My Hero

    What does it mean to be a hero? I think a hero is someone who goes out of his way to make others happy. My hero is Mr. Wright, my chorus(合唱队) teacher.

    When I was 12 years old, my grandparents passed away. I was really close to them, and losing them was the hardest thing I've ever had to1through. I couldn't eat, sleep, or think; I felt like I couldn't even breathe. It was as if my whole world had fallen down from under me, and I2into this huge hole of depression(抑郁).

    3I was battling depression, I was determined to make my high school years the best of my life. It was difficult to be 4, but I had to try. I joined Women's Choir. Mr. Wright was the choral director and he was so funny that the first day, I just knew I had made the best5of my life. As the year progressed, I loved chorus more and more. I began to smile again and really enjoy 6.

    Then one day that all changed. My friends—or those that I thought were my friends—started talking about me behind my back. I was7 , and I sat by myself. Mr. Wright came over and asked what was wrong. The look in his eyes told me that I could8him. Trying hard to9 back tears, I told him the whole story.

    When I finished, he nodded and told me, “If you never learn anything from me, learn this: No one is worth 10 your joy.” What Mr. Wright said really11a chord (心弦) in my heart. He 12 cared about me and what was going on. I'll never be able to thank him enough, because he not only saved me but has13every day of it since. Any time I feel like giving 14, I remember Mr. Wright's words and push forward.

    I'm proud to say that I 15 my depression, and I'm now a senior. I'm still a16of chorus, and now I'm also in the best choir at my school.

Mr. Wright is a hero 17 everyone he meets. He cares about every single person who walks through his door, and he loves what he does more than any other teacher I've known. That's18  he deserves to be Educator of the Year. He deserves the19 not just this year but every year.

    I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet you, Mr. Wright. You are an 20teacher, and I hope you realize that. You're my hero.

Crayon Crisis

    The telephone rang. It was my sister, who was working in an elementary school. She told me she used my crayon 1 again.

    Over 40 years ago, I sat in my first-grade classroom2 the teacher asked me to go to the principal's office. I was shy. And I hated to be  3 For me, being called to the principal's office was my worst dream.

    When I pushed open the door, it was worse than I thought. Seated in front of the principal's desk were my 4 My father walked straight over to me. Holding my drawings, he asked, “Why do you only use a black crayon when you draw?" I couldn't speak.

    “5 me your desk,” said my father.

In my classroom, my father pulled out my crayon box from my desk. A single nub of a crayon rested in his palm—it was black.6, my father asked, “Where are the rest of your crayons? ”

    I quietly explained that I'd given all the other crayons to friends. I'd been   7 like my parents had taught me. My father let out a deep 8“You were sharing?”

    I nodded my head.

Back to the office, I looked at my father, then at the principal—both their faces were 9The principal whispered that I could go. I waved goodbye to my parents. My mother waved back, but I couldn't get my father's 10 he was glaring at the principal.

    I learned years later that my father's face was red due to 11 and the principal's was red due to embarrassment. The principal,12 seeing all my artwork done in black crayon, assumed (猜想) that I had deep emotional problems. He had called my parents in to discuss “my 13” and to suggest some psychological counseling (心理咨询).

    I was too afraid to say that I only had one crayon left. I was too shy to ask for my “shared” crayons back. Because I didn't 14 up for myself, others assumed the worst.

    Today my sister tells her students, “Don't be 15 to speak up. If you don't, I just might make the wrong assumption. Let me tell a story about my sister, when she was around your age...”

    Jumping into the cold sea from 25 meters above the sea level. This was my short journey in year seven, well known as 1 education in Australia.

    I have weak memory of the place,2 when it was just last year. From the following day of our arrival, we were told that we were3 to jump off the platform next to where we lived. Yet I didn't have the4 to do it.5 we came, we had swimming lessons to learn how to dive from a platform. Now, I wanted to be 6. So I got up there and looked down ... I did not want to go down there. Then I 7 back down. Everyone 8 me.

    The next day, I went up again. This time, I jumped. I 9my eyes. I had my hands on the 10side's shoulders in a cross formation, standing straight and waiting for the 11, just like we were taught in school. There was a 12 second or two before I 13 the water. My thighs (大腿) were burning. My heart was 14 fast.

