I know these last few weeks have been difficult. There are so many exams over the end of the school year. Sometimes I also feel stressed after a long day’s work but I can’t help wondering if I do enough. Do I prepare you for the road ahead? Could I have done more?

I hope I make your way to high school much easier.

I hope I prepare both your road ahead and your heart.

I hope my strictness makes you stronger.

I hope my kindness makes you feel safe.

I hope my classroom is a place where you learn knowledge and make long-life friends.

At the moment, you are taking the exam. I know you may feel nervous to do well. But, please, do remember that among you, there is an artist who doesn’t need to understand Physics.

There is a successful businessman, who doesn’t care about History or Math.

There is a musician, whose Chemistry grade won’t matter.

There is a sportsperson, whose health is more important than P.E. grades.

If you fail the exam, tell yourself it’s OK! It’s just an exam! Take a rest, work on your weakness and move on.

If you fail the exam, tell yourself it’s OK! It’s just an exam! Protect your pride, believe in future success and move on. Don’t let it take away your dreams or talents.

Please do this, and when you do, you will control the world one day.

With warm regards,

Your teacher

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings（缺点）. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to bear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, "Are the things she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said."

I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could – and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. "That’s just for you," he said. "You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Our world is full of people who think they know you duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is the right thing to do."

Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.

“There is nothing more enjoyable than taking 40 dogs to the beach for a walk,” says Cesar Millan.

Cesar Millan is a star of the National Geographic Channel’s show The Dog Whisperer. He is also a writer of the best-selling book Cesar’s Way. He has a special talent for working with dogs.

Growing up on a farm in Mexico, Millan knew he wanted to work with dogs. His first job, at age 15, was helping a vet (兽医). He was so good at making scared dogs quiet and dealing with all kinds of situations, so people started calling him “el Perrero”, Spanish (西班牙语) for “the dog boy”.

“My grandfather taught me at an early age not to work against nature,” he explains. In nature, dogs like to form a group and follow one leader. Millan is good at teaching people to be leaders for their dogs.

Studying dogs on the farm where he grew up, Millan realized they needed lots of exercise to be quiet. He explains his approach, “Exercise and rules first, and then love.” A lot of people don’t realize what dogs really need. So Millan doesn’t just train dogs; he trains owners to understand that their pets need exercise and rules.

To find the right career (职业), Millan encourages kids to do what they enjoy. “A lot of people don’t realize I’ve been working with dogs for more than 20 years ‒ long before my TV show or book. Success followed me because I was following my dream of being the best dog trainer in the world. You can always find a job. But I find that happiness comes when you follow what you love.”