I had worried myself sick over Simon’s mother coming to see me. I was a new 21 , and I gave an honest account of the students’ work. In Simon’s case, the grades were awfully low. He couldn’t read his own handwriting. 22 he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his 23 .
So when Simon’s mother entered the room, my palms(手掌心) were sweating. I was completely 24 for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. 25 me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he 26 me, he had began to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had 27 spent an afternoon at a friend’s house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the 28 I had nurtured(培养) in her son. She kissed me again and left.
I sat, stunned (惊呆), for about half an hour, 29 what had just happened. How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without 30 knowing it? What I finally came to 31 was one day, several months before, when some students were 32 reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke 33 , and to encourage her to raise her voice, L had sai, “Speak up. Simon’s the expert on this. He is the 34 one you have to convince, and he can’t hear you in the 35 of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, 36 more, and became happy. And it was all because he 37 to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed 38 was the one who took the last seat that day.
It taught me the most 39 lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I’m thankful that it came 40 and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.