“This is the highest honor I’ve ever received in my 30-year career as an educator,” said Zhang Wenqiang, who received a trophy and a letter from one of his students on Friday.

When he was to leave school on Friday evening, Zhang, the headmaster of Wentianxiang Primary School in Futian District, received a bag from a security guard that contained a gilded trophy for the “Best Headmaster.” It turned out to be from Hu Yuhuai, a grade one student in his school.

“It’s a heart-warming gift,” Zhang said. The headmaster said the trophy, in the shape of a thumb-up hand surrounded by a few stars, is a confirmation of the school’s effort in cultivating expressive and confident students.

Since his appointment as the headmaster of the school earlier this year, Zhang has been trying to be friends with his students. He set up a mailbox for students to send their opinions in and would carefully reply to every letter. So far, he has followed students’ suggestions to allow them to wear their own clothes instead of school uniforms on Fridays, buy more books to replenish the school library and offer basketball courses. He also met students at the school gate as they came in and left school, and told them stories after national flag raising ceremonies on Mondays.

Hu’s mom said the boy is a big fan of the headmaster.

“He ran into the headmaster a day two weeks ago on the playground and asked him if the school can arrange basketball training for kids,” the mom said. A week later, the boy was thrilled to see that the school did arrange a basketball course for students.

Hu was given quite a few awards this past semester after participating in various school activities, and the boy decided that he wanted to give the headmaster an award too.

The boy then asked his mom to help him design a trophy for the headmaster. They got inspiration from a group photo in which the headmaster was putting his thumbs up for award-winning students after a competition, and had the trophy made.

“The trophy is not pricy,” the boy wrote in his letter to the headmaster. “But my admiration for you is as true as gold. I hope you will accept it.”

Hu’s mom said she is happy that the boy now has a role model to look up to. “He learns from the headmaster respect for people and being accountable for one’s words,” the mom said. (Li Dan)