Li Rongqun and Zhang Yanlan are two retired teachers living in Yaoshang village, Baisha town. Several years after their retirement, they started to teach left-behind children (whose parents work in cities far from home) for free.

Li is 64 years old and Zhang is 68. They started teaching in 1972,when there were few teachers in rural villages and they had to give lessons on all subjects from grade one to grade six.

After 30 years’ teaching, they had retired. But they felt lost, and neither reading nor nurturing flowers could help them from missing their teaching time.

In August, Zhang read about a piece of news that some left-behind children were drowned for the lack of parents ’protection after school time, which made her and Li decide to give lessons to the children for free at weekends in the local village library.

Li Rongqun teaches left-behind children in the rural library of Baisha town, Changsha county, Central China’s Hunan province. [Photo by Zhang Di/csxrmt.com]

Zhang Yanlan tutors left-behind children in the rural library of Baisha town. [Photo by Zhang Di/csxrmt.com]

“Many parents have their jobs in cities, leaving their children under the custody of grandparents who are not well- educated. It is bad for children’s growth. We hope to teach them more when we are energetic,” said Li.

“Ms Li and Ms Zhang are good teachers. When I have questions about homework, I always come to them for help. They tutor me patiently no matter how late it is,” said Yan, a third-grade student in Lingyoumiao Primary School.

Li and Zhang used to teach Yan’s parents. Now the whole family feels grateful to them.