An Armless Teacher Became An Inspiration For Educating Impoverished Children In China

In the depths of the mountains of southern China, one teacher is inspiring the next generation by educating the future generation while demonstrating that no challenge is too great to conquer.

Jiang Shengfa has been educating poor children for 18 years by tying chalk to one of his arm stumps and flipping books with his mouth after losing his arms in an accident 25 years ago.

Jiang, 47, not only overcomes his disability, but also walks 8 kilometres to work every day and receives a pitiful monthly pay of 1,500 yuan (US$235). However, he stated that he would not make any changes.

Jiang was born and raised in Anle village, Yunnan province, and lost both arms in 1996 while attempting to fix an electrical cable. His wife left him after the disaster and took their baby boy. After a few years, his mother passed In his darkest moments, Jiang begged on the streets of several big cities to survive.

When his older brother resigned from a nearby school and suggested him for a substitute teaching job, his life took a turn for the better. He is one of the village's few persons who has completed high school.

Jiang explained that since he had no teaching experience, he was concerned that I might not be a competent instructor. However, if he didn't do it, the children would have to travel further for their education.

He is currently recognised as one of the most respected educators in China's disadvantaged rural areas after more than a decade. Working-age individuals have often departed these areas in search of better jobs in the metropolis, leaving only the young and old. Many of the children's parents have left the town in search of higher paying jobs in Chinese cities.

He was even given a big pay raise to work for a different educational organisation, which he declined since money was not the driving force behind his decision to become a teacher. Those kids in the mountains were the ones who gave him the guts and confidence to survive.

Jiang instructs his students to put chalk on his right residual arm, which he uses to write, before class.

He even writes in Chinese calligraphy by holding an ink brush with his mouth. He has been praised for his handsome handwriting

Earlier this month, a video of him writing on the chalkboard and using his coat as an eraser became one of the most popular topics on Weibo.The conditions at the school and in the community are deplorable, but he had never given up. His life took a turn for the worse after he was injured, but the children brought me joy and confidence. They gave me the strength to keep going.