奇速英语

乡村教师高自仁：60多根拐杖撑起乡村学子的明天

Taking a step requires just one second for a typical person. But not for Gao Ziren, whose disabled left leg requires him to first move a crutch forward before his leg, and then balance himself.

For 42 years, Gao, a teacher at Lixin village primary school in a mountainous area of East China’s Jiangxi Province, has walked this way between his home, the school and his students’ homes. Over the course of his career, he has worn out more than 60 crutches. Gao is now 60. He came down with polio at the age of 1, so his left leg couldn’t walk normally. He did not give up, relying instead on his mental strength to finish his studies from primary school through high school.

He started his career in 1977 when a village official visited him about being a teacher in the village, as one of the two teachers there had left. Gao agreed to take the position, as he knew the importance of a teacher to students, especially those like him. Gao Ziren’s Mandarin Chinese was not so good in the beginning, and he continued listening to radio broadcasts to improve his pronunciation.

“I have taught many students since being a teacher for so many years. Some students would like to visit during the holidays, and it feels good that someone remembers you,” Gao Ziren said.