Disabled boy enjoys a real day at school

LANZHOU－Unlike his peers, who greeted the new school semester with joy and laughter, Xiaozhou had his first classes in bed. He was quiet but excited, with no blackboard, no desk or even any classmates.

"Ms Yang, I want to learn English and drawing," the 15-year-old said to his teacher. Though unable to move as a result of congenital cerebral palsy, Xiaozhou－from Dianping village, Longxi county in Northwest China's Gansu province－is still hungry for knowledge.

For severely disabled children in remote areas who are unable to attend regular classes or special education schools, getting an education used to be no more than a dream, and words like "helplessness" and "give up" were often foremost in their parents' minds.

"After all, he can't even take care of himself, so how could we entertain a wild dream like school?" asked Yang Bin, Xiaozhou's father.

In 2015, when the local government began to arrange for teachers to teach in homes to ensure equal educational opportunities for children with severe disabilities, Xiaozhou's family jumped at the opportunity. To date, some 300 instructors in Longxi have freely offered their services to help educate 170 children with special needs at home.

"When I knocked on Xiaozhou's door for the first time about six years ago and saw him lying helplessly in bed, I felt terrible," said Yang Huijun, a 51-yearold math teacher at Dianping Primary School in Longxi.

She recalled their first private class when the boy clenched his fists and refused to let her approach, let alone talk to her. "Xiaozhou was afraid of strangers, and at first, he did not accept me," she said.

Yang did not give up. She visited five to six times a month, with each visit lasting more than two hours. "I failed once, but then I tried again－three times, even four times."

Through constant effort, the teacher discovered Xiaozhou's interest in painting and handwork. "He is eager to learn and loves seeing students in the classroom. I kept telling him that as long as he worked hard, he would be able to attend class just like the other children."

Gradually, Xiaozhou began to respond, holding Yang's hand and asking her about their timetable over WeChat. "Now when I come to teach him, he uses all his strength to sit up and give me a big, warm hug," Yang said.

In 2016, the year he began studying, Xiaozhou learned to count from 1 to 100, and by the following year, he was able to write his name by himself for the first time.

Over the next few years, Xiaozhou developed rapidly. He learned to color and draw objects from his imagination and to play piano on a tablet computer. He also learned the English alphabet and pinyin, and by March last year, he was able to tell a story fluently.

Yang has recorded every precious moment of Xiaozhou's growth over the past six years. The boy spent a month this summer making an exquisite flower-shaped three-dimensional greeting card as a Teacher's Day gift for her.

"Now I teach Xiaozhou whatever he wants to learn. I'm trying my best to make him learn happily," Yang said.

Xiaozhou's dream of going to school finally came true when, at the start of the fall semester, his teacher helped him into her class in his wheelchair. The boy was excited, but the experience wasn't easy for him.

"Ms Yang, I really want to finish the class, but I feel so tired," Xiaozhou said.

She replied: "It's okay. You can come to class whenever you want."

Xinhua