Last month, I took my son Tom to see his grandparents in the countryside. His grandpa took him to the yard to play. Tom was curious about everything.

At lunch, Tom told me, “Dad, I saw a hen flying.”

“Impossible!” I said without thinking. “How can a hen fly?”

“Dad, the dog ran after the hen in the yard. The hen was tapped (被困) in a corner. When the hen saw no other way out, she suddenly flapped her wings and flew up to the roof (房顶). The hen escaped. Dad, I didn’t know hens could fly. How can she fly?” my child asked.

I thought for a while and said, “Maybe because of love. The hen loves her own life and that helps her fly!”

Tom nodded (点头). He seemed to have understood.

Last weekend, we visited Tom’s grandparents again. This time I heard Tom shouting from the yard, “Dad! The dog is chasing the hen again! Come and see!”

I ran out of the house. The hen was running after a group of chickens, followed closely by the dog. Then the hen suddenly stopped and turned around—she raised up wings and clucked at the dog.

I ran over and got between the dog and the hen, shouting at the dog to drive it away.

“Dad, why didn’t the hen fly away? She knows she can’t fight the dog.” Tom asked.

I thought for a while and said, “Maybe because of love. She loves her babies more than anything in the world.”

Tom thought for a long time and nodded. He seemed to have understood.

As teachers, we often love to ask our students to try new things at a young age. 【小题1】 Learning new things at any age is important and it can help us become better.

Take myself as an example. I didn’t start playing ice hockey until my early 40s. My son is a big sports fan and he often asked me to take him to watch games between the big teams 【小题2】 And after a few months, I decide to give it a try.

To tell the truth, it is the hardest sport for me. There was so much to learn. I needed to learn how to pass and shoot. I saw a lot of players get on the ice and pick it up quickly and easily. But I was an exception (例外) . 【小题3】 I finally learned how to play ice hockey, though it took me a really long time.

Learning hockey has also helped me be a better teacher in some way. Being bad at hockey helps me understand those students in my class who have difficulty in learning English. 【小题4】 Some students are like this too—they might need to hear an explanation (解释) three to four times or need a few more days of practice.

It’s good to learn new things, whether they come easily to you or with more difficulty. 【小题5】