    I kept 15 under my breath. It was hard not to. Soon enough, I climbed up onto the platform to find everyone 16 me. My teacher came up to me and 17my hands. “You did it, mate! You jumped off. It's the18 of the year!”

    The next day, we were leaving. One of my roommates came over to me. “Remember yesterday? You landed with a 'POW' into the water!” he had a little 19 “You were saying the bad words over and over again and the teacher didn't even mind!” I laughed with him. But the 20 was indeed, an interesting one.

    As my husband, Doug, stood on the busy New York city street to stop a taxi, I tried to protect my daughter from the cold December wind and rain. I put my head down to kiss her tiny face.

    1 and wet, my husband gave up his attempt to nag down a taxi. I knew the 2.Just after her first birthday, we were told our daughter Katie has a 3brain illness. Since that moment, Doung and I felt like runners in a marathon race where the finish line kept4 . We knew Katie was runn.ng out of 5. It had taken months before we finally had a name for the 6 ， but we were told only a few specialists in the world knew how to7 it. Now, as we finally found a brilliant doctor to 8 our girl, we were in a strange9 in the cold rain.

    Just at the moment, a middle-aged woman pulled over and said, “Pardon me? May I offer you a(n)10?”

    Before we could say anything, she continued, “It's really no11for me. Just get in.”

    It was then that I noticed her thick Irish accent, which 12me up like hot soup. We simply said, “Thanks! Roosevelt Hospital, please,” as we got in her car for the ride.

    “Are you going13the baby?” she asked us.

    I nodded my head, holding back my 14.

    At the hospital, we 15her a dozen times for the ride. As the woman hugged me, I16her face was wet with tears. She promised to17for us before she left.

    After three more visits to New York and two more 18surgeries (手术)，Katie is cured. But the 19 of the Irish Angel still rang as a constant reminder of a tiny ray of light that appeared in our20 days.

    A businessman was deep in debt and could see no way out. He sat on the park chair, with 1 in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from 2.

    Suddenly an old man appeared before him and was willing to 3 him help. He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "4 me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as 5 as he had come.

    The businessman saw a check for $500, 000 in his hand, which was 6 by John D. Rockefeller, one of the 7 men in the world! "I can remove my money worries 8!" he realized. But the man decided to put the check in his safe, 9 it might give him the strength to find out a way to save his business. With a renewed 10 attitude, he thought of some new business ideas which soon led to his success in several big 11. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making 12 once again.

    Exactly one year 13, he returned to the park with the check. At the time they have agreed on, the old man 14, too. But just as the man was about to hand back the check and share his 15 story, a nurse came running up and 16 the old man. She said the old man was always 17 from the rest room and telling people he was John D. Rockefeller. Then she led the old man away 18 the arm hurriedly.

    The man just stood there, 19. Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money 20 his self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

    Susie Coodall finally was discovered and rescued. She was a volunteer in the 1 Golden Globe Race accompanying sailors through the 2 every June. On Wednesday morning, Goodall was 2, 000 miles west of South America when her boat was like a drunken man in a strong wind and a broken bar knocked her 3 unconscious. But soon after that she 4 and at once rang the alarm through her emergency system and a series of troubling 5which had recorded her happenings during the journey, were 6 on her Facebook at once.

    Chile's Maritime Center received her 7 and soon ordered a ship to change is 8 to rescue Goodall. Meanwhile, all Goodall could do was wait-trying to keep her boat 9in the waving South Pacific and pumping out water that was 10 into the damaged cabin(船舱), which made her 11 her present situation

    When the Chilean ship finally 12 Goodall, lowering down a small boat to save her seemed13because up to 13 feet waves will 14 the boat at any time. 15 , crew members on board 16 another way-lowered a long thick rope from the ship, and 17 Goodall from her ship to safety. As luck would have it, the chosen method 18 worked.

    Goodall arrived at the Chilean port without any delay. On her Facebook, Goodall wrote: "They were the hardest and loneliest days I've ever had. Actually, all I wanted was a break with to 19 to the busy daily life. But I might as well 20 home instead of giving up."