Teachers selected from each district school for the Teacher of the Year competition were recognized.The competition's winner will be1in the spring.All those model teachers got me to think about some of my teachers through the years, and how they2me.

    My college adviser, J.C.Casey, had a big3on my life.She was a teacher and friend.She4me to consider journalism as a career.My high school math teacher,Kathy Cloud,took the time to5math to me in a way I could    6understand.I'd struggled with math until I got in Cloud's classes.She gave me the7to realize I could do it.

    My first-grade teacher, Darlene Dryden, held me back. Now, most people wouldn't8the teacher that kept them back a grade fondly, but Dryden has always been my9teacher.I was the youngest person in my class and very shy. She thought I10another year to mature before moving on to second11.She didn't make me feel12for having to repeat the grade.Instead,he made me feel13.I think I was her favorite, too.

    My senior year of high school, right before14,I wrote Dryden a note letting her know that I'd become a good student and was going to15and that she'd had a16in that.

    The Norman teachers17Wednesday are just a few of the many who are in the classrooms every day making 18in their students' lives.They may not even know the19impact（影响）they're having.I know it's not an20 job, but teachers, just remember that you're a Mrs.Dryden to somebody.

    I was walking home from school one day and it happened to be a particularly cold and windy day. It was 1and I was crazy enough to forget my hats and scarf. You can imagine my cheeks were rosy 2 and my hands were as numb as they can be.

    All of a sudden, an old lady 3 up beside me and asked if I would like a ride 4. At first, I said it was OK and her 5smile melted(融化) away the thought that I should never talk to 6! We had an amazing chat and she was just 7 a good woman. She told me her 8and she dropped me off.

    I didn't see her or talk to her for about a month and one night as I9 her kind gesture, I decided to return the favor. So, I made a lot of 10 and walked down to her house with my friend. At first I was a bit 11she wouldn't remember me or think that I was a bad man who poisoned cookies but luckily, I was 12 wrong. She was so happy, and she hugged me and kissed me and seemed so 13 that someone would do something like that!

    When I got home my mom told me that she 14and told my mom on the phone that she 15because she was so touched. She said she would never 16 the kindness that was given to her! That filled me with such 17! There really is nothing else joyful like helping 18and making someone's day 19!

    Let us never forget the joy we get 20giving others a hand!

    When pilots fly over the grassland of the Pampas region, Argentina, they're often surprised to spot a huge guitar-shaped forest in the ordered fields. The site is more than an amazing example of land art. Behind the site is a(n) 1 love story.

    When young Argentine2 Pedro Martin Ureta, aged 28, met 17-year- old Graciela Yraizoz in his hometown, they fell in love at first 3. Two years later, they got married and4down on the farm where Ureta had been 5. Graciela had many big plans for the farm in her mind. One day when she was taking a plane on a flight 6 Pampa, Graciala noticed that another farm looked like a milking pail(桶) from the 7. Graciela thought that her family could create something even more attractive on their own farm: A huge forest 8 as her favorite musical instrument—the guitar. Graciela 9playing the guitar in her spare time and often played the guitar at the local10.

    But Ureta didn't take his wife's idea 11saying, “We'll talk about it later.” Later12 came. In 1977, Graciela died suddenly of brain cancer at the 13 age of 25 while carrying their fifth child. After her wife's death, Mr. Ureta 14not fulfilling her wish. Still heartbroken a few years later, Ureta decided that the best way to honor his15wife would be to fulfill her wish and 16the giant work of art in her honor.

    After the local government refused to17with the project, Ureta and his children took it 18. One by one, they planted roughly 7,000 trees into the shape of a guitar. It took a few rough seasons for the trees to take root, but Ureta's dedication19.

    Watching the forest grow over the years gave Graciela's children 20.

    “It was the closest thing possible to have my mother alive,” Maria Julia, Ureta's second daughter, said.

    Danielle was living in a new city with no local bank of her own. She desperately needed to 1 a bank to cash her paycheck. For more than two weeks, she made 2 one after another but in vain. How could she continue to 3 herself and her two children as a single mother?

