(Minghui.org) Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am a 64-year-old retired middle school English teacher. I took up cultivation in Falun Dafa in 1997. From 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ordered the persecution, to my retirement year in 2009, I spent much effort clarifying the facts to my students and colleagues. I would like to share a few stories here.
Protecting Students from Answering Test Question That Slandered Dafa
In the spring of 2002, I was supervising an 8th-grade politics mock exam. There were eight classes and a total of 400 students in the 8th grade. Shortly after the exam began, my colleague, who knew that I practiced Dafa, discovered that the last question was designed to slander Dafa. I thanked her for letting me know. Meanwhile, I felt that I should do something about it.
I asked the colleague to help keep an eye on the students and I went to the principal’s office. I explained to the principal that we couldn't let the students answer such a question. I said that Falun Dafa was wrongfully persecuted, just like past political movements in the communist regime’s history. If we know it’s wrong, we shouldn’t follow along and reinforce that to the students. Despite his initial resistance, the principal said that he would give it some thought.
After I returned to the classroom, I sent out powerful righteous thoughts. Since I worked there, I had the responsibility to protect the students.
After waiting for a while, I went back to the principal’s office and saw him talking to the head of the academic affairs office. I told him that it was already 20 minutes into the exam and the students were about to get to that question. The principal said he was aware of the situation.
I returned to the classroom and continued to send out righteous thoughts. Not long afterward, the head of the academic affairs office came and wrote on the blackboard, “Don’t answer the last question!” She then headed to other classrooms and did the same thing.
Several colleagues later told me that when they saw me running out of the classroom, they were concerned about whether I would do something to invite trouble to myself. When the incident was perfectly resolved, they said they admired my courage and resolution.
Bringing the Truth to Students
The Last Class
On June 20, 2002, the final day of class for the 8th graders, I was tasked with substituting for one class. I taught English and occasionally told the students about Falun Dafa and traditional culture. The students and I had built up a good relationship. Since it was their last class, they asked me to tell a story instead of conducting a formal class. I agreed.
I told them the cultivation story of Buddha Sakyamuni. And then I talked about spiritual cultivation in Falun Dafa. One student asked about the incident of the self-immolation at Tiananmen Square. I explained to them that it was a hoax, staged by the government to smear Falun Dafa. I pointed out a number of suspicious facts about the incident. The students were shocked to learn the facts.
At the end of the class, I asked the students to remember, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” as my farewell words to them.
“Shoes Off” vs.“Cults”
After the persecution of Falun Dafa began in 1999, the school management took me off the classroom teacher position due to pressure from the authorities. But because of my excellent teaching performance, they arranged for me to teach the 8th-grade English class, to better prepare the students for the high school entrance exams. This actually gave me opportunities to connect with more students, as I had different groups of students every year.
One year, I had not had the opportunity to clarify the truth to the students after one month into the semeter. So I asked Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, to help me. During one evening class, while I was giving a lecture, I heard one boy saying, “Cult, cult.” Though his voice was low, the whole class could still hear him.
I immediately picked up on the topic and began to speak about Falun Dafa, which had been wrongfully labeled as a cult by the CCP. The students were intrigued by this, as it was something they never heard before, and they all listened attentively. The whole class gave me a round of applause when I finished.
After the class, that boy clarified to me that he was not saying “cult,” but “shoes off,” as the two Chinese words sound alike. Despite the mistake, I was grateful for having this opportunity to tell the students about Dafa.
A few days later, the principal called me to his office and asked me to be careful, because some parents had reported me for telling the students about Dafa. I used this opportunity to further clarify the truth to him and persuaded him to quit the CCP.
A Lasting Impact
Several encounters with former students showcased the lasting impact of my truth-clarification to them.
One former student was in graduate school studying under a German mentor when we met again. He told me that he often talked about spiritual belief and international affairs with his mentor. He was grateful to me for telling him the facts about Falun Dafa, so he is more open-minded and objective, without being deceived by the CCP. He said to me, “Teacher, you are very kind. I want to live and work like you.”
