On My Son’s Experience as a Volunteer Teacher in Suining

Early April is the time for spring break at NYU Shanghai. My son applied to volunteer as a teacher at No. 1 middle school in Suining county, Hunan province. We totally supported his decision. As parents, we know that young people who grow up in big cities always enjoy superior living conditions and get along with those who have similar backgrounds. However, there is an unimaginable gap between remote areas and big cities in China. Volunteering in these poor areas would not only train his adaptability, but also help him develop a profound value system, in which he can better understand diverse cultures and act as the motto of NYU Shanghai “Make the world your major”.

When he came back and talked with me, I could feel how deeply this volunteer experience had affected him. He had gone through some hardships of travel — it took him more than twenty hours to take the train and four hours to take a bus. Also, the simplicity and honesty of local children deeply impressed him. Although having prepared his work carefully, my son was still a little worried how his class would be received by the local children. However, he was surprised that they were so eager to learn. They tried to grasp every opportunity to talk with “teachers” , practicing the English words they just learned, which gave my son and other volunteers a deep sense of achievement. However, at the same time, my son felt pretty helpless. One day, when he was teaching the children how to communicate with native speakers, a girl in his class sighed and said that she would never have a chance to go abroad due to the poverty of her family. After doing a survey, he found that most of the children had a clear awareness of their poverty, and showed a maturity beyond ]their actual age. Though they should be growing up happily, they bear the burden of their cruel reality. They know that the possibility of going to college, for them, may be rare. Even with chances, large sums of tuition block them from pursuing further education. Thus, learning a skill in the local technical school or going to work directly are common choices for local young people. Discouraged by this sense of helplessness, they start to doubt whether knowledge can really change their life. My son was leaden after coming back, said he truly understood what Yangjiang, a famous Chinese writer meant by “ the shame of the fortunate for the unfortunate”.

There are hundreds and thousands of children in remote areas who are so eager to learn but always discouraged by societal injustice and the cruelty of life. It is hard for my son to say what he has actually brought those children, but he is proud of his advice to them, which is “the best is yet to come, as long as you study hard” and encouraged them to write down their dream colleges.Before his departure, he gave them his phone number, so that children could update him on their progress in reciting English words. I can see that he has a sense of achievement for helping those children, and we encourage him to return some day and bring more happiness and hope to those children.

---Shasha, Parent of Class 2019