Accept All Kinds of Students with a Generous Heart

    - Lu Hong Fan （TTT Participant）

I began mountaineering with this question in mind: "How do we deal with students’ negative performance in activities?"

The small mountain trail was more challenging than expected. When I had difficulty of finding direction in the forest, I began to panic because I could not locate my selected control point. Moreover, although there were not any wild animals in the forest, there were so many thorns on the short tree stems, and, under my foot, loose soil and dead tree branches. Thus, I reminded myself that I must watch my steps carefully. When looking down at my feet, I realized there were seedlings growing so vigorously and naturally, and thought climbers should mind for them. So I slowed down and continued to find my control point. While I was yet afraid, I heard my partner’s soft footsteps from behind. Before we started, I remembered he told me, "Don’t worry. I am just behind you." I then felt relieved! While my feelings were still going up and down, time flew. In front I saw two vague figures. As I did not know who they were, I thought, "Oh! There were people like me have the appreciation of nature!" When I got close to them, they were actually my partner and my instructor. When holding my instructor’s hand, "I did it", said I with pride.

With the experience from the first time of mountaineering, I was confident and prepared this time. When I walked over those dead tree branches, I discovered that they were actually the leverage for stepping, and the safeguard from slipping. Such "obstacles" became my "stepping stones" and my "protection". From these two times of mountaineering, I fully treasured that I could see the nature, and I could have such good partners. Though we rarely talked, I could feel we were closely tied to our common goal of "helping the youth".

Nonetheless, my greatest achievement was that I understood the process from ignorance and fear to familiarity and confidence when students faced the unknown. I should let the youth to slowly understand, realize, and finally be benefited from activities. In some situation, teachers could see in the other way that the "negative", "inappropriate" and "strange" performance could be used to build up the students’ strength. Therefore, as youth workers, we needed to observe students with good vision and open mind, and understand and care for them with kind hearts and souls.