From a county-level lecture hall to a nationally renowned teacher

In the summer of 2000, Lin Zhiyuan, a graduate of a teachers' college, gave up a high-paying job in the provincial capital and returned to a small county in southern Jiangxi to become a Chinese language teacher. No one understood his choice—a monthly salary of 780 yuan, a leaky dormitory, and students with varying academic backgrounds. But he believed: education can change destinies. Over the past thirty years, he has seen countless students graduate. Zhou Haitao, a poor student, grew from a self-conscious rural boy into a rural teacher; Liu Qiang, a rebellious student, went from almost dropping out to successful entrepreneurship; Zhao Xiaoman, from a cadre family, went from being complacent to finding self-worth; Chen Yutong, suffering from depression, found the courage to live through literature… Each student is a mirror, reflecting the changes of the times and the meaning of education. In thirty years, he has transformed from a naive "Little Lin" into "Teacher Lin" in the eyes of his students, from a subject teacher to a homeroom teacher, from confusion to perseverance. He has experienced the new curriculum reform, the new college entrance examination, the online learning revolution, and the impact of AI, witnessing the county's transformation from a cinder track to a synthetic track, from chalkboard writing to smart classrooms. He experienced burnout, financial pressure, and a mid-life crisis, but every time he stood on the podium, facing those young eyes, he told himself: just hold on a little longer. This is the story of an ordinary person, and also the story of an era. It tells you: in a restless world, there are always people who hold fast to some clumsy beliefs; in an age of quick success and instant benefits, there are always people who earnestly do something "useless." I didn't meet you in my best of times, but meeting you made me have this best of times.