Organizing the drawer, I found a notebook. Opening it, I saw the notes left by the children from the summer volunteer education in 2017. There was a piece of A4 paper inside, with her words written on it. The notebook had several messages, although she spelled my name wrong and misunderstood some of my situations (I actually didn't have a girlfriend at that time), every word was sincere and genuine. As for me, besides occasionally talking on the phone during that period, we had no further communication, and I felt guilty in my heart.
Thinking back to this girl, I am filled with mixed emotions. Her situation was more complicated than the other children: repeating a grade, coming from a poor family, rebellious in her heart, unable to get along with the other children, and introverted... During a home visit, I learned that both her parents were working outside, and her loneliness and isolation stemmed from this.
With outdated family values, without any male presence, she was neglected and bullied; rebellious, lacking motivation, unable to fit in with her peers due to the age difference caused by repeating a grade; feeling inferior and introverted, relying on destructive behavior to attract attention.
Strong on the outside, fragile on the inside.
I wonder, does short-term volunteer education have an impact? Many adults treat it as a political achievement, visiting an educationally deprived area once, followed by countless cameras, as if a holy visitation.
Therefore, in the past, I thought that so-called short-term volunteer education was just a superficial act, of little use. However, only after actually going there did I realize how much these children longed for companionship, even if it was just a short vacation. What they lacked was not knowledge imparted, but care, especially companionship. There are very few people who genuinely treat them, and this is the true tragedy.
Although I didn't spend much time there, being with them every day, talking and laughing, playing and having fun, even if they didn't absorb much knowledge from the lessons, I could see that they truly felt happiness. They relied on us, like chicks relying on their mother, running around in circles.
During over a month of volunteer education, they would come to the classroom early in the morning, making noise and clamoring to see what delicious breakfast we were cooking; after school in the afternoon, less than half an hour later, they would come to the classroom to "disturb" us while we were taking a nap; after dinner in the evening, they would come and make a fuss, playing ball, running, riding bikes. They never let us have a moment of peace.
At first, I even found them a bit annoying, but now, thinking back, they really relied on us too much, and their behavior was too adorable.
Sometimes I wonder, what would they do without us?
Without us to play with, without proper guidance, without the company of their parents...
What a wonderful group of children, how does this world deserve them?
Looking at her notes, I am not even one percent as sincere as she is.