ChatGPT is a chatbot. Some schools     1     (ban) it since its birth. They need time to make rules about     2     it’s to be used properly in class. Some teachers see it as a     3     (cheat) tool. But many principals believe it’s too late to keep AI out of classrooms. A growing number of     4     (educate) say the panic about AI is a lot like the panic caused by the Internet when it was new. One of them says, “ChatGPT is to English and to writing what the calculator is to math.”

4 . Have you ever seen a kid in class who wouldn’t volunteer to read or answer a question? I was that type of student. Talking in class was a struggle for me because the fear of saying the wrong thing was always on my mind.

There were constant announcements about students in our class winning writing awards. It was a dream for me. I have always felt unsure of myself when writing. Semicolons confused me and I used too many commas. I had no idea how to cite anything. During my freshman year, the teacher would pick the best essay in our class to be read out loud, but mine was never chosen. I found it really hard to write an essay.

One teacher Mr. Wilson, who taught me the next semester, changed everything. He was in his fifties and had a reputation for having a particular teaching style. He connected writing and reading to football, but somehow it made sense. What really made him special to me was that every class he would pick someone to read their writing out loud to the class.

In one of his lessons, he said: “I will not always pick the essay that I think has the best grammar or use of vocabulary. I will pick the one that I think has the most character.” This part was confusing tome because how can writing have character? He went on to explain: “I want to read something that I can tell the writer feel a lot while writing it. I want to feel the emotions you were going through as you wrote it.”

A few weeks later, for the first time, my essay was chosen to be read to my classmates. I can’t even remember what it was about, but I remember how nervous I was to see his reaction, mixed with pride at the fact that he felt like my work was worth sharing. He gave me his comments at the end of it, but I was too nervous to remember them. After class, he told me he was excited to read more of my work.

He made me feel special in the way he led the class, and I got over my fear of sharing my work in class. He made me believe in my writing abilities and gave me the confidence to continue writing.

6 . To help new students, the International Business Institute (IBI) plans to set up a buddy (伙伴) peer support project. The project will help new students meet current students at IBI who can provide them with some friendly company during their first months in Newcastle and help them with any small problems that they may have.

What’s in it for you?

We believe that being a buddy will be rewarding in several ways. As a volunteer, it will be personally satisfying to know that you are able to help new students. It will also help you make contacts that may be valuable in your future academic and professional lives. If you are an overseas student, it will give you another opportunity to practise speaking English.

Responsibilities of buddies

·Telephone and arrange to make contact with the new student.

·Meet the student and show him/her around the campus and the local area. Answer questions about living in Newcastle and administration procedures at IBI.

·Arrange to meet the new student one morning or afternoon one weekend early in the semester, and take the student to places that you enjoy in Newcastle.

·Be prepared to take phone calls from the new student to answer further questions that he/she may have from time to time. Meet to explain information to the new student in person, if required.

·You will be matched to an individual new student. However, if you have friends who are also buddies, you might prefer to form a support group together. This would mean that you meet the new students as a group rather than one-on-one.

·Being a buddy is voluntary. There is no “requirement” to provide assistance beyond the help outlined above.

Please note that if you agree to become a peer support buddy, you will be expected to fulfil your role conscientiously and cheerfully. It will be important to be considerate and reliable so that the student can feel confident in your support.

The first day of school began on a bright note for a teacher who was glancing over the class roll. After each student’s name was a number, such as 138,140,154 and so on. “Look at these IQs,” she thought to    1    (she). “They’ve given me a terrific class.” As a result, the elated teacher worked harder with this class than with her others. She tried new    2    (innovation) that she thought would challenge them and hold their interest. And it worked. The class did much better than any of her other classes,    3    she had taught in the usual way. Only later did she find out that the figures after each pupil’s name stood for their locker numbers.

Children are unwilling to seek help in school because they feel it makes them look incompetent. However, if they are afraid to ask for help, their learning experience     1    (suffer). How can we help children overcome the barrier? First, teachers could create activities     2     each student becomes an “expert” on a different topic, and then children must ask for help to master all of the material. If seeking help     3    (understand) as a commonplace classroom activity, kids may be less likely to think of it as an indication of one’s ability.