Tsai Fang-ling, a Chinese language teacher at Chung Gang Senior High School in Taichung, has been teaching for 23 years. Ten years ago Tsai took on unpaid volunteer work providing additional tutoring for students from disadvantaged backgrounds during the evening study session. Every day she works a 13-hour day at the school, but in addition to preparing for and teaching lessons, and assisting disadvantaged students during the evening, Tsai can also be found at lunch time serving lunch to students. As a result, students affectionately call Tsai “Auntie lunch lady.” This year, Tsai’s contribution to her profession was honored by the Ministry of Education with an Excellent Teacher Award, making her the first teacher to be presented with the award since the school’s founding 26 years ago, to the delight of students and teachers.
Tsai, who grew up in rural Yunlin County, decided she wanted to become a teacher while at elementary school, and after entering the profession Tsai threw herself into her classes. This year marks 18 years since Tsai started teaching at Chung Gang Senior High School, and her services to the teaching profession have been recognized with the award. School principal Chou Wen-sung says Tsai spends 13 hours at the school every day, yet in addition to her volunteer work and lesson preparation, Tsai also helps students prepare for the International Exhibition for Young Inventors competition. Two years ago, a group of students led by Tsai became the first Taiwanese students to win the competition’s “team achievement award.”
Tsai says that children need to be nurtured: “The essential guiding philosophy for my teaching style is learning with love, companionship and joy,” she says.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者張軒哲
As for Tsai’s custom of helping to serve food during lunchtime, she says morphing into a lunch lady to feed hungry students during the lunch break is the happiest time of her day because it gives her an opportunity to converse with every student in her class. Tsai adds that most students are quite happy for her to be there dishing up their lunch. The school’s director of student affairs, Wang Chih-yu, says during Tsai’s 18 years of unbroken service at the school as a homeroom teacher, she has always treated students as if they were her own children.
There are many disadvantaged children at the school who are unable to attend cram schools and every evening Tsai helps them with their individual studies. One such student, Lu Kuan-lung, stayed behind at the school every evening for individual study. With Tsai’s assistance, Lu gained admission to National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and went on to study a masters degree at National Taiwan University. Tsai says that Lu’s success made all the years she has spent mentoring students feel all the more worthwhile.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者張軒哲
台中中港高中國文教師蔡芳玲教書二十三年，導師身分從未間斷。她十年前自願不支領鐘點費，免費陪伴弱勢生晚自習，每天在學校時間超過十三小時，除了上課、備課、陪伴夜讀，中午也幫忙打菜，被學生稱為「打菜媽」。蔡芳玲今年獲得師鐸獎殊榮，是中港高中創校二十六年首位，師生與有榮焉。
蔡芳玲來自雲林鄉村，國小時就立志當老師，擔任教職後，用心投入班級經營，今年在中港高中任教第十八年，獲得師鐸獎殊榮。校長周文松說，蔡芳玲老師每天在學校時間超過十三小時，除了上課、備課、陪伴夜讀，還帶領學生從事「IEYI世界青少年發明展」課程並參賽，兩年前拿到台灣唯一一隊「團隊貢獻獎」。蔡芳玲說，孩子只是欠栽培，「愛、陪伴與快樂學習」是自己的教育精神及理念。
蔡芳玲習慣中午到教室幫學生打菜，她說，自己化身為餵飽一大群高中生的打菜媽媽，這是一天中最開心的時光。因為打菜時，可以和全班每個孩子都接觸到，很少有人會拒絕關心。學務主任王志裕說，蔡芳玲老師十八年來擔任導師不間斷，把學生當自己小孩看待。
中港高中有許多弱勢生，根本無法補習。蔡芳玲每晚陪學生晚自習，其中，校友呂冠龍並未補習，每天留校晚自習，考取成大機械系，再考上台大研究所，讓蔡芳玲覺得多年來伴讀付出的時光是值得的。
(自由時報記者張軒哲)
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