Being a kindergarten teacher is not an easy job for Zhang Wei, 22, who works for a private institution in Chaoyang district, Beijing.
She arrives at the kindergarten before 7:30 am and has a tight schedule every day. Besides teaching classes and organizing outdoor activities for nearly 30 children, she also prepares teaching plans, attends meetings and deals with all kinds of inquiries from parents.
Zhang has to maintain constant vigilance to ensure the safety of the lively children who are prone to injury and minor accidents, which leads to a lot of psychological pressure.
"Sometimes I wake up from a nightmare in which a boy strikes his head on the edge of a table, and I am scolded by the headmaster and the boy's parents," says Zhang.
Recent child abuse scandals in kindergartens in Beijing and Shanghai have caused widespread public outrage.
And preschool educators, especially teachers in private kindergartens, have faced harsh criticism from society.
Zhang is also feeling the tide of public opinion turn against her.
"More parents are demanding that our kindergarten install surveillance cameras. And many parents question their children about whether they have been maltreated by their teachers. I feel that sometimes we are treated as 'potential enemies'," says Zhang.
