A Chicken Soup Story

The Last Day of My Teaching Practice

Well, let me see what is left...all my things have been packed, workbooks were all marked and graded, so were the penmanship exercise�Xthey did them pretty well this time. I remember when I assigned 5A students homework and asked them to do the work well as farewell presents for me yesterday, they cried out "yeeessss" loudly�Xthey haven't broken their promises anyway. Alright, everything is settled. Let's go and have my last lesson for 6B then...today I should round up the chapter and settle all sorts of late homework...

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Miss Wong."

"Sit down, please."

"Miss Wong wears skirt today..." I hear a student murmur to her neighbour. I can't help smile in return�Xa 5A student gave me a card yesterday, it said, "Why don't you wear dresses or skirts?" Maybe that's why I wear a skirt today�Xthis morning when I looked for clothes for work, I just took out a skirt without a thought for it. Weird!

They are very quiet today, unusually quiet, which makes me doubt that I have entered a wrong classroom, even Ken hasn't made a noise either�XAnyway, this makes the lesson run smoother, so does the time...

"This is my last lesson for you today, I want to give some gifts for you all..." I announce at the last five minutes of the lesson and deliver gifts for them. Some of my students come out and give me farewell cards and small gifts. I receive them with my trembling hands. This is not enough, Sandy. At least you should say farewell to them, but not merely exchanging gifts with them, I tell myself.

So, I say, "I am going to leave today..." God! What do I have to say to them?

"Don't cry!" A 5A student's voice echoes in my mind.

"I am going to leave today. I will not forget you, as you are my very first students. I hope that you can all work hard and be good students...Alright. goodbye, class."

"Goooodbye and thank you, Miss Wong."

Good! Sandy. You had done a very good job not to cry again in front of the class, I tell myself. Then I go straight back to my seat in the library. It is really a lovely place. I can use the computer there whenever I like and talk loudly to a few teaching staffs there�Xthey are really nice and helpful all through the period of my teaching practice. Most importantly, there I can sit with Veronica, my dear and close comrade who supported me when I was in need. At my seat, I carefully open one of the farewell cards, it says in English, "Dear Miss Wong, although we are very naughty, you still teach us with patience. Thank you very much. Yours sincerely, Grace." My heart twitches. Have I really been patient to them, I really can't tell...I never understand myself well...

Having picked up all my packed stuffs, I walk out of the library with Veronica. At the corner of the stairs, we meet the class teacher of 5A.

"Bye-bye," he says.

"Bye."

He works in the staff room upstairs and seldom talks with us. I remember he has only talked to me once at another corner of this staircase: "Are my students naughty? If they are, you can tell me and I'll scold at them for you!"

No, they are very lovely. I say to myself.