Shanghai Daily News

With a half-eaten loaf of bread, an empty bottle of water, a well-worn calculator and sheets of paper full of chemistry formulas in his pack, a tired and hot Shi Yongxin plops down in a chair after a day at the "office."

For the 58-year-old Chongming native, his regular tutoring session have become part of his fixed summer routine. On most days he provides free tutoring to his students who live both near and far around the remote island. Considering most tutors charge for such a service, his generous offer is viewed as strange by some.

"I plan to visit every student's home to help them with their studies and also to chat with them," said the veteran educator. "It's a good opportunity to be closer to the kids. I've been to dozens (of children's homes) over the years."

Having been a chemistry teacher for almost 30 years at the local Sanlie High School, Shi looks more like a farmer, always wearing a simple smile whenever talking and listening intently. Like many of the locals, his skin is dark after years of long-term exposure to the strong sunlight.

In the past couple of years, he has visited more than 60 student homes. Typically, his travels include venturing to such isolated spots as Luhua Town at the western-most tip of the island, Chenbao Town at its eastern-most point and even to the shores of the Yangtze River in the south.

Last summer, Shi visited all the students in his class, 49 in all. Every morning he had to get up early to catch the bus and spent one hour on the road. He always declined parents' invitation to dinner and the money they offered.

"I'm just an ordinary teacher and my only duty is to educate," he said. "It's my obligation and also my enjoyment."

And he practices what he preaches.

In addition to the free home tutoring, he also sponsors children from poor families to help them finish their studies. He also gives free lessons to soldiers who apply for the military academy, something he has done for years.

Huang Huixiang, 40, is a student Shi sponsored 20 years ago. "Even now, I'm still deeply indebted to Mr Shi for his help and encouragement," she said.

In the era of "grain coupons" which was considered far more important than money in the 1980s, Shi donated his. He gave his allotment which could buy 13 kilograms of rice each month to Huang whose father was suffering from stomach cancer at the time.

"We were really in a difficult situation. My father was ill, I was in high school and my mother had to support my brothers and sisters."

Shi sponsored Huang for three years until she graduated and went to Jiangxi Financial College.

Huang, now a married woman with a child, is currently an accounting manager with the Shanghai Silicon Factory. She said that without Shi's constant help, she could not imagine what her life would be like now.

When told about the praise for him, Shi took it modestly.

"All my students are farmers' children. The only way for them to get out of poverty is to study hard and be admitted by a good university," he said. "What I do is to push them in that direction."

His efforts have not been in vain.

This year, two of Shi's students, due to their outstanding performance in the National College Entrance Examination, were admitted to Peking University, the country's renowned institute.

He Wenrui, one of the two, said: "Many people think he is foolish, giving free lessons and being a voluntary family tutor. But in my mind, he is the best teacher. I respect him."

The 18-year-old girl recalled that before this year's college entrance examination, Shi was badly injured in a car accident. "But he still insisted on giving lessons. We all saw him sweating heavily."

She said the students could often see that their teacher carried a bottle of pain-killers in his pocket.

Shi said that his wife often worried about his health.

"I have glaucoma (an eye disease) and cholecystitis (a disease in the gall bladder)," Shi revealed. "She hopes I can quit some day, but I can't."

He said that he had many opportunities to leave the remote county school and to move downtown. Several years ago, Shanghai No. 3 Girls' School offered him a posting there.

"They promised to give me 10 times as much as I earned, but I refused," he said.

 "The children here need me. I should stay," he said. "I will retire in 2008 but I still hope to continue to teach. I like to be with my students, seeing them grow."