Special education lights up disabled lives

Learning curve

Of the 51 teachers at Fengcheng, Sun Haiting is the youngest and most junior, having taught there for just a year. Compared with her previous experience, the 27-year-old believes she is now more patient and easier to please.

If a restless student can sit still for two or three minutes during a class, she is delighted by "their great progress". She feels rewarded if a student who cannot speak maintains eye contact with her for one second.

"I teach 10 words a semester. If my students can remember a few, I'm very happy," she said.

However, there are moments when the smiley young woman cannot hold back her tears.

"The schooling period should be the happiest time in these children's lives," she said. "We teachers sincerely hope that they will live well in the future."

That seemingly simple wish represents a huge challenge for some students with serious disabilities and health problems, though.

"Some of the students we taught at their homes were alive last time (we arrived), and the next time we called, they were gone," Sun said, her eyes welling with tears.

Sun used to give rehabilitation training to an autistic student, nicknamed Zhuangzhuang, and found that he was interested in food.

Like other colleagues, she bought some cookies to encourage the student.

Sun stopped teaching him this semester, but one day on his way to class, Zhuangzhuang saw Sun and immediately wanted to run to her.

His parent tried to stop him by telling him, "Miss Sun is not teaching you anymore."

No one expected that the 15-year-old boy, who could usually only say one or two words, would shout "mom" at Sun, who immediately started crying.

"He understands love," she said.