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Taiwan: Teaching Falun Dafa in an Elementary School Classroom (Photos)

November 27, 2004 |   By Chen Jinmei

(Clearwisdom.net) I am a teacher at an elementary school in Taichung City. A few years ago, I found a great book, Zhuan Falun, the principal teachings of Falun Dafa. From this book I learned the meaning of life. I have benefited a lot from practicing Falun Dafa and I wanted to give the best thing in my life to my students, in the hopes that they too could benefit from it just like I have. So for the past three years I have recommended this book to my students. In my class, we use the morning study time to read Zhuan Falun and Master Li's new articles, we practice the Falun Gong exercises at noon, and share our cultivation experiences at activity time. For three years, each class has benefited tremendously from Falun Dafa.

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Group practice
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Reading Zhuan Falun

In my teaching, I combine the knowledge from Zhuan Falun when teaching classes on history, natural history, and science, to let the students gain a wider view of our Earth. In my daily classes, I would add information from Falun Dafa websites to broaden their views. Besides these subjects, the students also conduct research for homework assignments and write articles about moral issues, history, and prehistoric civilizations.

Falun Dafa is a science that covers a wide range of subjects including physics, chemistry, astronomy, geography, human science, and quantum mechanics. When the students read Falun Dafa materials, it widens their understanding of these sciences and broadens their view of life, the world and the cosmos.

Through being exposed to Falun Dafa, the students' xinxing (mind-heart nature, moral character) level was raised and they learned to discipline themselves according to "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance." The students learned not to do bad deeds and to be tolerant and polite. They learned to be good students in school and good children at home. Once, six students were assigned to organize and stack two hundred chairs in the auditorium. They willingly completed the task in a short time.

In the tolerant environment of the classroom, the students learned to evaluate right and wrong using the principles of "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance." When they encountered problems and conflicts, they looked inside themselves first and tried to understand the other party. So there were few conflicts and very little misbehavior in my class.

When the students' wisdom was opened, they began to think about things from different angles, and were inspired to compose good essays. With the wisdom of logic, they can solve different kinds of math problems, and the average math score of the classroom increased.

After some time of Fa-study (1), the students began to treat the daily Fa-study as the most important homework assignment. They read Zhuan Falun and have bought other Dafa books from the bookstore. Besides the weekly Fa-study in the class, they also read one or two chapters of Zhuan Falun at home every week.

On the day of the class graduation ceremony, one of my students, Xinci, asked me for the book Zhuan Falun so she could read at home after graduating. She wrote a message to me. The note says, "To teacher Chen Jinmei: It was you who led me to know Dafa, and cleared many questions in my heart. I appreciate it very much. After graduation, I will work harder on studying the Fa and I will remember the principle of the universe in my heart. I will never do anything against the truth. Never."

Another student, Qiwen, wrote about her cultivation experience: "We are in teacher Chen Jinmei's fifth-grade class. She is a very special class director and she taught us about Falun Dafa. I felt she was different from other teachers because she introduced a book, Zhuan Falun, to us. It was an unusual book. It was said that even some adults couldn't understand this book. Master Li Hongzhi said that the children are the purest and there are many little practitioners, and they can understand the book. Since it is the Fa, every time you read it, you will have different understandings because your level is increasing.

"Our teacher led us to do meditation during the lunch break, and led us to read the Fa at morning study time. She also uses the last class in the afternoon to let us watch the video of Master Li giving lectures. In order to help me study the Fa, she used her own money to buy a copy of Zhuan Falun for every one of us. This book has helped me and benefited me a lot. Thank you very much, dear Class Director. After I began practicing Falun Dafa, my class study improved. Especially in sports, where I used to be a 'bench warmer,' now I am the third-best runner. I am so happy, but I tell myself not to make too much of a big deal of it. Master Li's compassion of saving the sentient beings and his unselfishness are so remarkable. I shall use the available time to read more of Zhuan Falun. Beginning in grade five, I have read Zhuan Falun five times. I will introduce it to my father, mother and neighbors and help more people to improve both their mental and physical health."

A student from Sixth Grade Class A also wrote these words: "The students in our class must thank our class director and Master Li Hongzhi. The grace of the Master is vast and mighty.

"When we entered Grade Five, we thought the teacher would be strict with us. But unexpectedly, she used the principle of the universe to teach us and to discipline our behavior. Gradually, we become well behaved and well liked. Our xinxing level is increasing. It is not from the surface - we are turning better from inside.

"Here our class wants to say 'Thank you' to the great and compassionate Master Li Hongzhi. Thank you for giving us all of this. Heshi (2). From all the students of Grade 6 Class A."

Notes

(1) Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa.

(2) Heshi, is a greeting and sign of respect, in which one presses the palms together, fingers pointing upward, in front of the chest.