(Minghui.org) I am a 24-year-old English teacher who just started my teaching career.
My parents established a good environment for me in my childhood. This allowed me to work hard and also walk well on my cultivation path. I was a good student and studied the Fa diligently every day. However, I gained little experience in society and thus didn’t meet any tribulations or face incidents to help me rid myself of attachments.
Looking Within
Once I started work, I was unable to balance Fa-study and work well. I became less diligent in Fa-study, thus allowing human notions to materialize. Therefore, I decided to socialize less with my co-workers and make sufficient time to study the Fa.
I was only assigned a few classes, so I had a light work schedule. After I finished class for the day, I immediately studied the Fa. But I found no improvement in my cultivation. I also lacked the skill to deal with challenging students and couldn't understand why I kept facing this kind of problem.
I read other teacher practitioners’ articles and found that in school, they dealt with their given responsibilities instead of hiding and studying the Fa.
After introspection, I discovered three sources of my problems:
1. I wanted to rely on the Fa’s wisdom to help me balance relationships with others.2. I was thinking that once I studied the Fa, nothing could interfere with me.3. People in my surroundings are sentient beings I should save. Yet, I was selfish, because my only interest was in studying the Fa.
Once I realized my shortcomings, I socialized more with my co-workers and students, and I studied the Fa more outside of work hours.
After some time, my co-workers believed that I was a very good person and wanted to be around me. Also, my students liked me. This helped to establish a good foundation, allowing me to talk to them about Falun Dafa. As a result, several of my co-workers quit the Chinese Communist Party and it affiliated organizations.
Being Guided by the Fa
I seemed popular with my students and was told that I was different from the other teachers and didn't lose my temper. Well, there were times when I did lose my temper with naughty students. However, once I looked within, the situation changed, and these students started to behave themselves again.
One student was considered a problem child because he almost never completed his homework, got bad grades, and fought with his classmates. Other teachers would physically punish him, something I didn't like at all.
As Master said, “Coercion Cannot Change People’s Hearts” (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I talked to this boy and taught him some Dafa principles. I told him that he must do his homework and he had to correct the attitude that made his classmates dislike him.
I taught him many principles that were based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and asked him to remember, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
He listened and did improve over time. He did his homework and made some friends. He took his achievement tests at the end of the term and ranked much higher than before. I believe that Dafa is great to be able to change such a person.
Another student kept having nosebleeds. His homeroom teacher, also relatively new in the job, was worried and asked me what to do. The boy was leaning over a sink with a nosebleed. I bent down and whispered, “Recite 'Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.'” After reciting these words about five times, his bleeding stopped. I thanked Master.
Student Accepts the Fa Principles
One of my students excelled in martial arts and often participated in exhibitions in various cities.
Once, he participated in a provincial level martial arts competition and invited me to watch. While waiting for his turn, he held my hand and appeared to be very nervous. He told me that the floor was too slippery and he dared not perform back flips.
He was only eight years old and had to perform in front of an audience and so many judges, which put a lot of pressure on him. I hugged him and said, “Don't be afraid. You've practiced very well. If you're not confident, you can recite 'Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.'”
He did, and he won first prize. His coach told me, “Thanks for accompanying him. He didn't practice back flips much, yet he performed very well.”
That student also did well in school and received high scores on his English tests.
I shared my experience to help me review my first year as a teacher and my cultivation path during that year. I also wanted to share with practitioners my experiences in the hope that we can learn from my shortfalls and improve accordingly.
Category: Improving Oneself
