Teachers from the Jinhu School for Special Education give a lesson at a student's home. [Photo/Xinhua]

In Jinhu county, Huai'an, Jiangsu province, some teachers do more than teach in the classroom. They also travel across towns and villages to bring lessons to children with severe disabilities who are unable to attend school.

Jinhu School for Special Education launched its home-based teaching program in 2016, becoming one of the first schools in Jiangsu to provide such services. Today, 14 teachers make regular visits to the homes of 19 children, with more than half living in rural areas. Each child receives at least two visits a month, with each session lasting no less than three class periods.

Over the past decade, teachers from the school have traveled more than 80,000 kilometers to deliver lessons at home. They have helped 42 children with severe disabilities improve their daily living and cognitive skills, with eight eventually reaching the level needed to attend school.

One of them is 15-year-old Xuanxuan, who recently began a part-time arrangement that combines attending school with receiving lessons at home. Xuanxuan has Down syndrome, and her physical and cognitive development are significantly delayed. She is about the size of a typical nine-year-old and has the cognitive abilities of a five- or six-year-old.

For the past six years, teachers Chen Hong and Tao Suling have made the 20-kilometer journey from the school to Xuanxuan' home, helping her learn everyday skills such as trimming her nails, tying her shoelaces, getting dressed, eating independently and using the toilet.

Their backpacks are always packed with puzzles, picture books, literacy cards and Montessori learning materials. They arrive with hope, but without unrealistic expectations.

"We don't expect the children to master a lot of knowledge," Tao said. "If they can become a little more independent in daily life and learn some basic things, that's already a victory."

For these teachers, the value of home-based teaching goes beyond academic progress. It gives children with severe disabilities opportunities to learn, interact and grow — and, most importantly, to experience the joy of learning. Without this support, many of them might spend their childhood largely confined to watching TV at home.