A single teaching journey, a 2,000-kilometer pilgrimage.
Deep into the mountains, where the simplest landscapes nurture the purest hearts.
In one fleeting year, they undertake a mission unforgettable for a lifetime.
Time flies by.
The second cohort of graduate volunteer teachers from ShanghaiTech University has devoted nearly a year to their teaching mission.
Carrying packs and driven by passion, they traversed mountains and valleys to serve at Jiancao Junior High School, the far-off heart of the mighty ranges in Yunlong County, Yunnan Province.
With sincerity, they accompany students in their growth.
With action, they excel in their work.
Inheriting ShanghaiTech’s spirit of innovation, they guide Jiancao students to compete in science and technology contests. They anchor the classroom with core fundamental courses and enrich extracurricular life with the Science Club, Nature Club, and English Club, bringing vibrant colors to the students’ after-school hours.
Let us step into their teaching lives, to feel their growth and their harvest.
Lou Yang—Serving as grade 8 physics teacher and grade 7 IT teacher
Behind the lectern, I am a physics teacher, opening the door to scientific discovery for my students. Before the lectern, I am an IT teacher, guiding children to explore the digital world.
Teaching here is not just the delivery of knowledge but a communion of hearts.
I see children of diverse personalities and backgrounds, all thirsting for learning.
After class, I am their friend, sharing in their joys and struggles of growing up.
Volunteering as a teacher is my contribution to education, but also a journey to harvest love and growth for me.
Every step of progress from a child fuels my drive forward.
Every smile from a child is the warmest sunlight in my heart.
Chen Xiaoyue—Serving as a grade 7 mathematics and biology teacher
In one month, this teaching journey will draw to a close.
Over the past year, I’ve asked myself repeatedly: Why did I choose to volunteer as a teacher here? Every day at 7:00, during morning reading, when I look up to the sky, I see the still-twinkling stars; when I look down to the children’s eyes, they sparkle like starlight, eagerly awaiting my arrival in the classroom. In that moment, I find my own answer.
I hope to bring a spark of positive change to these children.
When a shy student boldly raises a hand to speak, when a reserved boy approaches me after class with a question, and when a student sitting back-row solves a math problem, I am thrilled, touched, and proud.
I yearn to build connections with strangers I’ve never met.
In the mountains of Yunnan, there are children who look forward to reuniting with me, who dream of exploring the world I’ve shared with them, and who write in their letters, “Because of you, my life is no longer lonely.”
This, I believe, is the true meaning of volunteer teaching.
Wang Zhiruo—Serving as grade 8 English teacher
In my year at Jiancao Junior High, I’ve gathered a treasure trove of memories. Behind the lectern, I am their strict English teacher. In daily life, I am their friend, a big sister who shares secrets and laughter.
This year is the most precious gift of my life.
At dawn, the mountain mist blends with the children’s reading voices, filling my heart.
They greet me with halting English “good morning,” and capture knowledge using their pens like dancing across pages.
Each small step forward of the children strengthens my faith in the power of education.
When their faces light up with a teacher’s praise, I realize education is not just about imparting knowledge—it is about kindling a flame in their hearts. Every seed deserves to be nurtured.
The winds of Yunlong will remember our laughter, our shared journey in this land.
Di Haichuan—Serving as grade 7 mathematics teacher
Broadening students’ horizons in science and technology is the core of my teaching mission. No matter where they are, children this age brim with enthusiasm for new things. I envy and cherish the imagination, courage, and confidence of their youth.
For their weaker math skills, I tailored targeted lessons to bridge gaps and boost strengths. For their anxieties about the future, I offered guidance drawn from my own experiences. After all, we’ve faced the similar challenges of growth, and I hope my shared experiences and efforts will light their path forward.
Li Baorui—Serving as grade 8 physics teacher
What is volunteer teaching?—It’s the loud morning reading that shakes dew from the windowpanes; the eager eyes in physics class, hungry for knowledge; the youthful sweat poured out on the sports field; the draft papers filled with dense calculations during exams; the vibrant energy and youthful spirit in extracurricular activities; and the fleeting time marked by the clear calls of “Teacher Baorui.”
Why did I choose to teach? I no longer recall my original answer.
But now, I can say this teaching journey is a mutual redemption—I guide their growth, showing them a broader world. And they, with their innocence and passion, help me rediscover my youthful, dream-filled heart.
As time flies and this year of teaching nears its end, I feel immensely fortunate to have walked this path with them, honored to have been their guide on the road to growth.
Time may blur many memories, but some images remain vivid forever:
The soft rustle of chalk falling on the podium.
The starlight twinkling in the children’s eyes as they ask questions.
The members of ShanghaiTech’s second cohort of graduate volunteer teachers have stood behind this modest lectern for one year, yet paved a path to the world in the hearts of these children.
As their teaching story draws to a close, the gazes from below the podium, the notes on the blackboard, and the whispers in their journals, have already sown seeds of hope between the mountains and the valleys.