In the early 1960s, my mother enrolled me in Zhijiang Kindergarten.
Compared to neighboring county kindergartens, Zhijiang County Kindergarten had the best facilities. The teachers were all graduates of formal preschool education, and the school was located in the original American-run nursery. The campus was large, the walls were high, and the equipment was good. The garden was beautiful, with unique rockeries and lawns everywhere. It was the favorite choice of parents who valued education.
Every morning, when parents brought their children to kindergarten, we would always see Teacher Li Fusong, who had a kind and friendly smile, greet everyone with a cheerful "good morning."
Teacher Li was about fifty years old, short and plump, with fair and clean skin. She had graduated from a preschool education program and had been engaged in early childhood education for most of her life. At the time, she was the head of Zhijiang Kindergarten. She lived alone in the school and considered it her home. She was an expert in early childhood education and a highly respected leader loved by teachers, parents, and children. Everyone said that she dedicated her entire life to early childhood education. As a woman, sacrificing love and marriage for her career was unimaginable.
Judging by her age, Teacher Li was probably born in the late Qing Dynasty or the early Republican period. She grew up in a society still deeply rooted in the feudal concept of valuing males over females, in a turbulent era. Educated women like her were incredibly rare. Finding someone with mutual understanding was not easy. Of course, the true reasons were known only to her. But she was indeed someone who loved children and worked tirelessly for early childhood education.
Although Teacher Li didn't directly teach me, we saw her every day. Sometimes she would be talking with the other teachers, sometimes checking on the lunch preparations in the kitchen, and sometimes helping out in the classrooms. Her presence was always felt in the kindergarten. She treated us like her own grandchildren. She greeted everyone with joy, patting heads, pinching cheeks, and giving us encouraging pats on the shoulder. Her face always exuded infinite tenderness. The children were always happy to see her and listen to her stories. The kindergarten felt like a warm home, and Teacher Li was the beloved grandmother.
After leaving kindergarten, I went to primary school, experienced the Cultural Revolution, went to middle school, participated in the 'Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement,' attended university, graduated, and started working. I rarely saw Teacher Li again. But whenever I thought of kindergarten, Teacher Li's face and smile would appear in my mind. I heard that she also faced some challenges during the Cultural Revolution, and I wonder how she managed to get through those times. All I know is that after the Cultural Revolution, she returned to lead the kindergarten again.
Around the 1980s, not long after I graduated from university, I went home to visit my parents. One day, while walking down the street, I saw an elderly person who looked a lot like Teacher Li. I hurriedly took a few steps and caught up with her. Seeing her, I happily called out, "Teacher Li, hello!" Teacher Li was still the same, just with completely white hair. When she turned around and smiled at me, I quickly said, "I'm Le Wei. I was your student in kindergarten. Do you remember?" Teacher Li, as friendly and amiable as before, said, "How could I forget? I knew you went on to university. With students like you, we're also happy!" I told her that I had to thank her. She modestly said she hadn't done much, just a preschool teacher.
Because I had other matters to attend to, I hastily said goodbye to Teacher Li. After returning to my workplace, when I thought about this encounter, I felt more and more guilty. After going to middle school, I still often visited my primary school teachers. After going to university, every time I went home, I would visit my high school teachers, and occasionally I would also visit my primary school teachers. But since leaving kindergarten, I had never visited my kindergarten teachers. Thinking about when we were still learning to walk, holding their hands, starting to speak, they were the ones who told us fairy tales and played games with us. Besides our parents, they were the most trusted people in our 'beginning of life.' But after leaving kindergarten, although I often thought of them, I never went to visit them. I felt truly ashamed. I picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Teacher Li, thanking her for her education and care, which gave me a happy childhood and set a solid first step on my life's journey. I also expressed my apologies for not visiting my teachers for many years.
Teacher Li quickly replied to my letter. She said that after I greeted her on the street that day, she was very happy and couldn't sleep all night from the excitement. To think that a child from over twenty years ago still remembered her, and even thanked her, filled her heart with sweetness and immense happiness. Seeing students she had taught succeed was the greatest wish of a teacher. To receive gratitude from the students she had taught, there was nothing more touching for her. All the hardship and fatigue throughout her life was more than worth it.
After reading Teacher Li's letter, I was also deeply moved. Yes, a student's 'thank you' is a lifelong hope for teachers, the best affirmation of their work. However, we often forget to say it, or find it difficult to express. I feel very fortunate that at the beginning of my life, I received Teacher Li's care. That day when I met Teacher Li on the street, it gave me the opportunity to say 'hello' to her, to reflect on myself, and to write her a letter saying 'thank you.'
About two years later, my mother wrote to inform me that Teacher Li had passed away. While grieving for the loss of such a good teacher, I also felt a slight comfort. Before Teacher Li's passing, I had let her know that I still remembered her and was very thankful for her.
Teacher Li has left, taking with her the deep gratitude of the children. What she left behind is her kind smile and her selfless love for the children.
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