One of my freshmen was scheduled to compete in a speech contest at our school last night, but she didn’t show up until the event was over. She told me her father took her to dinner in downtown Zhengzhou and they got stuck in traffic coming back to the university, which is on the outskirts of the city.
Though I expressed my displeasure, I still gave her a certificate for winning a class competition that qualified her for the school-wide contest.
She later sent me this email:
Rick,
i sorry that i missed the speech contest. my father came here from guangdong to see me. just today, he will go back tomorrow. so he took me to downtown and had dinner. it is my fault that I didn’t came on time. i know that I let you down. i disappointed you. i feel very guilty about that. i don’t know how to show my feeling.
Rick, i do think i didn’t take this contest is a pity, but for me, the more important thing is you. i let you down, belied your trust. you gave me such nice change to improve myself, but I missed it. i feel really sorry. i knew I was wrong, very, very wrong.
you are my teacher, i very respect you. i think i don’t deserve the honorary credential. i am shame of my own. If you give me a low grade, I will accept because that was my deserving.
i wrote this letter just want to tell you what i thought in my mind. and i really want to do something to compensate you. if you need someone to do something, i hope i can help you.
at last, sorry again. good night, Rick, my teacher. SORRY. REALLY.
It’s hard to stay angry at a kid like that. Her English may be crude, but not her manners.
