Across the street from where we live, there stands a big hospital. To earn some money, we rented the rooms upstairs to patients. One evening, there was a(n) 1 at the door. I opened it and saw a short old man who was hardly 2 than my eight-year-old son. But the worst thing was his face—it was 3 ugly. He told me he'd been 4 a room since that noon but no one seemed to have one. For a moment I hesitated, not 5 to rent him a room, but his next words convinced me. He said,“I could 6 on this chair. My bus leaves early in the morning." I told him we would find him a 7.

    It wasn't a long time before I found that this old man had a 8 heart in that tiny body. He fished for a living to 9 his daughter, his daughter's children, and her disabled husband. He didn't tell it by way of complaint. Instead, he was 10 that no pain was caused by his disease and that he still had strength to keep going. At 11, we put a camp cot(吊床) in my children's room for him.12 he left the next morning, he asked, “Could I please come back and 13 when I see the doctor next time? Grown-ups are bothered by my 14, but children don't seem to 15. ”I told him he was welcome to come again.

    On his next trip, he brought a big fish and a bag of the largest oysters（牡蛎）I had ever seen. Other times we received 16 in the mail. There were oysters, fish or some fresh vegetables. 17 how little money he had and that he must walk three miles to 18 these made these gifts much more precious. And from him we 19 what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good 20gratitude.

    One year my children came home from school asking where we were going on your summer vacation. It seemed that all the other kids were1 where they were spending the summer. I couldn't 2to take them anywhere but I didn't want to tell them that so I just said, “It's a surprise!” They were 3. That bought me a little more 4.

    I called several amusement 5to see if there was a half-price event during the summer but no such 6. I tried everything, with no success, so I called some of the other moms to find that most were in the same7that I was. We decided to8 something fun for our kids to do. We had a meeting, all five of us, and9 what is now called a “playcation”.

    One mother was a  10, so on Mondays the kids would all go to her house. They would play games using plants and11. They also planted vegetables and12 them grow over the summer.

    Another mother had Bible 13 on Tuesdays. She asked some questions about Bible. The kid who answered  14got a penny, which they all turned in at the end to buy their goodie bags(礼品袋).

    At our house on Wednesdays, I made an outdoor 15training with my spare tires. The kids also walked a balance beam and raced through large cardboard boxes taped together.

    On 16they had arts and crafts across the street. Fridays were17by a wonderful single dad with a metal detector(金属探测器)who took everyone out treasure18 .

    The summer was a big19 . Okay, it wasn't Disney World,20 the kids didn't miss anything. My son actually asked me, “Can we do this again next year?”

    Shayla Mitchell, 16, was diagnosed with the terminal stage of cancer. As a father, Mitchell always stayed home to care for her. He said the 1 1eft them financially worse off. Then a group called Growing Hope 2 in with $1,800 to help with his living costs.

    3, he wanted to pay them back. In his 4, he had once been a 5. So at age 40, Mitchell took up the 6 again, participating in two fights in Fairfax. Mitchell was 7 out in the first and second rounds, but he still 8 to raise $ 20,000 that he gave to Growing Hope. During this time, he 9 his daughter. “I fell into a dark bottom,” Mitchell said, and for six months, he did little but 10.

    One day, Mitchell 11 upon a Mark Twain quote- The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you 12 why. “After I read that quote, I was going to spend the rest of my life helping kids with 13 and their families,” he said.

    Mitchell thought of creating a foundation, though boxing did not seem 14any more for fund-raising, due to his age. Then he found that 15 could be a source to raise money. In the Corps Marathon, he cut a striking figure on the course. 16 by this success, he set his sights higher. He 17 each of the miles of the race to a different child with cancer, and he carried their 18 with him. Years after his daughter's death, Mitchell now 19 up in the morning knowing his 20.

    I remember sitting in an airport one day, waiting for my flight. I was1because I had a first-class(头等的)ticket. And in first class, the seats are2and the food is more delicious. Actually, I had the best seat on the whole plane! Seat 1A. Before boarding, I3a young lady who had a big suitcase(手提箱)and several carry-on bags was holding a crying baby. 4, the handle(把手)of her suitcase broke and the suitcase fell to the floor. She tried5the case and her bags landed on the floor, too.

