Abstract:

Left-behind children are a special group created in the current rapid urbanization process in China. Due to their parents’migrant work,left-behind children generally lack family affection and are prone to negative emotions,such as emptiness and loneliness. Emotions are an important indicator of the quality of an individual’s life. Promoting the emotional state of left-behind children to develop in a good direction is a dimension that cannot be ignored in the education of left-behind children. Rural teachers have the status of “parent substitutes”for left-behind children. They provide positive emotional responses such as care and protection to left-behind children in the daily education and teaching process,which can meet the emotional needs of left-behind children and help them gain positive emotional strength and grow healthy. However,there are still conceptual dilemmas,quality dilemmas,and practical dilemmas in order to achieve the educational goal of rural teachers’positive emotional response to left-behind children. Therefore,efforts need to be made in three aspects: rural teachers should strengthen their study of policy documents and establish correct concepts of education for left-behind children;promote the professional development of rural teachers and improve the professional level of positive emotional responses;effectively reduce the burden on rural teachers,and ensure time and energy for caring for left-behind children.

Key words: rural teachers, left-behind children, positive emotional responses