Tyler was a troublesome student, who sat in the back row of the classroom. Every time I called him to answer questions, he'd reply with a flip (轻率的) answer. If he got it wrong, he would get very angry.

Usually kids could sit quietly in class. However Tyler was just loud. One day, Tyler was talking while I was teaching. I said to him, “Tyler, why not join in our discussion instead of having one of your own?” He got up from his chair, pushed it over, and shouted something I can't remember. I sent him to the office and he received a week's out-of-school punishment.

The week was a wonderful time for me without the noisy Tyler, but when it came to an end, I began to feel worried. So I came up with a plan. On the day of his return, I told him I wanted to start over with him. If he felt like he was going to lose control in class, he could step outside the door for a moment.

From then on, Tyler was a changed student in my classroom. In fact he was a smart child and he even stopped a fight between two students one day. And he never used the privilege (特权) to leave the class for a moment. I believe that just letting him decide for himself made all the difference.

When the school year was over, he wrote me a thank-you note about how good the year had been for him. I still have it today and find it very moving to reread when I get stressed about teaching.

Math had never been something I was good at since middle school. Classes became harder in high school, and I was even further from a math teacher’s dream student. So at the start of my freshman year, I had an aversion to math. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do well, but simply that I didn’t think I was able to do well. “I can’t” became my state of mind in all things related (有关的) to math.

However, I was soon to learn that “I can’t” was not a choice in Mr. A’s class.

Mr. A always greeted (迎接) us with open arms as he said, “Welcome! Smile! It’s a great day to be alive!” It was clear that Mr. A had a true passion (热情) not only for math but for teaching. If Mr. A ever experienced bad days in life, he never showed it. Mr. A greeted us with that same smile every day. He encouraged each student, from the top achiever to the “I can’t” student.

I found myself looking forward to math class, although I still hated the subject itself. Being in Mr. A’s presence made me feel good, as if I had the chance to succeed. As the year progressed, I spent increasingly more time on my homework, and I met with Mr. A weekly. My classmates began to do the same, and it became “cool” to have lunch and talk with Mr. A. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was changing our attitudes (态度).

Though my story is not one of overnight success and I didn’t become a straight-A math student, my hard work did begin to pay off and my grades slowly began to climb. There were hard times, of course. Difficult math questions sometimes succeeded in bringing me down, but Mr. A kept reminding (提醒) me, “Kate, smile! It’s a great day to be alive!”

Do you ever suffer from bad-tempered (脾气差的) teachers who try to boss you around? Is your classroom never tidy enough? Do you too leave waste paper on the floor or write untidily? If so, then these instructions will be ideal for you. Read on and discover the simple steps to keep a bad-tempered teacher happy.

What you need: an apple

1. Wait until the teacher is out of the room.

2. Place an apple upon her desk.

3. Place beside it a note on which you have written, ‘To the best teacher in the world’.

4. Sit back and wait for the desired effect to take place.

Tip: Make sure that she likes apples-as some teachers may prefer chocolate.

Five more simple things that you can do:

1. Offer to clean the blackboard at the end of each lesson.

2. Work in silence.

3. Raise hand and answer questions-without calling out.

4. Thank the teacher for such an exciting and interesting lesson.

5. Tell your friends in other classes that you have the most amazing teacher and make sure that you do this as she is walking behind you!

Other useful tips

1. Tell your teacher that you have never been taught by a more creative, intelligent, challenging Grade 1 teacher before.

2. Offer to carry her bags to the car.

3. Smile and nod appreciatively even when she is being boring.