I’m Eric and I’m from No.6 Middle School. We have many rules at our school. I think some of them are good for us, but others are not so good.

We have to wear our school uniforms. I think it’s good. If(如果) we don’t have this rule, some students will wear expensive(昂贵的) clothes. They will think more about clothes, but not study. We can’t be late for school and we have to listen to the teachers carefully in class. All of these rules are good for our study and I like them.

We can’t take mobile phones to school. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Sometimes our parents are busy and can’t get home on time. They need to tell us about that. If we don’t take phones, how can they tell us? Also, we can’t go to the movies on weekends. I know we should study hard, but we need to relax a little, too.

Ray-Tokuda, a 54-year-old Japanese American. is proud of the title his school has given him. He is a Shifu, a Chinese word meaning a master of martial arts（武术）.

Tokuda has reason to be proud. He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for over 40 years. After learning them at the martial arts school in New Mexico State, today he is among the most experienced kung fu teachers of the school.

Practicing martial arts two to three hours and helping students improve their skills have become Tokuda’s daily routine（日常生活）. “I’m still learning. It’s worth more than a lifetime to learn Chinese martial arts.” he said, “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. I think it’s also the magic of Chinese culture.”

Tokuda was sent to the martial arts school when he was 1. He still remembers how unwilling he was when starting out. “My father had always wanted to learn Chinese martial arts but never got the chance, so he put his kid in.” he said, “I was so afraid at that time because I thought kung fu was all about fighting.”

But things changed after he learned that martial arts were more than fighting. “One of the things martial arts teach me is overcoming difficulty.” Tokuda said.

Learning Chinese martial arts opened a gateway for him to better understand Chinese culture because he could hear a lot of ancient Chinese kung fu-related stories. “It is like in America, where we hear stories about knights in shining armor and King Arthur.” he said, “I feel martial arts preserve something of ancient China that can’t be found in books.”

Tokuda has also been invited to various events in his home state to show traditional Chinese culture, including the dragon dance and lion dance. Because of this, he is now considered a cultural envoy（使者）in the eyes of the public.

Helping others is a great thing to do. You can learn new things and have a good time. You can help people, animals or the environment. It can make you feel good, too! How can you help?

Charities are organizations that help others, like UNICEF or the World Wildlife Fund. You can help charities by giving your time, giving money or giving your things. You can also help people or places you know.

Volunteering

Volunteering is when you give your time to help others. Some ways of volunteering are:

•visiting old people to talk to them or help them.

•cleaning up a park.

Fund-raising

Fund-raising is when you collect money to help others. Some ways of fundraising are:

•making food or drinks to sell.

•family and friends give you money if you finish a long walk.

Donating

Donating is when you give your things to help others. Some ways of donating are:

•giving your old toys or clothes to a charity that helps sick children.

•giving your old books to a library.

Fun facts

September 5th is the International Day of Charity.

The world record for volunteering is 107 months!