'Mother Wu' remains loyal to her island home

"When there was no school on the island, the children had to go far away to study, so they could only meet their parents a few times a year. Our school offered them the opportunity to be together as families, and that's what really motivates me."

When typhoons happen, some parents and students seek shelter at the school because it is more robustly built than their houses.

"So, it is not just a school, and our relationship is not just a simple teacher-student exchange," Wu said.

"In a way, education is a two-way street. When you touch the students with care and love, they will also move you."

Twin boys in her class like to follow Wu, no matter where she goes. When she eats, they carry stools so they can sit and talk with her. They also send her fruit. If they don't see her at the school, they ask their parents to call and see where she is.

The parents also treat her very well. Once, when she got chickenpox, the parents immediately contacted their relatives to send a box of medicinal herbs via the boat.

Conditions on the island are also improving. Now, there are two boats every week and a grocery store has opened. The school has also been expanded from a two-story building into a four-story one.

In her six years, Wu has taught 138 kindergarten pupils. Her contract with the school expires next year, but she plans to renew it and stay to see more children grow up on the island happily, she said.