    "Let me help," I said to her.

    6 her suitcase over my left shoulder, put her bags on my right and asked, ''Where to?"

    "Gate 20, "she said, and showed me her ticket. Seat 24B.

    "Oh, we are on the same flight.''

    Boarding started, and I7that she needed the first—class ticket. ''It looks like you could use this first-class ticket more than me. I know how8it can be flying with a kid. Why don't we trade tickets?''

    "Are you sure?" she asked.

    "Yes, just take my ticket and give me yours. I really don't9. I'm just going to be working the whole time, anyway.''

    "That's very kind of you," she said, and expressed her10as we traded our tickets.

    Then we boarded the plane. I was surprised at the good11it gave me while watching her sit down in seat 1A. In fact, seat 24B or12I was sitting didn't seem that bad at all. At one point during the flight I really wanted to see how she was doing. So I13, walked to the first—class section, and had a look. There she was with her baby, 14asleep. Seeing they were sleeping in big and15seat 1A, I felt like a million bucks. I've got to keep doing this kind of thing.

It was the end of the school day, and I was tired. I grabbed a pile of about 130 exam papers to1 on the train ride home. I'd bring them back the next morning.

My principal (校长) pushed her head into my classroom and said, "Friendly2 ! You need to make sure your word wall is3 by tomorrow morning." She then moved on to the next classroom to4 the message. I sighed and thought, "Are you making a(n)5 ? What a waste of my time!"

My principal was6 about making our school beautiful, while my goal was to get my students to pass the Algebra Regents Exam. She wanted every classroom to have a word wall, where student's works on creative projects would be7 . She brought in beautiful planters (花盆) that8 the hallways with greenery. However, I assume that school and classroom9 aren't important when it comes to learning. To me, spending time and money making our school and classrooms beautiful was just a distraction (使人分心的事). Those things don't10 my students with math.

However, after three years of teaching, I went to graduate school in part to study how resources 11 teachers and students. What my research found 12 me: When teachers 13 their classroom environment resources, their students did better on standardized tests. My principal was 14 . She was creating more than just a beautiful 15 —she was building a welcoming and positive environment for students to learn and teachers to work.

It was a rainy windy October afternoon. Garth stood outside his house with a wide smile. This was 1 weather for testing his new invention—Umbrella Hat. He could hardly wait to see whether it could keep the rain off. He carefully 2 the hat on his head and started walking 3 along the street. It worked!

Suddenly, three boys in his neighborhood appeared and 4 him. Todd, the biggest one, pulled his Umbrella Hat off his head.

"What's THIS?" he asked.

"It's an Umbrella Hat. You can wear it on rainy days and…" Garth said.

The boys 5 , "Will anyone wear that stupid thing?" Todd threw the hat onto the ground and they ran off.

Garth picked up his Umbrella Hat from the ground in tears. "Maybe Todd was 6 …in reality, who would ever need his invention?" He lowered his head and thought to himself.

Suddenly he 7 and saw a lady looking at him. "I was just leaving my house 8 I saw you and those boys. Are you okay?"

Then she saw the 9 Umbrella Hat and asked, "Er… what's that?"

"It's my Umbrella Hat. I thought of it and made it myself…" answered Garth.

"What a creative 10 you have! Don't ever let stupid boys put you down! Keep inventing and one day you will 11 something really great!" said the lady.

"And you have given me a wonderful 12 ," she continued, "I have a gadget (小器具) shop—Gadgets4U—and I'd like to hold a 13 to find the best young gadget inventor in our town. I will display (展示) three best inventions in my shop. I'm sure you will have a(n) 14 of winning a prize."

Garth was very 15 . Gadgets4U was one of his favorite places and the thought of having his invention displayed in that wonderful place was too exciting for words. He suddenly felt much better and could already feel lots of new ideas coming out, waiting to spring into life!