Proudly reading my words, I looked around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and Miss Lancelot stone-faced. I slowly raised the report, hoping to hide myself and burning to find out "What could be causing everyone to act this way?"
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
When another classmate began his report, it all became clear, "My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution." How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: no re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather and the headmaster informed me of his approval that I could skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!