Henry once worked in a middle school in a remote area. He loved to teach the teenagers. He worked to understand what his students were thinking and feeling in order to meet their needs. When a student was struggling, he would work harder to show the child that he or she was capable and cared for. He would try everything in order to help every student achieve success in and out of the classroom. But he would never discover that the impact his small act of kindness had on one student after he left the profession to join the navy,

Henry was teaching science then, there was one girl who sat at the front of the class and was filled with typical middle school pain and anxiety. Her name was Mary. She was a newcomer then. She wasn't accepted by the classmates that soon. She was quiet and kept to herself and always writing a journal during lessons. Henry was looking for a chance to give her a hand but had realized this task was tough.

That class Henry decided to look over her shoulder and see what she was writing. On a small piece of paper he   saw the painful words “I am not good enough. I'm ugly. I’m stupid. No one likes me. I hate myself.” The girl was absorbed in her loneliness and sadness and didn't realize she was overseers.

This task was more challenging because he had never seen a young girl was so disappointed and sad. Great teachers knew that putting extra effort, a kind heart and soul into caring for his students made all the difference. Without thinking, Henry snatched (一把抓起) the notebook from her and started writing in it “You're great, you're beautiful, you're intelligent, you're loved”. The opposite of everything she wrote, then handed it back. He smiled at her with encouragement saying nothing.

Mary was surprised at her teacher's behavior. But when she read the words he wrote, tears welled down her face.

Several weeks later, Henry had to left the school to join the navy.

Several years later, when Henry was walking, a woman asked him whether he remembered her.

During my six years at the Boyd E. Smith Primary School, I was lucky to have so many great teachers who served as thoughtful role models. They were admirable characters who had far-reaching effects on me in more ways than I could have known. Among them who influenced me the most was my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Green.

The truth is that Mrs. Green was unlike anyone I had ever known. She had so much energy and passion for the world and for her students that she spent thirty years of her life at Boyd E. Smith. Mrs. Green taught maths. She devoted herself to her work. I would never have imagined that I would have left her class with so much.

Mrs. Green is everything that I want to be. The first time I met her, I knew she was someone special. Being young fourth-graders, we were taught to show respect to teachers as we learned to say “Thank you, madam” and “Yes, madam” on a daily basis. We did not complain about it. We knew she did it to make us better young adults that would carry on through life with respect for our elders.

Mrs. Green was an amazing teacher for many reasons, as she was intelligent and passionate about what she taught. She did not scold (责骂) us, but she taught us to recognize the difference between right and wrong and to be responsible no matter what we did. Looking back upon those days when I was in her class, I realized that she was teaching us qualities that were important to our characters. The most valuable lesson I learned from her was to live with honesty. I had no idea what this word meant until the incident (事情) in a math exam.

I was caught in the act of cheating in the exam.

Now I am also a primary school teacher like Mrs. Green.

What to Do During an Earthquake?

As we all know, an earthquake is a kind of terrible disaster. So what should we do when an earthquake comes?