THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
by Lauren G.
Once there was a girl named Mingyi. Mingyi
was a very stubborn little
girl, she always had to get her way. "Mingyi" Mingyi's
mother called. "It's
time for lunch."
"One second Mom, I have to finish the
fifth toe on the emperors dragon
puzzle."
"Ok hunny, but come as soon as your done.
Mingyi came to lunch a few
minutes later, and sat down to her big bowl of rice.
When Mingyi's two hour lunch break was over Mingyi went back to
class
with her ugly teacher and horrible desk. Ms. Wu had short gray
hair slicked
back in a bun, and long fingernails to show she couldn't do much,
and people
had to do things for her. Mingyi's desk was old and had cracks
in it, and if
you touched it even the slightest bit it would shake.
Mingyi was very sick of her teacher. She had,
had her since the first
grade, and now she was in fourth! She also thought that Ms. Wu
didn't like
her. On all her papers she would put OK, and on the other kids
(which
weren't very many) she would put Great Job! Or Perfect! Mingyi
didn't like
this one bit.
Mingyi decided that she would ask her parents if she could switch
class.
Then she would be with her best friend An Yi who was in the other
class.
That night at dinner before Mingyi went back to class she asked
her
parents if she could switch classes. "What do you mean you
don't like your
class hunny?" her parents asked
"No, I hate it! Ms. Wu doesn't like me.
My desk is horrible. I have no
friends. An Yi is in the other class."
"Well, your father and I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? If I
can't change then I'm running
away!" Mingyi sobbed and marched up to her room. It was full
of slippers
from her grandmother, great grandmother, and great aunt's bound
feet. Mingyi
loved to look at how small they were.
About half an hour later her father knocked on the door, and pushed
it
open. "What do you want?" Mingyi asked while screaming
"Well actually it's good news," he said weekly
"It is?" Mingyi wandered
"Yes. Your mother and I have worked it
out. Starting next week you will
be in Ms. Yo's class with An Yi. You will be in there for the
rest of the
year. Ms. Yo's class is much ahead of you so Ms. Yo said for the
next six
days she will have to catch you up. I hope you won't have to run
away now."
"I won't. I promise. Thank you so much."
For the rest of the week Mingyi cleaned up
her stuff, and said good-bye
to her classmates.
On Monday Mingyi walked into Ms. Yo's classroom. An Yi had saved
her a
seat. "Were're doing math problems on the board," An
Yi told her.
"On the board? We never did that in my old class," Mingyi thought.
"Mingyi, why don't you come and do this
problem on the board," Ms. Yo
asked. She walked up to the board it read 4 times 9=____. Mingyi
had never
seen a times sign before, so she added them and wrote in 13. "I
know you are
behind Mingyi, but I didn't know you were this far behind in math,"
Ms. Yo
yelled. "Go over there and study those tables on the poster,
and don't stop
until your done." Mingyi went over there and sat in the desk
and stared.
She had no idea hoe to do multiplication.
When Mingyi came home that night she tried
to study in the dark, but it
was no use. She couldn't even see. She told her parents that she
wanted to
go back to her old class. "We can't do that dear. We already
changed you."
"Well, that's not fair!" Mingyi marched
back up to her room, but fell
asleep being mad at her parents.
The next day Mingyi' was asked to come up to the board again,
and Ms. Yo
found out that she had not been practicing. Mingyi had to sit
at the desk
again, but to her surprise the desk looked like the one she had,
had in the
other class. It looked disgusting! Mingyi thought I want to go
back to my
other class."
When Mingyi got home her mother asked her "Do
you really want to go back
to your old class?"
"Yes, Yes I do!"
"Well I think you can go. I talked to
the principle, and she said the
you could change back, but only if you want to."
"I want to I really do Mom.
The next day Mingyi went back to her old classroom,
sat in her old
cracked desk, and thought "There's no place like home."
