A Different Approach to Teaching

I was a good computer teacher before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started its illegal persecution of Falun Dafa and I was proud of my achievements. However due to the persecution my teaching position stopped. Later, after studying the teachings of Falun Dafa more I was once again given the opportunity to teach.

After resuming my teaching, I had a blind self-confidence that whatever I did was always right and requested all students to follow my directions completely. My strict and rigid approach did not create a harmonious relationship with the students. After looking at my teaching methods from the viewpoint of Falun Dafa principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, I realized that my intention of improving my students educational standards was based on selfishness, as I did not consider whether the students could accept my way of teaching. After looking inward I began to understand that this opportunity should not only be used to help their education but also to help them understand the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China, and to explain to them the history of the Communist Party. Then they would be able to make their own decision of whether they still wanted to be a member of the Party and its affiliated organizations. To make this happen, I need to utilize the purity and benevolence cultivated from Falun Dafa, and use my every word and action as an example for my students.

Looking inward made me realize that I did not have enough compassion to deal with my students. And I did not cherish the fact that they have the ability to understand the true situation in China. Instead I was just following non-practitioners' methods to teach my students. For example, I emphasized such ordinary people's notions as the absolute authority of the teachers and "a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime." These notions are a non-practitioner's sentiments. I had only the sentimentality of a teacher for his students, but lacked the proper benevolence of a cultivator.

Obviously, this sort of sentimentality would not change the students character or show them how true practitioners are. When I realized this I tried not to give them a bad impression on Falun Dafa, so I tried not to criticize them. When they made mistakes, I just let them go without correcting them. Later, I felt that our relationship had changed and that now the students would not want me to tell them about the things I had intended. I gradually became intolerant of any improper behavior in class and kept criticizing my students. I rarely considered their feelings.

Teacher, Li Hongzhi, says in "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore":

"Shan[*] is really powerful. It's only that when a person in everyday people's society tells someone about a good thing, he usually attaches his own notions, and even worries it might harm him in some way, and he wants to protect himself. Many things are mixed into what he says, so it doesn't sound quite right and is impure, and often even has emotion in it. If what you say truly comes from your kindness and is without any personal agenda, your words will really touch others.

[*]Shan: 'good,' 'kind,' 'compassion,' 'benevolence' (as in the Shan of Zhen, Shan, Ren)"

Teacher's words are so to the point! Since I was required to communicate with people while carrying out my teaching responsibilities, why couldn't I make my every word convey this enormous benevolence? If I could do it, what result would follow? Whenever I criticized the students in class, actually I did so with many selfish notions, which were a mixture of fame, self-interest, and sentimentality. In the past, I only focused on improving my communication skills. But I had missed the fundamental point all along.

At that time, Teacher's "Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital" in 2007 was published. The teachings in this lecture greatly expanded my capacity for benevolence. Teacher said, "The focus for you right now is simply to find ways to do better, to be more efficient, to have a greater impact, and to save more people." Once I was clear on this, I set my underlying goal to tell the students the truth this semester. I then found that there were so many ways to communicate with the students and to help them have a better future! That's because I acted on the basis of saving sentient beings. I had no other thought than to act for the students' sake, using positive thoughts and actions to influence them. I also edited historical writings from the Minghui website, the Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net, to include on my web pages to improve the students' thoughts and actions and to lay the foundation for them to accept Falun Dafa again. Collecting the home phone numbers, email addresses, and instant messaging accounts from the students became my primary truth clarification approach. Since I could do the three things well, I quickly established a close, friendly relationship with the students.

Of course, the friendship between teacher and students was established in class first. If a Falun Dafa practitioner strictly follows the principles taught in Falun Gong and truly tries to save sentient beings whilst teachings his class, then the outcome is bound to be good. And if he approaches his teaching duties from the basis of validating Falun Dafa and saving sentient beings, every teaching challenge will be resolved easily.

Please point out to me if I have any omissions.