I'd gone from a tiny village school with a total of 60 students to a huge-school with thousands of pupils. I was a little fish in a very big1. I lived too much of my first year 2 doing anything wrong. I just decided to be the wallflower when it 3 class discussion and answering questions. I was always the one that 4didn't look the teachers in the eye 5 they asked me to answer. I listened well, and6 everything in, but I always liked to be a spectator（旁观者）. It is hard not to 7 what others may think of you when you are speaking in front of many 8. It did take long for me to feel 9 with teachers and make friends with classmates.

Some people 10 straight into a new learning environment.11 most are nervous and feel they don't fit in. It's completely 12so it should not be a worry to you. Be 13and you will adapt to the new school. School life is 14 you make of it. Some 15 it; some love it. But it's only when you leave that you can really appreciate how school16you into the person you become.

It's so important to 17 yourself out of your comfort zone. If you are shy, tell yourself you will raise your 18at least once every lesson; if you are quick-minded, try to give other people a(n)19In time, you will20 how much you loved it or hated it.

    Jason, our son, was born one month early and so he was weaker than most children. My wife Margaret and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his childhood.

    In his seventh grade, Jason 2up for the school running team, which made me both proud and worried. One afternoon, Jason returned home in tears, covered all over with food. He threw his bag on the floor and shouted: “I'm never going to 3 again!” As we later learned, a few older students made fun of his performance on the playground and then threw 4 at him on the school bus on the way home.

    I called the school leader about what happened on the bus, and Jason never experienced that again. He stayed on the team, even though the trouble 5.

    One day in October, we had a heavy 6.As the other kids exercised in the gym they noticed one runner—Jason—7 around the snow-covered playground.

    A few weeks later, Jason had something to tell us. “Mom, Dad, sit down,” he said. I was ready for the8.

    He told us that each month, students chose an “athlete of the month”. The coach would list the top athletes, and the other students 9 for the winner. Jason's name had never been listed.10 that day, one of the students said: “Sir, I would like to choose Jason for athlete of the month.”

The coach looked surprised.

    “He works 11 than any of us, Sir,” the student continued.

    “Does everyone 12 with this?” the coach asked.

Tears formed in Jason's eyes as he told us what happened next. “Mom ... Dad ...13 in the team put their hands up.''

His mother and I, also in tears, looked on as he14showed his certificate (证书).

    Whenever I am sad, I think of this story. I remind myself that challenges are not overcome (克服) by15 but by patience, determination, and faith.

    Jason is in university these days and often holds the highest mark in his class. He is also training in martial arts. I am completely sure he'll wear a black belt someday, and wear it proudly.

    I do not know why I came to the decision to become a loser, but I know I made the choice at a young age. Sometime in the middle of fourth grade, I stopped 1. By the time I was in seventh grade, I was your2degenerate (颓废): lazy, rebellious, and disrespectful. I had lost all social 3 I terminally (不可救药的) followed, what was fashionable.

    Not long after that, I dropped out of school and 4 my downward spiral. Hard physical labor was the5for the choices I made as an adolescent. At the age of twenty-one, I was6 lost and using drugs as a way to deal with the fact that I was uneducated and7 in a dead-end job carrying roof materials up a ladder all day.

    But now I believe in do-overs, in the8 to do it all again. And I believe that do-overs can be made at any point in your life, if you have the right 9 Mine came from a10source.

    It was September 21, 2002, when my son Blake was born. It's funny that after a life of 11responsibility, now I was in charge of something so 12Over the years, as I grew into the title of Dad, I began to learn something about myself13 Blake and I were both learning to walk, talk, work, and play for the first time. I began my do-over.

    It took me almost three years to learn 14to read. I started with my son's books. Over and over, I practiced reading books to him15 I remembered all the words in every one of them. I began to wonder if it was possible for me to go back to school. I knew I wanted to be a good role model,16 after a year-and-a-half and a lot of hard work, I passed my GED test on my son's fourth birthday. This may not sound like 17and I am not trying to get praise for doing something that should have been done in the first place, but all things considered it was one of the18days in my life. Today, I am a full-time college student, studying to become a sociologist.

