Chapter 10. A New Perspective

10

I woke up early the next morning; the first thought that came in my head was 'aw fuck! Another school day...' I wished I could just stay in bed. But then I remembered about David and his interesting box of candies; I remembered the colors in that box, still plenty of them. 

I smiled as I recalled the first time I saw all those colors of the candies inside the box, the cantaloupe taste and my excitement when I learned each color has different taste. I wonder which candy would I taste today. 

As though that simple thought was a source of heat, the warmth radiated to my whole mind and soul. My mood was changed and I eagerly got up from my bed and got ready.

"What should I teach the kids today?' My mind wondered as I walk towards the school. I remembered when I was a kid, I hated school cause it was same old lame lectures and notes. I had wished the teachers were more creative in teaching. 

I laughed to myself as I thought at the irony; I was one of them now. 

 Maybe in English class I could tell them to act out Romeo and Juliet or something, 
hmmm having a skit about 'lord of the flies' would be fun too. What about Geography?

So deep into my thoughts, I didn't realize I was already at the front gate of the school. If it weren’t for the security guard who greeted me, I would have missed the school. 

 My first class was English for the third graders, as it was early in the morning, the students were still excited and eager to learn. It was easy to deal with them; reading out poems with intonations and actions was all it took to amuse them into learning. 

That day wasn't like any other day that I had been through as a teacher there; I was actually enjoying myself in my classes. And I realized I have missed plenty small details in my students that I have just started noticing that day.

Jenny, a girl from the second grade was very quiet because she has braces on her teeth, which made her accent a little bit weird, and thus her friends made fun of her when she spoke. 



Alfred, a boy from the third grade who was the class clown that I send to detention a lot, was actually pretty attentive and caring to his fellow classmates. 

Julia from the fourth grade has a crush on Jimmy. How I know this? She was always stealing glances at him and, I don't know how I missed this, her notebooks were all covered with "I heart J" or J loves J or J2. 


School was suddenly fun and entertaining. So many things that could surprise you, so many incidents that you would remember your whole life. I wondered how I had missed all that. 



Perhaps I had already thought school was boring and I ignored everything else. Just like David said, when you judged something you tend to create a picture in your head and could never see the real joy behind it.