Wang Jing plays with children at the Jiangsu Experimental Kindergarten in Lhasa. [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]

Wang Jing, deputy director of a public kindergarten in Nanjing, was recently honored by the Jiangsu provincial government as one of "The Best Teachers of 2020", local media outlets reported.

She was the first director of the Jiangsu Experimental Kindergarten in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, which opened its first term on Aug 12, 2019.

"The scenes of white hada covering the front gate of our school were still vivid in my mind," Wang said. Hada are white scarves representing purity and honesty in Tibetan culture.

"The scarves were a special gift from parents, showing their respect for teachers and expectations for the new school," Wang said.

The smooth running of the new kindergarten would not have been possible without Wang and her colleagues' continued efforts day after day.

Wang overcame her initial high altitude sickness and put her heart and soul into developing the school.

She looked over every corner of the kindergarten – from the lawn to the handrails –to ensure the quality of hardware facilities and the safety of her students.

Wang has also placed emphasis on faculty training.

"Most of our teachers are fresh graduates and they usually lack professional skills," Wang said.

Ning Yidan is one such inexperienced teacher. She was once frustrated at not being skilled in singing, dancing, or playing musical instruments.

"Director Wang always encouraged me and arranged for us to take targeted skills and on-the-job training in Jiangsu," Ning said.

Wang eventually finished her work in Lhasa and returned to Jiangsu in 2020. She said she would still recall her days in Lhasa, the greetings in Tibetan, and even a crybaby who loved to share his cookies with her.

"That's one of my best memories and I'm confident that more kindergarten teachers from Jiangsu will devote themselves to preschool education in Tibet," Wang said.