A Foreign Lei Feng Teach Urumqi Twins English for Free

On April 3, foreign teacher Ken (middle) teaching 10-year-old twin sisters Ma Nianzu (right) and Ma Nianci to learn English.

"Ding..." As the bell rings in the No 11 primary school on April 7, the cleaner Zu Lihua at the back southeast community of Urumqi city stopped her cleaning. Before long, a pair of twin sisters with similar plaits came into sight. With the younger sister Ma Nianci’s support, Ma Nianzu came to Zu Lihua. Meeting with the children, Zu Lihua held Ma Nianzu’s hand and walked across the street. Together, they came to Lyons tutoring center. Ma Nianzu held the stair armrest and walked up the stairs slowly. Carrying her sister’s bag, Ma Nianci guided in front and kept saying, "Sister, we’re almost there. Come on, come on..."

"Let the children come to study for free."

20 days ago the sisters began to study in Lyons tutoring center. The happiest thing for them is to learn English from the foreign teacher Ken at the tutoring center. For Ma Nianzu, she’s free to do thing she want to, and she can play with other children. She can learn handworks too.

The twin sisters are ten years old. They are chubby and cute with hair buns. However, the older sister suffers from cerebral palsy, and can’t move nimbly. She needs help even when going to toilet. Their mother Zu Lihua brings them up alone.

One day in March this year, Zu Lihua saw cheerful Ken chatting with people accidentally. "I don't know him, but I know that we live in the same community and he runs an English tutoring class. My children have poor oral English and I want them to try. So I told Ken." Unexpectedly, she got a phone call from Wang Rongrong, Ken’s wife the next day.

"We had heard that the family lives on Zu Lihua’s cleaning job and life is hard for them. After discussing with Ken, I decided to have the children study here for free." Wang Rongrong said.

The next day, only the young twin came for study. Wang Rongrong inquired and called Zu Lihua call, "Teachers here can help her even for going to toilet. How can the twins be separated?"

Wang Rongrong kept calling Zu Lihua, who finally made the decision three days later. She choked with sob and told her daughter, "Meeting with such good teachers, you must study hard."

Clever Ma Nianzu wiped the tears for her mother, "I'll try to eat less and to make as few troubles as possible."

"I like the place and the children here."

On the 7th, entering Lyons tutoring center, Ma Nianci held her sister’s hand and sat on two seas in the back. She took out the bag and began to learn.

Wear sportswear in the classroom, Ken was teaching students oral English. He wandered back and forth in the classroom, and sat on the table occasionally, making the children laughing again and again with his humorous words and enriched gestures. Ma Nianzu likes this kind of class very much. She said, "The teacher likes to greet us, and he’s like our friends."

Ma Nianzu leaned her head and listened carefully, copying the new words occasionally with sweat on the forehead. Ma Nianci sat nearby and kept looking at her older sister occasionally after finishing her words.

Ma Nianci said that both she and her sister like English.

At present, KEN and his wife share a common ideas to have the sick children speak English fluently, "In this way, they can find a good job, have an easy life, and take good care of their mother."

KEN said, "It’s the best time to learn for them. I like them and if possible, I would like to sponsor them till university."

Wang Rongrong met with his husband Ken in Xinjiang in 2003 and fell in love with each other. They are married and have a son now. Ken used to win the foreign experts honor of outstanding contribution to Xinjiang economic and social development. Ken said that it was not only a kind of honor, but also a kind of responsibility. "I have been in Xinjiang for eight years, and I like the place and the children here. Every child should have the right for education."

After a period together, Ken likes the twins. Each time he meets them on the way, he would hurry to open the car window and wave to them for greeting.

"I want to be their friend rather than foreign language teacher." He said that although one quiet and the other active, both sisters are thoughtful and intelligent.