    Growing up, I19 heard these great turn-around stories of triumph over shortcomings. But I never thought they applied to me. Now I believe it is a (an)20anyone can make: To do it all over again.

    I grew up in a small town. There was a man named Joe, who was uneducated and couldn't talk1. He was good natured but not very smart,2every one teased him.

    One day when was sitting on the porch, he came walking by, I was about 12 and thought it would make me 3grown up to play jokes on him as some 4did.

    He asked what I was doing, I told him that my father had 5his job and that we were short of money. I could see my friends nearby6so I went on with the7.From his8 expression, I'm convinced that I had fooled him 9.

    I knew he lived a 10life with low income, so it was funny when he asked11we needed anything. I told him that we didn't know if we would have enough to12he replied "you poor thing. "

    That night I heard the door13softly. I thought it was the wind whipping against the door, so I 14it. The next morning I found a small box of food outside my house, I knew it was from Bob. I looked into the box of canned food with15in my eyes. I felt ashamed for taking advantage of his 16towards me, I 17the whole story to my father and said I wanted to return the box. My father scolded me and 18that I keep the box; otherwise it would hurt Joe's feelings.

    Although the good was not19 I knew Joe gave the best he had. I did not20the gift.

    I can never wipe off the memory that I met my current stepmom for the first time. After I parted with my father for ages, I moved to America and was 1 with him. In the beginning, she made sure to let me know that I was welcome in her 2. I remember when I first saw her at the 3. It was different, but not 4. Over the past years there is 5 I needed that she did not provide. I'm the young woman I'm today because she made sure to 6 me properly. Yesterday I went to see her for Mother's Day. When I gave her 7, she held my face in both of her hands and kissed me straight on the mouth 8 I had the flu.

    Her simple act of affection 9 me back to my first night in America. After I was 10 up from the airport we went home and she11 my luggage and took me shopping for new clothes since the ones I had brought with me from Africa were a bit 12. That night before I went to bed, she came to my room, the first room I had ever had for my own. She told me she was 13 to have me and that she would take good care of me. Before she 14 she asked me for a hug. That was my 15 first hug and I was 11 years old at that time.

    I'm 23 years old now and I have received many 16 over the past years, but none has given me a greater 17 or deeper impression. I regarded her as my 18 mother because my new life began when I came to 19 with her. Today I say to my mother, Mrs. Sherrill Kirundi, thank you, mom. Thank you for your giving me my 20 childhood back.

    I stood there shocked. It was the day after my roommates and I had thrown a huge 1. I opened the cupboards and 2 that all friends had eaten up all the food in the house.

    I remembered opening one cupboard after another and feeling completely 3. There was nothing to eat. To make matters worse, we had no 4. There was not a penny until we got our pay 5 from our part - time jobs, which were over a week and a halt away. I knew I could eat one 6 meal daily at the doughnut shop where I worked, 7 I had no idea what I was going to eat for my other meals. Then I realized maybe we 8 to go to the food bank.

    I believed that food banks were for 9 people and that I would take food from someone who was less 10 than I. However, I soon realized that if I didn't go, I'd have to 11. I needed food to keep my mind and 12 healthy. So I swallowed my pride and 13.

    The wokers at the food bank were kind and considerate. They gave us more than enough food to help us 14 two weeks.

    We all have 15 of need. We all have mounts when we have to 16 help. At that time in my life I was thankful for the food bank. Their services helped feed my mind and body so that I could 17 my education.

    A couple of decades later, I find myself 18 donating food and volunteering at the food bank. The help that the food bank extended to me in my time of need will 19 be forgotten. I hope that by sharing my story, you will be encouraged to 20 your community food bank, too.