From Being Discriminated Against to Being Respected and Trusted

(Minghui.org) I was in my third year of high school in 1996 when a change in my family situation made me lose interest in the college entrance examination. I was just looking after my father worriedly every day, all day long. As I went through these hardships, my aunt gave me a precious book, Zhuan Falun, and a booklet containing a collection of cultivation stories written by Dafa practitioners.

Falun Dafa’s broad and profound Fa principles changed my father’s way of thinking, and the tense atmosphere in our family gradually relaxed and calmed down. The hatred and anger in my father gradually disappeared too. I was so grateful that words can’t describe my gratitude to Master. I figured that this practice was what I had been looking for. My father and I embarked on our paths of cultivation.

On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to persecute Falun Dafa, and many people were deceived, so they started looking at Dafa in a negative way. When my child entered elementary school, all the students were asked to join the Young Pioneers. My husband, who is also a practitioner, went to the homeroom teacher to clarify the truth, explaining why our child could not join the Young Pioneers. The teacher said, “We respect your personal beliefs.”

I discovered later, however, that our child had been isolated. For example, he was always made to sit in the last row, while the other students got to change seats after a while. My child’s workbook did not have any encouraging remarks from the teachers either. He became unwilling to go to school.

I was volunteering at the school one day and was directing traffic outside the school entrance when I ran into the homeroom teacher. After a few pleasantries, the teacher mentioned that she had slapped my son, sounding a little embarrassed as she spoke. I told the teacher honestly, “He didn’t mention anything at all about this to me. He just told me that he didn’t like going to school recently. If my child does something wrong, you can discipline him. When he gets home, I will comfort him and let him think about what he did wrong so that he can do it right the next time.”

I also told his teacher that my son has a kind heart. “A few days ago, he saw three bags of construction debris lying in the middle of the road, with concrete pieces and rebar protruding from them. Passing pedestrians, bicycles, electric vehicles, and especially deliverymen, had to drive in S-curves to avoid the debris, making it quite dangerous for them. We had thought that the shop undergoing renovations beside the bags would move them.

“However, on our way to school the next day, the three big bags of debris were still there, and vehicles were still dodging them. My son said, ‘Mom, that is dangerous. Why did they leave the debris there and no one has taken care of it? It has been there since yesterday.’

“I replied, ‘Yes, this matter is also telling us that we should be considerate when we do things in the future. We have to see if the things we do will cause trouble for others. Why don’t we move these ‘big things’ to the roadside?’ He agreed.

“The three big bags of debris were so heavy that it took us a long time and all our might before we managed to pull them to the roadside. My son’s face was flushed and his palms were red and swollen with some broken skin. The tingling pain made him hiss in pain, but he just said, ‘I am happy that I can help others.’

“Actually there have been many similar incidents like this, but I haven’t told anyone, because Falun Dafa cultivators use Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to educate their children. Everyone is trying to be a good person in their respective environments, such as in their workplaces and with their families. We all require ourselves to do so from the bottom of our hearts.” I saw that the teacher’s eyes had tears in them. 

She said, “If only I could have learned about the child’s situation earlier.” She was touched.

At the end of the semester, the teacher recommended me for the outstanding parent award, but I politely declined and told her, “I just did what I could to provide some help to the class and the school. I didn’t put too much thought into it. You can give the honor to another parent.” The teacher replied, “I am giving it to you, because you deserve it.”

My son later went on to high school and he had another homeroom teacher. At that time, the police and property personnel often came to harass us. The local police officer was also the person-in-charge of the school’s security. The new homeroom teacher had a master’s degree and had been heavily influenced by CCP culture. Not only did she say awful things, she was also rigid, and handled matters in a stereotypical fashion. Therefore, many parents were unwilling to support her work.

I was under tremendous stress at that time, as the tribulations kept coming. Our home was being monitored, we were being harassed by the police, and the teacher had complained to the authorities about me (I had clarified the truth to the teacher before). Despite all this, I still tried to complete the tasks that this new homeroom teacher assigned to me, without any complaints. I wanted her to see that Dafa practitioners are good people. Through more than a year of interactions, she gradually started to smile at me.

All types of violent and extreme matters take place in society and have become especially prevalent in China. Not long ago, one such extreme incident occurred at the school and one of the student’s parents had already tried to take revenge, but to no avail.

The homeroom teacher asked four parents to have a meeting with the principal, and I was one of them. During the meeting, the parents were terribly worried when talking about the extreme incident. Everyone’s anxious eyes made all the people in attendance feel very uneasy.

I said, “We try our best to think of others in a positive way and protect their privacy. This is a form of respect to the children and the parents that were involved in the incident. When we make them feel respected, they will have a chance to have clear minds and become rational in their behavior. However, we still need to make sure that strong security measures are in place, so that nothing will go wrong. We just have to make sure that all the steps are executed properly. We don’t have to be so anxious.”

The principal, teachers, and the other parents all agreed that this was a very good way to handle the matter. Everyone relaxed a lot, and the parents’ representative and the school came to an agreement just like that.

Since then, every time the homeroom teacher has seen me, she has smiled at me, and I can feel the happiness coming from the bottom of her heart. The teacher’s impression of our child has also changed. She said, “The student just likes to do sports. It is okay as long as he pays attention to his safety.” Some parents complimented me by saying, “You did not get alarmed when things happened and you handled the matter in a rational and calm manner.”

Relatives and friends, including other students’ parents, often look for me to discuss their personal matters, and have asked me for advice. They all know that I practice Falun Dafa and they trust me very much, saying that I am not selfish when I do things. They have said that I am sincere, passionate, rational, and keep my promises, making me a person that they admire.

My aunt said, “When you persisted in practicing Falun Dafa many years ago, I felt that you were so silly, and had been deceived, and that all your university education had gone to waste and you were very naive. However, more than 20 years have passed, and among all the children, you are the one who is the most insightful and farsighted. You have raised your child and managed the family well. You are the glory of our extended family.”

Thank you, Master and Dafa, for helping me change from being someone who was discriminated against to someone who is respected and trusted by people.