The first day my new teacher stood in front of the class, I burst into laughter. Ron Clark was from North Carolina and he talked with a 1 Southern accent (口音). I thought he was a complete 2 .
It was 2005 3 I was in the fifth grade. I figured I’d spend most of the year in the headmaster’s office. I’d always been a 4 . I’d get shouted at, and then 5 would give up on me. I thought Ron Clark would just be one of them.
I was 6 . That first week, I kept 7 him. He pulled me out to the hallway and said I’d better 8 my behavior (行为). "Tom," he said, "you’re a 9 boy. You can do better."
He told me I was a natural leader and 10 I’d go far in life if I started working hard. I was 11 at that moment, and then something happened: I began to 12 him. He had a most unusual way of 13 . To help us learn the states and capitals, he changed the 14 of a popular song and had us 15 with him. When we read the Harry Potter books, he made our 16 look like Hogwarts.
Before coming to our 17 , he taught in his hometown. His parents were DJs at dance clubs, so he 18 with music and energy. He had seen a TV show about our 19 schools and the lack of qualified teachers. He 20 a challenge. Boy, did he get one.