A few weeks ago, I went into Chase’s class for help. I e-mailed Chase’s teacher one evening and said, “My son keeps telling me that the thing you’re sending home is Maths—but I’m not sure whether I should believe him. Help, please.” She e-mailed right back and said, “No problem! I can help Chase after school anytime.” And I said, “No, not him. Me. He gets it. Help me.”

And that’s why I stayed with Chase’s Maths teacher. We talked about teaching children. We agreed that subjects like Maths and reading are not the most important things that are learned in a classroom. We also talked about something else—kindness and bravery.

And then she told me this.

Every Friday afternoon Chase’s teacher asks her students to take out a piece of paper and write down the names of four children with whom they’d like to sit the following week. She also asks the students to nominate (推荐) one student who they think is the most popular student that week. They needn’t write down their names on the paper.

After the students go home, she takes out those pieces of paper, and studies them.

In fact, Chase’s teacher is not looking for a new seating chart (表) or “popular students”. She is looking for lonely (孤独的) children. She’s looking for the ones who are unwilling to talk with others. She is finding out whose gifts (天赋) are not noticed by their classmates. Then she gets to know who needs help.

After watching Columbine the wise woman knew that all violence (暴力) comes from loneliness. So she decided to start fighting violence early and often, and what she is doing is SAVING LIVES.

And she finds the lonely kids from those lists and tries to help them. It’s Maths to her. All is love—even Maths.

Before I started school, people felt that I was not going to be successful. At the age of four, I started speech lessons because I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me.

The first grade was a struggle (奋斗，难事). I had difficulty speaking. I also couldn’t learn to read. The second grade was not much better. I still struggled with the inability to read. In the third grade, a new school was built. It was near my home. I went there with my parents and helped to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one. However, things didn’t get better for the next two years.

It was in the fifth grade. Mrs. Wakefield was my teacher, and she was a good teacher. She did not make me feel unconfident. Instead, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be. And that is just what I did.

For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher. Because of Mrs. Wakefield’s influence on my life. I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can deal with any difficulty successfully and become someone. I have won many awards (奖) up to now, such as “Teacher of the Year”. I think I should thank my fifth grade teacher. She believed in me and helped me to be all that I could be.

Life in middle school is not easy. But when you have some nice people around you, it is fun. 【小题1】 We six boys live in the same dormitory (宿舍).

【小题2】 So we have to live in the school. Every morning we get up at 6: 00. Sometimes one or two boys get up late. 【小题3】 In the afternoon, we go out and play sports. We can learn a lot from each other.

After a day’s busy life, we go back to the dormitory in the evening. Many of us go to bed early. 【小题4】 Some of us like to read books or listen to music late. Others like singing, talking or telling interesting stories. Sometimes some of us can’t help laughing (大笑) when we listen to the stories.

At this time, a teacher may pass and say, “Keep quiet and go to sleep now.” But we still laugh in our dreams at night. 【小题5】 They bring me lots of fun.