I know a man, who despite the difficulties he has undergone was still able to stand and continue his journey.
The first time he stepped into the institution, people thought that he was one of those snob Korean people. People made such notion for he didn’t talk to anybody and he usually showed his poker face. It’s as if he didn’t care of anything. One of my colleagues even talked to me about that. She said that he has this tendency to be snobbish during their class. But when he was paired with a better student he suddenly fell quiet and meek.
He wasn’t my student until I was given TOEFL teaching loads. I was informed that he got furious upon knowing that I would be his teacher in TOEFL listening. He thought that I hated him. I laughed when I heard about it. In one of our encounters in class I asked him if why he thought that I hated him. When I heard the reason I couldn’t keep myself from giggling. It was really funny. I explained to him that it was all a joke that his tests in Reading and Vocabulary were all very difficult. I made all the tests for the subject and I would usually come up to him and inform him that his next test would be very difficult that he would not pass. But that was just a joke.
During our class, we would usually have heated arguments. Why? Because sometimes he gets so fixated with his answers even if they are wrong. He sometimes wouldn’t listen. If he thinks his answers are correct then they are correct for him. He wanted me to prove that his answers were wrong. The funny thing was we sometimes could only finish five questions in one hour because of this. But that was fine with me because his attitude is a mark of a willing and dedicated person when it comes to learning. The week won’t pass without the two of us arguing about some answers. To set the record straight, those arguments were just in the classroom. We are friends outside.
Like any other person in this world, he underwent certain struggles while staying in a foreign country. I thought about it a couple of times but my heart and mind told me to do so. I decided to do my job and extend it to him. Honestly, that was the biggest decision I’ve ever made in my life for it can either make or break me. But I told myself that I would do it no matter what happens. And honestly, I was happy with my decision. So I continued teaching him and we became close to each other as we went over our class.
I really admire him for his enthusiasm and dedication in learning. I wish that he could still hold on to these essential values in life. I believe that they would bring him farther from what he expected. I will use his attitude as I propel myself towards my own success. Good luck to you buddy! See you when I see you!