    Taking a break from her 4, Danielle decided to attend a meeting at the local women's resource center. The women there had been a strong source of encouragement since she fled her home 5 for her safety. Sitting next to Danielle, Amy began to share the details of her 6 situation. She was just days away from 7 her home and her car. Her phone and electric services were both scheduled to be 8. Her husband had gambled away their money. She had nothing left. Nothing!

    As Amy described the degree of the situation, Danielle 9 God's soft whisper in her heart: “After the meeting, give Amy twenty dollars.” Danielle immediately thought, “But I can't lonely have forty dollars.” She heard the 10 again. Danielle knew she needed to follow. When the meeting 11, she reached in to her purse and 12 handed twenty dollars to Amy. Knowing Danielle's situation, Amy was 13 to accept it at first. But as a crowd of women 14 to give Amy hugs of support, Danielle told her that God wanted her to have it. Then Danielle left.

    Now with just twenty dollars left in her wallet, Danielle decided to 15 cashing her pay check at just one more bank before heading home. 16 she expected the rejection she had received at so many other banks, she was 17 filled with renewed confidence and optimism. Hopefully, she walked in to the bank next to the women's center. Moments later, the bank 18 her pay check with no questions asked. Wearing a big smile, Danielle returned home.

    As for Danielle, it has been three years since that day. Realizing true hope has no 19, she continues to be 20 for the life time supply that she received for just twenty dollars.

    When I was young, I read only comic books. My mother, who was a keen reader, tried to get me to read regular books, but they seemed 1 to me. Why would anyone want to read a book without pictures, I wondered? It would be 2 watching a movie with your eyes closed. And novels seemed to be too 3! In my mind, a comic book was a roller coaster ride 4 a novel was five hours in rush hour traffic.

    Whenever she saw me with a comic book, my mother would complain, which totally 5 my comic book reading experience. One summer, she even 6 me. "If you don't read at least one book this summer, we're not going to go on our camping trip," she said. What could I do? I had been looking forward to that 7 for months!

    "Fine," I 8, "I'll read one book. "9, my mother took me down to her evil dungeon (地牢), the local 10, where the librarian 11 The lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I unwillingly 12 the book while my mother and the librarian exchanged a(n) 13 glance.

    When we got home, I cracked the book open and started reading. I 14 I'd read the first few pages then skip to the end because I knew my mother would 15 me about it. Imagine my 16 when my mother called me to dinner and I was halfway through the book! 17 a comic book was a roller coaster ride, the novel was all the rides at Disney world rolled into one!

    I 18 reading the entire The Chronicles of Narnia series that summer, which I consider the 19 of my great friendship with books. Now I read an average of one book a week, and sometimes my wife 20 that I read too much!

When I was a child my father taught me five words that I've used all my life — in my acting career, as a mother, in my business activities. If I 1 that I was afraid of the dark, or if I seemed worried about meeting new people, Dad would say, "Stand porter to your 2 . "

A porter is a gatekeeper who stands at a door letting people in or out. Dad would get me to picture myself stopping 3 things — such as fear — at the door, 4 saying "Come in" to faith, love and self-assurance.

As an actress, before I went on camera, I'd make sure anxiety stayed out and confidence in my ability came in. As a mother, when I was anxious about my children, I would try not to let worry in but would 5 my mind with trust in them.

Of course, there were always times I'd 6 those words.

In 1972 my husband, Fillmore Crank, and I opened the doors to our own 7 in North Hollywood. This was a new business venture for us, and it was a lot more 8 and complicated than we had 9 .

We were on call 24 hours a day. Something was always going 10 . Electricity went on the blink (失灵), food wasn't enough, employees called in sick. Once, a flu epidemic suddenly left us with no maids. Fillmore gave me a choice: scrub (擦洗) floors or do the laundry. For 10 days I folded enough sheets to 11 the whole state of California.

Then there was the 12 crisis. The price of gasoline doubled, and tourism in California 13 . How could we fill our beds? What if we kept losing money? What if we failed? Fear and worry were sneaking in. But I caught them just 14 I stood porter.

I stood in the door of my mind and sent fear packing.

These days at the hotel, whenever fear tries to 15 , I just smile and point to the sign that reads "No Vacancy".