Another student told me that he rejected the offer of spying on Falun Dafa practitioners despite the fact that he was jobless at the time. He said, “I did not want to spy on good people like you.” I encouraged him and thanked him for his righteous choice.
Another former student of mine readily agreed to withdraw from the Communist Youth League when a practitioner talked to her on the street. She told the practitioner that she’d learned the facts from me.
Clarifying the Facts to My Colleagues
When I talked to people about Dafa in the beginning, I didn’t know how to best address it and I sometimes had a hard time containing my hatred of the CCP. But as I improved in my cultivation, I became more experienced in clarifying the facts. More importantly, I realized that it’s not about what I say, but what I do. In my everyday job, I was kind and selfless when interacting with my colleagues. To them, my actions are the best showcase of Dafa’s values.
After the publication of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I seized every opportunity to talk to my colleagues in private and persuade them to quit the CCP. My efforts paid off, as more than half of them agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
I had close relationship with a colleague named Yan and I helped her land a job at a better school. When I contacted her later on and tried to persuade her to quit the CCP, she distanced herself from me and turned down my visit. I felt sad and disappointed. But then I realized that I shouldn’t have negative feeling towards her. It’s because of the CCP’s tyranny that most Chinese people are living under fear.
I later met Yan again during an English teachers’ training session. She was happy to see me. We talked for a long time on our way out and she ultimately agreed to quit the Youth League.
In schools, the title of Senior Teacher is every teacher’s dream, with a good salary and retirement benefits. Many teachers fought with each other and used all kinds of tactics trying to achieve that title. As for me, I gave up three promotion opportunities and let others take it. Many of my colleagues wondered why I took personal interests so lightly.
Min was an elderly teacher and she was going to retire in a year. It was her last chance to get promoted. When the principal indicated that he was going to give the promotion to me and two other key teachers in the school, Min was very upset and made a scene at school.
I could feel her pain at not getting the title after working for so many years. When I told her that I was willing to give my spot to her, she was shocked. In the end, she and the other two teachers were promoted. She happily said to me, “You Falun Dafa practitioners don’t compete for personal gain!” When I met her later on and asked her to quit the CCP, she readily agreed.
Lin, the head teacher of the mathematics team, sought the senior title aggressively in 2008, even resorting to threatening the principal. Other teachers learned from her and all went to talk to the principal. I didn’t even try to fight for it, even though the principal was about to list me as one of the candidates. Given the pressure from the teachers, the principal gave the title to Lin, not me. I sincerely congratulated Lin and she was touched by my genuine goodwill.
One day, I met her family of three on the street. She and her son, once my student, had already quit the CCP and I also asked her husband to quit. Before her husband said anything, Lin went ahead and said yes on his behalf. Her husband looked at me with a smile and agreed.
For the third time, I sacrificed a promotion opportunity, this time for Jing, a dear friend and fellow English teacher. Touched by my gesture, she became a passionate advocate for Falun Dafa. She defended Dafa publicly and was always proud to have a Falun Dafa practitioner as her coworker. She shared Dafa informational materials with others after she read them and also placed the Minghui calendar I gifted her on her desk in her office.
Epilogue
As I refused to renounce Dafa, I was later sentenced to prison and never had the opportunity to earn the senior teacher title. The principal, recognizing my exemplary performance and character, kept my position during my prison term and allowed me to retire with full benefits. He also prevented the police from harassing me several times.
In the summer of 2020, the Social Security Bureau suspended my pension due to my prison sentence. Now I make a living by tutoring English for two students. Despite these tribulations, my heart remains hopeful and bright.
I am grateful to Master for his compassionate protection and for bestowing on me the great mission of saving all beings. I will study the Fa more, stay clearheaded in doing the three things, and return home with Master.
Please point out anything not in line with the Fa.
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