However , we need to know the best ways to communicate with students in order to fully understand them which , in turn , means that we must find the best way of teaching . Fortunately , and with the help of new technologies , we now have a variety of ways to interact with students , such as face-to-face chats , homework feedback , Weibo and WeChat .
There are children who , when they have questions or problems , only get told off and told to study harder . “ Young children ,” said Ms . Du , “ need dignity but often they only get criticism . But when they come to me , I listen to them and although I cannot act on anything , it gives them comfort to know that someone is listening .”
“ When I set aside some time to help the students , I feel happy . To be honest , the classroom is my oasis ,” noted Ms . Du . “ When I was at high school , I read the book My Heart I Give to Children by Sukhomlynsky , a famous and very influential Russian educational expert . There were two scenes in that book that I still remember to this day .”
Below are the two simple and touching scenes from My Heart I Give to Children by Vasily Sukhomlynsky that inspired Ms . Du to be the teacher that she is today :
Scene 1 : In September , at the start of the new school year , it was the first time that these young children entered the classroom . They were so young that they were still used to walking around barefoot and just couldn ’ t get comfortable wearing their new shoes . But Sukhomlynsky just said to the students , “ don ’ t worry , you can still take your shoes off here in the classroom .”
Scene 2 : One evening , Sukhomlynsky took everybody outside to sit on the grass and gaze at the stars . He asked the children to make up some poems . One child started to narrate , “ In Heaven , there is a silversmith who makes necklaces and every time he strikes his hammer , the sparks become the stars twinkling above ….”
Showing respect to students , speaking at their level and letting them learn by doing have all been hallmarks of Du Jinghui ’ s teaching over the years . Those images of the little barefoot girl and the silversmith in the sky that inspired Ms . Du nearly thirty years ago still motivate her to this day .
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