From Flight Attendant to Teacher: Ni Tongjuan Supports Students with Emotional Difficulties Through Companionship and Guidance

Central News Agency, Taipei, June 7 (Reporter Xu Zhiwei) Ni Tongjuan, a former flight attendant who is now a teacher at Guiji Junior High School in Taoyuan City, has accumulated experience in dealing with different needs. For students with emotional difficulties, she adopts a parallel approach of companionship and guidance, promoting peer understanding and support through class communication, and was selected as a model educator.

The Ministry of Education issued a press release today stating that Ni Tongjuan passed an airline selection during her university years and worked as a flight attendant after graduation. During her tenure, she faced multiple emergencies. On one flight, she proactively assisted a passenger who felt unwell and accompanied them throughout, demonstrating keen observation and adaptability. This experience allowed her to accumulate experience in dealing with different needs and situations, and also shaped her future teaching style.

Ni Tongjuan said that as a flight attendant, she visited 18 countries and interacted with passengers from various countries during flights, observing differences in expression and confidence among students from different cultural backgrounds, which led her to think about the role and impact of education. Based on this realization, she decided to change careers, gradually obtained her teaching qualifications, and entered the education field.

After becoming a teacher, Ni Tongjuan served as a homeroom teacher and taught in multiple fields. She once taught Chinese in Detroit, USA. Facing mostly economically disadvantaged students, she thought not only about the curriculum content but also about how to make children willing to learn and build confidence.

She incorporated simple but meaningful rituals into her teaching, such as pre-class meditation and bowing, gradually establishing order and respect. When students bowed to her, she returned the bow with a more dignified posture. Over time, this mutual respect transformed into trust, and the classroom atmosphere gradually stabilized.

After returning to teach in Taiwan, Ni Tongjuan continued the same teaching philosophy. She proactively expressed her appreciation for meeting her students to them, established good communication with parents, accompanied children's growth with a responsible attitude, and valued each student's needs. In class management, she encouraged student participation and responsibility, cultivated judgment and teamwork, and communicated with parents to form a network supporting student learning.

For students with attention or emotional difficulties, she adopted a parallel approach of companionship and guidance, promoting peer understanding and support through class communication to help students gradually adapt to school life. She believes that every student has different needs during their growth process, and the value of education lies in providing appropriate support to enable their stable development. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun) 1150607