Dedicated educator is on a mission to revive rural education in a remote mountainous community and provide the best education to its children, one school at a time.
With her ponytail and big, square glasses, Cheng Feng looks every bit the schoolteacher. Yet, to many of her students, the 33-year-old is more than that. Cheng’s care for her rural students has extended beyond the classroom and makes her a mother figure to them all.
During the just past summer vacation, Cheng didn’t take time off but paid home visits to rural students of the Liling Primary School, which is located in the mountains more than 120 kilometers from the central area of Poyang county, East Chin’s Jiangxi province.
Most students have been left behind by their parents, who have to go to work far away from home and are looked after by their grandparents.
“Seeing these special families and special children is what made me realize the importance of rural education, and it is one of the major reasons why I have stuck around all these years,” says Cheng, who also grew up in Poyang.
Since learning that one of her students, Tan Yeting, and her brother, were just depending on the small income of their grandparents’ handmade broom business, Cheng would pay regular visits to Tan’s home. She would check the homework assignment of the two children, play games with them and cut their hair. These interactions have helped both children grow in confidence and shake off their timid nature at school.
“Cheng is just like our mother,” Tan says.
“I feel like I can talk to her about anything, ”she adds.
Cheng voluntarily chose to move to the school last year after she learned it was in need of faculty members. She has since helped to improve the teaching facilities, and went out of her way to reach children scattered around the surrounding rural area and persuade them to come to school.
Thanks to her efforts, approximately 200 children in the neighborhood have been able to enjoy a better education.
4. What was Chen Feng doing during the past summer vacation?
A.She was on a holiday in the mountain. |
B.She was looking after her students in school. |
C.She was helping her students with their homework assignment. |
D.She was visiting her rural students in remote areas. |
5. What do we know about Tan Yeting?
A.Her parents deserted her brother and her. | B.She is too shy to talk to her teacher. |
C.She lives on her grandparents’ small business. | D.She leads a care-free and rich life. |
6. Which of the following can best describe Chen Feng?
A.Caring and warm-hearted. | B.Ambitious and optimistic. |
C.Responsible and fashionable. | D.Considerate and stubborn. |
7. Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A.The Life Experience of a Rural Teacher. | B.China’s Rural Education in Jiangxi Province. |
C.A Teacher Devoted to Rural Education. | D.A Teacher Who Likes Paying Home Visits. |