Devoted Chinese village teachers double up as parents for students

For two Chinese village teachers, Chen Guo and Zhang Rong, their busy day starts when they wake up at 6 am everyday right up until they go to sleep at night. In addition to teaching, they also act as full time carers of their students. Sometimes when the students get sick, they have to stay up all night to take care of them.

The two teachers work at Yuanding Elementary School, which is known for its "left-behind children”. The school is located in Yuanding mountain in Nanjiang county, Bazhong city, southeast China’s Sichuan province, at 1,400 meters above sea level.

On top of teaching, they are also in charge of caring of left-behind children in both their studies and lives, even during weekends and holidays.

The students call them "Dad Guo" and “Mom Zhang".

"In fact, our busiest time is on weekends. As well as getting up early in the morning to provide daily meals and help with homework, we also have to wash the clothes, carry out extracurricular practical activities, and help the children call their parents... We’re busy late into the night," Zhang Rong said while washing clothes.

"We thank all sectors of society for their attention and help. In fact, we’re just doing what we want to do. We wanted to create conditions for these poor children to go out of the mountains and become useful talents for the country," Chen Guo and Zhang Rong said, explaining their original intention for running the school.

Thanks to their love and care, these children who grow up deep in the mountain no longer grow up lonely, but can now live in a warm family full of love. More than 60 students here have gone on to become students at key universities in China.

"I was once offered a well-paid job, but I politely declined because these children cannot live without us and we cannot leave them by themselves," said Chen Guo.

Although the couple's income is not as high as that of primary school teachers in Yuanding Village, they do not accept childcare fees. They have decided to take care of the students and live simple lives.