I never planned to be a teacher. I was headed for a law school, for a real career. Teaching was something to “get out of my system”. I would teach a couple of years and then go to get a real job. After the first couple of years, I promised myself I would leave if I didn’t love my job any more. Twenty-nine years later, that day still has not come.

So, why do I stay? I stay because I laugh and learn every day. The children are funny, insightful, and honest. If my shoes don’t match my outfit, they tell me. If my argument that Invisible Man is an important twentieth century classic doesn’t convince them, they tell me.

I stay because every single day is different. Some days, my lessons are great, and I have classes of students who are engaged in reading, writing and thinking. Some days, my lessons fall flat, and I realize that I need to start from the beginning - even after 29 years.

I stay because I love to see the children realize that they have learned something; I love to see the children write well; I love the feeling of reading a well-argued essay, and I love smiling as I write a final “Awesome job!” on a paper on which a student has worked hard.

I stay because what I’ve learned in 29 years is that I do have a “real” job - the most real job there is. It’s the one that leads to other jobs, that helps to create good thinkers who go on to be productive in our society, and that supports our community as it grows and times change. My job is among the ones that matter most.

A bike repairer at Beijing’s Peking University has won respect from many for remaining dedicated to his work over the course of the past 16 years. Lin Qinggang, from Xingtai city, north China’s Hebei Province, started his business in 2006. Before that point, he had been a migrant worker at a construction site and a bicycle salesman in Beijing. In 2017. Peking University built a repair shop for Lin, which had been transformed from a 32-square-meter container. Lin tells people that he starts work at 8:30 a. m, but that for most of the time, he’s available as early as 8 a.m.

Because students always come over to Lin’s shop to have their bicycles repaired before and after lunch and dinner breaks, the man is often busy during these hours. This means he has to finish his meals quickly.

“During the busiest time before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I never had lunch on time, usually having supper at about 8 or 9 p.m., and sometimes even at 10 p.m.,” Lin recalled, saying that he once repaired 180 bicycles on his busiest day.

Lin’s services has won recognition from teachers and students at Peking University, who would often share food with him during holidays such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. Such gestures of goodwill have deeply touched Lin.

“Some of the services that I provided were for free, but the students insisted on giving me money or paying me extra. I think this is the way they expressed their encouragement,” Lin said.

When Lin just started the business, some young people had doubted his abilities as a bike repairer. He just worked very hard to prove himself. Eventually, most of the people changed their opinions.

Lin has repaired nearly 500,000 bicycles in 16 years. He has gained the trust of teachers and students at Peking University with all the good qualities he possesses, including his dedication and reliability.