The new sixth-grade teacher, Sava, is like most teachers in schools. This morning, she is calling the attendance list and asking the students in the back of the room to be quiet. Sava     1     (smile) at the students and looks happy. Sava doesn’t really look different from other teachers,     2     she is. Sava is a robot. She is remote controlled     3     a person through a camera inside the robot. Although Sava is not ready to be a real teacher, the children enjoy her visits.

Wilbur and Orille Wright are brothers famous for inventing the first aeroplane. Their interest in flight     4     (start) on the day when their father brought home a toy helicopter for them. It was made of paper and wood. The boys played with it until it broke, and then made their own     5     (replace) it. When they were older, they owned a bicycle shop where they started producing and selling their own bikes. This provided them with the money to pay for their experiments in flight. Eventually, they built their     6     (fly) machine.

Because deaf people can’t hear, they have special ways of communicating. For example, they can learn to understand     7     someone is saying by looking at the mouth of the speaker. This     8     (call) lipreading. Also, speaking is very difficult for the deaf, because they can’t hear     9     (they) own voices. However, it is possible with special training. According to many deaf people all around the world, the most     10     (practice) and popular way of communicating is with sign language.

“Come on, Cindy!” Darcy sounded so impatient, “We’ll be late for class.”

“Darcy, I can’t find my ________.” I dropped my book bag to dig through my coat pockets. “My money was in it.”

“Someone took it.” Darcy said. As usual, she was quick to point away from the ________ side of things. “Oh. I’m sure I just misplaced it.” I hoped. Even though we were best friends, Darcy and I were just so ________.

We rushed into class. Darcy ________ the news about the theft. By last period in gym class, I was ________ of having to say over and over again, “I’m sure I just left it at home.”

After gym, we went into the locker room. I was changing ________ I heard a gasp from Darcy. I looked at her and found her face was white with ________. There, at her feet, was my wallet.

“It fell out of her locker!” Darcy pointed at Juanita, a “new girl” in our class. “She ________ it.”

Everyone began to ________ Juanita at once.

“Darcy caught her red-handed.”

“Report her!”

I looked over at Juanita. She picked up the wallet and held it out to me. Her hands were ________. “I found it in the parking lot. I was going to give it to you.”

Darcy spit the words “I’m so sure!” at her.

“Really, it’s true.” Juanita’s eyes began to fill with tears.

I ________ for my wallet. I didn’t know what to think, ________ when I looked over at Darcy, her attitude made me sick inside. I looked at Juanita. She was scared but looked ________. I knew I held her ________ in my hands.

“I am so glad you found it,” I smiled. “Thanks, Juanita.”

The ________ around us broke.

“Good thing she found it,” everyone but Darcy ________.

“If there is any money left in your wallet.”

“Not now. Darcy!”

“You are so naive!”

It wasn’t until others left there that I opened my wallet.

“It’s all here.” I couldn’t help but feel ________. A folded piece of paper fluttered from my wallet. I opened it to see what it was.

“She just didn’t have time to ________ it yet.”

“Darcy, maybe you spend too much time ________ people.”

Darcy grabbed the note, read it and threw it back at me. “Whatever!” she said and stomped off. I knew that something had ________ between us.

I read the note again.

I found your wallet in the parking lot. Hope nothing is missing.

Juanita

P.S. My phone number is 55-3218. Maybe you could call me sometime.

And I did.

Slowly, so slowly that we never even noticed how it happened, our family stopped talking to each other. Our own worlds opened up to us through the computer or the cell phone or the CD player.

Family Night was born when Mom called us for dinner. Jessica and I came and sat down. Dad loaded his plate and started to rise from the table.

“Where are you going?” Mom questioned.

“To the living room. I have some work,” Dad replied as he hurried away. Mom’s face got tight, but she said nothing. About two minutes later, my cell phone buzzed. Jessica kept her earphones on during most of the meal. Mom was clearly upset.

Family Night started the next week. Mom established three rules: no phones, no music, and no leaving the table. Everyone would eat together and play a game together “like a real family.”

All seemed to be going according to Mom’s plan until the first buzz of a cell phone. After dinner, we had been playing the board game for only ten minutes when another cell phone let out a shrill scream. This time the phone belonged to my father.

“Work’s calling. I have to answer,” he whispered as he hurried out of the room.

Mom sighed, but she forced a smile and encouraged us to continue with the game. We kept playing through every interruption afterwards: the beeping of Jessica’s phone, the buzz of another text message from Darnell, the soothing voice announcing the arrival of an e-mail on Dad’s computer. When the game was over, Mom released us to our rooms.

That first Family Night was not a success, but Mom soldiered on. Every Monday evening we silenced our electronics and gathered around the table; and each time, setting aside our technological toys became a little easier. The next two months my father would be taking business trips. We wouldn’t be able to have Family Night every Monday.

To my surprise I realized that I would miss those few hours each week when the house was filled with my family’s laughter and conversation. I was also glad to know that when we really wanted to, we could silence the electronic buzz and just be a family again.