The first lesson

1 Our English teacher Ms Chen writes the sentence on the blackboard and says, “Please write this down.”

2 We start to write. I write down the first word and stop.

3 “That’s not right. But is it OK to point out the mistake? Is that polite, in the first lesson?”Questions jump into my mind.

4 “Why aren’t you writing, Wang Han?”

5 I look up at Ms Chen. My eyes meet hers. My mouth feels dry.   

6 But then I think about the meaning of the sentence. I put up my hand.

7 “Ms Chen, there’s a mistake,”I say.“That sentence is from Confucius, not from Mencius.”

8 “Well done, Wang Han. In fact, this is my first lesson for all of you. You are now in junior high school. Learning will be more difficult. You need to think more in your learning. Please always remember this.”

9 That’s really an important lesson!