
The "Sunflower" class is very special in Jingyuan No. 7 Middle w88 casino where I teach. It is similar to but not like the Rocket Class in other schools. First, the students in the class have very high quiz scores, with the lowest score for admission being 320 (out of a total score of 400), and the students have a good academic foundation; second, the students in the class are all subsidized, and their families are generally poor. If you are interested in entering the "Sunflower" class and have submitted the application form, the principal, vice principal and class teacher of the No. 7 Middle w88 casino will visit their home during the summer after they finish the primary exam and are about to enter the first grade of junior high w88 casino to ensure that their family background meets the funding conditions.
The students I teach come from single-parent families as mentioned at the beginning of the article. They are descendants of martyrs, their parents are divorced, their elders are seriously ill, and there are natural disasters and man-made disasters. During the parent-teacher conference, too many family tragedies hit me. Looking at the students, I couldn't help but feel that they were carrying too much on their thin shoulders.
Prizes for the "Sunflower" class
Due to the adjustment of the w88 casino's teaching staff, the classes I taught after the National Day last year were adjusted from the initial six classes to the eight "Sunflower" classes. Out of the goodwill of the supporting teachers and out of teaching needs, when I took over the "Sunflower" class in early October, I purchased dictation books for the students. I didn’t take it to heart at first because I did the same thing in the previous six classes. But I never expected that two days later, the monitor would hand over 35 neatly folded 1-dollar bills into my hands.
"It's just a notebook, the teacher gave it to you."
“The teacher has just started working. We can't let you spend money. We have money to buy notebooks. ”
The squad leader’s insistence made me accept the money. I was touched by the children’s sensibility, but also secretly lamented that I had not done well. Due to their family background, the children in the “Sunflower” class were particularly sensitive to the words “sending” and “subsidizing”. Their precocious self-esteem allows them to build high inner walls while accepting help from the outside world.
The dictation book incident made me really distressed for a while. I wanted to do something for the children, but I had to pay attention to the method. Later, under the guidance of my family, I purchased creative stationery such as carrot pens, bookmarks, post-it notes, folders, etc., and implemented a "reward mechanism" in the class: those who get a perfect score every time in dictation can receive prizes, the top three in each grade test in English can receive prizes, and those with an English score of 110 or above (total English score of 120) can receive prizes...
I am sincerely happy every time I see the students’ smiling faces like sunflowers when they rush to the stage to choose stationery because of their progress in learning.
“Gift” from the University of International w88
Since the beginning of teaching, the No. 7 Middle w88 casino team of the Gansu branch has been planning to continue the traditional activity - the "Pen Pal Activity in the Mailbox" to allow students to communicate with the University of International w88 and Economics and experience the style of Beijing beyond the small county of Jingyuan. So far, the pen pal activity has been carried out five times. Many students have established online connections with their brothers and sisters from the University of International w88 through letters. The mail content has also increased from letters to sending postcards, bookmarks, and books to each other... A little girl in the "Sunflower" class received the floor plan of the University of International w88, and a little boy even received a torn-off admission brochure of the University of International w88. Every time I open the letter, the students' eyes seem to light up.
Actually, correspondence is just an opportunity for me to tell students about college life. Every time I write from the University of International w88 and Economics, the children will have many strange questions based on the content of the reply, such as "Will my roommates dislike me if I don't wash my feet in college?" "Will I be able to meet many foreigners when I get to college?" "Is Hongyuan Building really that big?" "Can I still learn Persian at the University of International w88 and Economics?"...
At this time, I will take the opportunity to popularize science to the students: "If you don't wash your feet, you will be disliked anywhere. It is everyone's responsibility to maintain the harmony of the dormitory." "There are indeed many foreigners in the university, but if you want to strike up a conversation with foreigners, you have to learn English well, especially practice your spoken English." "Hongyuan Building is known as 'Asia's largest single dormitory building'. All the girls in the w88 casino live there. You can experience it for yourself in the future." "The w88 casino of Foreign Languages at the University of International w88 has many minor languages. In addition to Persian, there are also Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, etc. You can learn any language you want to learn. If there is something that is not available at the University of International w88 and Economics, there are also Beijing Foreign Language w88 casino and Beijing Foreign Language w88 casino for you to choose from."...
I sincerely hope that the children in the "Sunflower" class will not be bound by their family background, and can go out of Jingyuan, Gansu, and see the wider world outside. The "Pen Pal Activity in the Mailbox" and my usual words and deeds can sow a fire in the hearts of children.
As fate would have it, the children passed the quiz and were selected during the summer to enter the "Sunflower" class. I chose Jingyuan, Gansu Province among the four supporting teaching sites of the University of International w88 and Economics. In Jingyuan, I was assigned to Jingyuan No. 7 Middle w88 casino, and again to No. 7 Middle w88 casino. After many twists and turns, I was able to spend almost a year with the children in the "Sunflower" class. Meeting the children in the "Sunflower" class is a beautiful scenery in my life.
May the children in the "Sunflower" class grow up healthily and happily like sunflowers that always face the sun.
