Ai de jiao yu (1961)

A young middle-class upstart Lin Ching Yi reluctantly takes on the task as understudy for her sick father who's a dedicated teacher to a band of mischievous working-class 3rd graders that initially proved to be much more than she can handle. Yet it is the matronly bond that is formed with her little urchin flock and her gradual understanding of the their poverty-stricken home lives outside of the classroom that raises the stakes for her as a teacher. It doesn't hurt that her empathetic male colleague Kit Chang provides support for her dilemmas also provide her a prospect as love interest. With growing ties with her students and school, Lin finds herself accepting the challenge for education of her community with her own education of love.