Emily was a student, who was always shy and lacked confidence. She struggled to make friends and believed that she wasn’t good at anything. That started affecting her academic performance and overall happiness. She said to herself, “I’m a loser. I can’t get anything done.” She felt worried and tried to find solutions. However, unfortunately, all she had done was in vain.

One day, Emily’s teacher, Ms. Johnson, noticed her attitude and decided to help her regain her confidence. She said to Emily, “No one is born confident and strong. You have to make a change, so take the first step forward.” She encouraged Emily to participate in classroom activities and group projects. At first, Emily was hesitant, fearing that she would embarrass herself in front of her classmates. But with gentle encouragement and support from Ms. Johnson, she slowly started to overcome her fears. So she started to open up and take action to be better.

Ms. Johnson also noticed that Emily had a talent for writing. She suggested that Emily join the school newspaper team. Emily felt nervous about contributing her work, but the positive feedback from her peers and teachers improved her confidence. She saw that her unique views were value d by others. She started writing some essays to show everyone the desire for beauty in her heart. And the readers were amazed by her writings.

As Emily gained more confidence in her writing, she decided to take on new challenges. She joined the debate team, despite her fear of public speaking. With regular practice and guidance from her teammates, Emily gradually overcame her stage fright and found her voice in expressing her opinions. Obviously, she was successful in her speeches as well.

Outside of school, Emily discovered her passion for community service. She started volunteering at a local animal shelter, where she was able to make a positive impact on the lives of abandoned pets. The experience not only gave her a sense of purpose but also allowed her to connect with like-minded persons who shared the same love for animals.

Over time, Emily’s confidence began to come out in other aspects (方面) of her life.

At the end of her high school, Emily looked back on the journey she had taken.

“Why do you want to be a teacher?” I never explain it without the usual obvious reasons, such as my love of children or wanting to make a difference. It was not until I met Kathy that I truly knew the reason I wanted to be a teacher.

I was running a summer program. A seventh grader, a young girl walked through the door and I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long summer.” She was a student at my school, and I was well aware of who she was even though I was an eighth teacher. Her reserved place in the principal office was well known by the eight teachers as we prepared our sales for those students who were going to need extra attention.

I racked my brain (绞尽脑汁) trying to figure out what I was going to do with her. I usually had my older students act as classroom helpers for the younger grades, so I decided that this would be a good spot for her. Little did I know how that one little decision would change my life.

Kathy transformed before my eyes. She showed love and patience with the children in that classroom. She was responsible and caring and she began referring to those students as “her kids”. I witnessed a natural teacher blooming. I had an unforgettable summer with Kathy.

Soon the school year began and Kathy and I were together again. This time I was her teacher. Kathy continued to volunteer with “her kids” at my after-school program. Her smile was infectious and her sense of humor amazing. Before graduation, Kathy thanked every person there for believing in her and giving her a chance. She was truly grateful. There was not a dry eye on the scene.

We continued to keep in touch when Kathy went to high school and then university. Once she sent a letter to me, thanking me again, for giving her a chance and believing in her. She also stated that she had made her final decision and she was going to be a teacher! I don’t know I could have felt more pride than I did at that moment.

Several years later, I came across Kathy while shopping one afternoon.

Now when I think about why I became a teacher I think of Kathy.

Last year during the year-end holidays, I had an opportunity to participate in a Youth Camp organized by the Boy Scouts Association of my school. Since it was the first camp that I had ever taken part in, I really looked forward to it.

The camp was located in a field by a river. It was on the first day of the camp that I met Leo. He had the body size of a bear. During the lunch hour, all the campers queued up (排队) to get their food. After getting my share, I was looking for a suitable spot to sit down and enjoy my lunch when Le or an into me, spilling (洒) soup on me. Instead of apologizing, Leo laughed at me. “Don’t you think you should apologize to me, clumsy (笨拙的) bear?” It old him off as I was really annoyed.

“Apologize? It was only a minor accident. By the way, how could you call me a clumsy bear?” Leo said.

I ignored him.

On the second day, Leo was late for roll call. As a consequence, he was punished and had to do push-ups.

“It serves you right. You should have apologized to me,” I told Leo after roll call.

In the afternoon, all of the campers went canoeing (划艇) on the river. As it was my first experience, I rolled my canoe over. Leo laughed at me loudly, remarking what a terrible canoeist I was. Very much embarrassed and angry, I swam towards his canoe. Fortunately, some other campers managed to hold me back before I did something I’d regret. We went jungle exploring on the afternoon of the third day. While carrying out the activity, I injured my ankle accidentally and got left behind. Though the pain was terrible, I kept walking since I did not want to be left too far behind. While I was crossing a narrow bridge, I lost my balance and fell down into a ditch (沟). Due to my foot injury and the depth of the ditch, I faced a lot of difficulty getting out.

I was desperate and could only hope that help would arrive soon.

I was deeply touched by Leo’s kind act.

“Let’s welcome the new arrival!” said Mrs. White. When Kevin went straight to the blackboard, he overheard his new classmates’ comments. “Look at his shabby and wrinkled sneakers!” He felt his face flushed (脸红). “My name is Ke … vin!” The whole class burst out laughing except one boy in red.

At the thought of the sharp remarks, Kevin felt depressed. All the heartbroken memories crowding in, he was about to sob when he felt a gentle pat on his back. “Hey, my name is Mike,” he said and shook hands with Kevin. Kevin’s face lit up immediately. Soon the two boys became good friends. They found they had a lot in common — both of them liked soccer. From then on, they played soccer every afternoon after school. Unable to afford a ball, Mike made a ball out of old socks bound together with plastic tape.

The sun was shining and the ball was spinning across the grass as the two friends laughed and shouted with joy. Suddenly, the ball stopped when a new sneaker pinned it to the ground. It was Steven. “A stupid ball,” Steven said scornfully (轻蔑地).

The next morning, Kevin received an envelope from his uncle, in which there was a 100-dollar bill. He bought a pair of brand-new shoes and a new soccer ball. The next day, Steven invited Kevin to play soccer on the playground. When Kevin saw Mike sitting on the old bench waiting for him, he hugged his new soccer ball to the chest and ignored his friend. Mike sat there silently, tears rolling down his cheeks.

One day as Kevin walked past the old bench, he saw the home-made ball under it with a note.

Holding the home-made ball, Kevin sat on the bench and waited.