Mom attends college to better tutor daughter

This September, Jiaozuo Teachers College saw a special freshman - Zhang Xiaoyan, a mother of two and over 40, Henan Business Daily reported.

Her purpose of studying in college at such an age is simple: to be able to help her daughters with their homework.

In 2014, when her elder daughter asked how to pronounce an English word, she felt awkward for not knowing the answer. So she decided to take the National College Entrance Exam to learn English in college.

Zhang was born to a rural family in Jiaozuo, Central China's Henan province. When she was young, she didn't get enough score to enroll in college. She didn't want to burden her parents, so did farm work instead. But the birth of her daughters aroused her college dream.

Preparing for the exam was not easy. She needed to work during the day, take care of two daughters and do housework. Her studying time was mainly at night.

This year, she was enrolled at the foreign languages department of Jiaozuo Teachers College.

Zhang felt excited and stressful. "I can't understand the listening material. My pronunciation is not good," she said, adding she had a lot to improve.

In her classmates' eyes, she works very hard. She is first to arrive at morning class, listening carefully and practicing her pronunciation again and again. When she doesn’t understand something, she never hesitates to ask.

"I really admire her spirit. To tutor her kids, set an example for them and realize her college dream, we can learn a lot from her," said Han Chunhong, secretary of the department’s youth league.

In her younger daughter's eyes, her mom is great. "I need to study hard," said the seven-year-old.