Reach out your thumbs and forefingers and draw a rectangle over your chest, then put up one thumb before your chest; that’s sign language for "Teacher Fang".

Fang Liuying is a native of Chun'an, Zhejiang Province. She brought unfamiliar special education to the shore of Qiandao Lake, participated in the preparation of the local special education school twice, and adhered to the special education career for 31 years. Because of her, Chun'an County School for the Deaf and Dumb and Chun'an County Peizhi School grew out of nothing. 

Fang giving a lesson to her students

On December 2, the day before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Fang Liuying returned to her alma mater Nanjing Normal University Of Special Education after many years. But this time, she did not come to participate in the class reunion, but to accept the award as a elite representative of special education teachers.

Not long ago, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and the Ministry of Education selected the 2020 Bank of Communications Special Education Gardener Award, and Fang Liuying was on the list. It was an accident that she became attached to special education. In 1985, Fang Liuying was admitted to Nanjing Special Education Normal School (now Nanjing Normal University of Special Education), the first special education normal school in New China, to study deaf-mute education. 

What is special education? how to teach? How is it different from general education? The young Fang Liuying was ignorant and started studying for 4 years. She and her classmates were the first class of students enrolled after the school was founded.

At that time, there was a shortage of special education talents in Hangzhou. The "halo" of the first batch of professionally trained special education teachers, upon graduation, Xiaoshan, Yuhang and other places offered Fang Liuying great teaching jobs.

But Fang Liuying did not stay in the prosperous city. Instead, he chose to return to the mountains, to her hometown Chun'an, where special education was almost blank. "I think I still have a hometown complex." Fang Liuying said, the experience of a hearing-impaired family in the village when she was a child left a deep impression on her. After returning from school, she believes that knowledge can change destiny, and she has to do her part for these "angels with broken wings".

In 1989, the Chun'an County Education Bureau was planning to build a county school for the deaf. Fang Liuying, who had just graduated less than a month before, quickly began to prepare for the school.

In the Chun'an mountain area at that time, communication and transportation were extremely inconvenient, and the specific conditions of deaf-mute children of the appropriate age needed to be checked on the spot one by one. Therefore, the 21-year-old girl and another female colleague began to search for them from village to village.

With the love and responsibility of being a teacher, she has traveled almost all over the county. Sometimes she went to the countryside with the staff of the county education bureau, and sometimes set off alone; it’s common to get on the boat for a few hours and ride a bicycle for a few hours. Because of the long distance, she had stayed over in schools and ancestral halls. She also fell to the ground on her bicycle because of the steep and bumpy downhill.

Some parents didn't trust them at first and refused to let them in. Some families made trouble because of the money. Although the school for the deaf does not charge tuition, the living expenses and travel expenses are also a lot of expenses.

Fang Liuying patiently persuades with affection and reason. "Of course, there are heartwarming things too." She still remembered that a family especially took out three eggs to treat her, "This was a very high standard at the time."

The first batch of deaf-mute students was extremely difficult to find. One year later, Fang Liuying ushered in the first batch of 18 students in his teaching career.

In September 1990, the newly established Chun'an County School for the Deaf and Dumb officially opened classes.

Later, the county school for the deaf and dumb built a five-story building. Fang Liuying also served as the principal for many years, sending away groups of students. She always said that special education teachers don't want students travelling all over the world, but every child is her concern.

Just a few days ago, Fang Liuying asked in the classmates how the classmates are doing recently and what good news to share with her. Then the information prompts in the group.

Everyone showed certificates, trophies, and various honors. From outstanding employees of enterprises to national competition honors... Among her students, there are champions of the National Disabled Skills Competition, outstanding disabled athletes, and outstanding employees who are self-reliant... They have stepped out of the mountains and moved towards a broader horizon. The world goes to work and live. Fang Liuying is very happy for her students.

Fang remembering her students in the past 

Due to the decrease of local students, the school was merged into Hangzhou School for the Deaf in 2008, and Fang Liuying joined the teaching and research section of the County Education Bureau.

I thought that she would say goodbye to special education, but four years later, a new challenge was placed in front of her-the county would prepare for the establishment of a Peizhi school.

Because the students enrolled in the Puizhi School are not only mentally handicapped, but a large part of them also suffer from autism, hyperactivity, etc., making education difficult. When they first entered school, there were a few children who couldn't even take care of themselves. With the careful training of the special education teacher, gradually, the children will take the initiative to communicate with others and smile more. Witnessing their growth, teachers, and parents are as gratified.

In order to comprehensively promote the adaptive development of students, she proposed the "Golden Dandelion Action", which organizes a series of activities every Wednesday afternoon. Sometimes the children go out, sometimes the loving people are invited in, and through various training within the school, to help the children integrate better into society.

Over the years, Fang Liuying had several opportunities to change jobs with higher treatment and easier tasks. But for her children, she still reluctant to give up. In 2018, Fang Liuying ceased to be the school principal due to her age, but she did not leave the teaching frontline and continued to serve as the head teacher. The desk of the head teacher is located at the back of each classroom so that it is convenient to take care of the children at any time. Every week, she and the current principal Fang Zhufa visit the graduates of the local vocational high school "satellite class".

With the great attention of the Chun'an County Party Committee and Government, the new school building of Peizhi School will start soon. In two years, the school will be able to move to a brand-new school building, which will meet the needs of nearly a hundred students.

Students learn how to create handicrafts

The level of hardware facilities is getting higher and higher. What Fang Liuying is looking forward to now is that more young teachers will join the special education team. "Every special child is a unique lock. I hope that every special education teacher can become a unique 'lock opener'." She said.

(Edited by Wu Hongjie, translated by Wu Hongjie)