The Change in a Taiwanese High School Girl

I am a high school teacher in Taiwan. I have one girl in my class who had an outstanding academic performance but was very arrogant. She couldn't care less about her teachers. She often paid no attention to my lectures, doing other things while the class was in session. Even when I talked about Falun Gong and shared my cultivation experiences in class, she still turned a deaf ear to me.

If it were not for my Falun Gong practise, I would certainly have fought with the girl. In the past, I was very tough on students. I would label anyone who did not have good character and did not respect the teacher as a bad student, and I would undoubtedly come down on the student for disobedience. But now I am a Falun Gong practitioner and I know I need to be considerate of others and put other people's interests before mine. Therefore, I wasn't affected by this girl's attitude. Instead, I gave her warm encouragement and tender care whenever possible. I wasn't asking for anything in return from her. Everything I thought about was for her sake.

One year passed and the girl became a senior. This year on Teacher's Day, I received a card from her. She said on the card, "Dear teacher, practitioners of Falun Gong are really different from others. Nobody likes a young person with such a weird personality as mine. But you care about me, as well as so many other classmates with all kinds of different temperaments. It's not easy to deal with so many students. You have been working hard. I want to say, 'Long live Falun Gong' and 'Happy Teacher's Day!'" I was really surprised by this girl's change.

Last week, our school held our annual athletic meet. The Falun Gong club in our school, composed of teachers who practise Falun Gong, launched a signature campaign to rescue children in Mainland China whose parents are being persecuted. This girl signed her name without hesitation and she often brought cups of water to us during the meet. After learning that the postage for the signed postcards was a lot of money, she expressed her willingness to help. The next day, she brought a lot of stamps, along with a letter to me. In the letter, she wrote, "Hi, dear teacher! It's a lot of work for you to collect signatures to rescue those children. As your student, I really didn't know what else I could do to help other than sign my name. Now I'm happy that I can help share the cost of the postage. I included some stamps here. Teacher, if you still need more help, you are welcome to talk to me. I hope that you will always be energetic and happy!"

Now, this student is very attentive in my class. She also asks lots of questions with courtesy. She is just a completely different person. The change in her moves me deeply. I am grateful for Teacher's guidance in my cultivation. When I am able to let go of my human notions and attachments, and when I correct the bad things in myself others can then see the truth about Falun Gong and what it is to practise Falun Gong.