In Whitney High School, Cerritos, California, which was known for its academic excellence and competitive atmosphere, there were two friends, Sam and Emily, who were preparing for their final exams. Sam and Emily were best friends and had always studied together. Sam was naturally gifted in mathematics, while Emily excelled in history. As their final exams approached, they promised to help each other with their weaker subjects.

They spent weeks preparing, exchanging notes, and quizzing each other. Sam helped Emily understand complex mathematics problems, and Emily helped Sam remember historical dates and events. Their friendship grew stronger as they worked towards their common goal.

However, as the exam day neared, Sam started to feel huge pressure. His parents had high expectations, and he was afraid of letting them down. He began to doubt his abilities, especially in history, which was his weakest subject. Emily noticed Sam’s anxiety and tried to reassure him, but Sam’s stress only seemed to increase. The night before the history exam, Sam admitted to Emily that he was considering cheating because he was so afraid of failing.

Emily was shocked and disappointed. She reminded Sam of all the hard work they had put in and the serious consequences cheating could have. She told him that it was better to try and fail honestly than to succeed through dishonesty.

On the day of the history exam, Sam was extremely nervous. He remembered Emily’s words and knew she was right. He decided to face the exam honestly, using what he had learned from their study sessions.

During the exam, Sam struggled with some of the questions, but he did his best to answer them without turning to cheating. When the exam ended, he felt a mix of relief and uncertainty. He had stuck to his values, but he wasn’t sure if he had done enough to pass the subject.

A few weeks later, the exam results were announced.

The experience of preparing for and taking the exams strengthened the bond between Sam and Emily.

A Precious Present

Wrinkles of confusion spread across Angela’s forehead as she unwrapped the gift from her best friend, Susan.

“I…I thought you could use it for something.” Susan’s stammered explanation did nothing to help us understand why a twelve-by-eighteen-inchold blue carpet was being presented as a birthday gift.

My heart went out to our daughter. Starting out at a new school during her freshmanyear had been a difficult adjustment. Until she met Susan, Angela had experienced little success making new friends.

The murmured “thanks” was barely heard as Angela tried hard not to allow her disappointment to show. She laid the piece of carpet on the kitchen counter, and the two girls headed outside to play with the family dogs.

The next morning, I carried a garbage bag outside. My heart sank as I lifted the lid of the garbage can and saw Susan’s carpet lying there. Hesitating only a moment, I picked it up. After giving it a light brushing, I brought it into the house and put it away in the hall closet.

“Susan invited us to go over to her house after school tomorrow and she’d like us to meet her foster mom(养母).” Several days later Angela announced as, she arrived home. Although her voice carried a so-what attitude, I sensed she was pleased by the invitation.

The following day we drove to the destination along the winding country road.

A kind-looking woman greeted us as we approached the small farmhouse.

On the way home Angela pleaded me to drive faster.

My daughter, Grace, came home from first grade in tears. Worried about her, I asked what had happened to her. She was sobbing and said, “I felt So... so sad that the mean boy Dylan called me names (骂我) again.” I hugged her tightly and comforted her softly. I asked if she had told her teacher about it. Grace nodded and said, “Yes, my teacher punished him seriously and required him to make a sincere apology to me immediately. Although he did that, he’s still not polite to me.”

Looking at Grace’s tearful eyes, I racked my brain, trying to think of a way to help her. Grace were bullied by a seven-year-old boy. In most cases, for young children, bullies may be acting out because they are hurting or feeling that others aren’t kind to them. By reaching out and showing them friendship, we have the potential to change their behavior and create a more wonderful environment. I know, as parents, we can’t always protect our children from the challenges they face, but we can teach them the value of kindness and encourage them to be a force for good in the world.

Then an idea hit me. “Maybe we could be kind to him. We know an old saying that good for good is natural while good for evil is manly. After all, Dylan is not a born bad boy.” I suggested although I wasn’t sure if it would make a difference. Grace thought for a while and agreed. From then on, she would say hello to him in the hallway, clap hands for him while Dylan was playing basketball and sometimes helped him with some weak subjects. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to change on Dylan over the next two weeks. Feeling rather disappointed, I was lost in deep thought, trying to find a suitable way to deal with the situation.

The other day, Grace’s teacher phoned me to praise my daughter because of her kindness. I was curious and asked Grace about it.