Continuing from the last, translated…
Do you all recall that article at the start of the year, “A Boy Who Longed for Company”, Yo? After the summer, he’d entered the fifth grade, and, I’d worked with him, for two years now; every time as he’d left, watching him leave, I’d only felt, sadder and sadder about him.
From before, every Saturday evening, Yo would head to the gym to learn Tae-Kwon-Do, it’s just, that as school started, the government no longer funded the school on the activities anymore, and the coach didn’t come to school to teach either. As Yo told me this news, with his head lowered, I can only, stay by his side, as he faces this, loss, but, not long thereafter, he’d ridden a lady’s bike that didn’t fit him well with a heart of pleasure again.
“See, not bad, right? My uncle gave it to me!”, he’d looked at me, with that scent of needing affirmation, “hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, it looks, pretty good!”, before I could squeeze another word in, Yo hopped onto the bicycle, with that look of satisfaction, and, rode of on his lady’s bicycle, although he wasn’t tall enough yet, and can only, ride the bicycle very unsteadily, but I saw his satisfaction and happiness from the way he’d, left.
“You no longer need to ride me to church anymore!”, on Sunday morning, he’d rung my door bell, and, his words made me confused. As I was about to ask him about it, Yo told me, because he has the bicycle now, and can get himself there. There’s that confidence that radiated from his eyes, as I was worrying how it may be, unsafe for him, he’d looked at me, and assured, “No worries, I’m really good at it!”, and, just like that, I’d caught him, riding in and out of the alleyways of our neighborhood.
Later, our topics of discussion changed to the tables at the breakfast shop, at first, Yo was unwilling, to let me treat him to breakfast, “Mom gave me money for breakfast, I can pay for it myself”. I’d told him, to save up the money, and in the end, he’d, finally, agreed, to, our breakfast dates.
“I hate smokers! I will NEVER smoke when I’m older!”, he could now, talk with ease, and I’d, tried allowing him to pour his heart out to me too, “That, was how my dad died………”, with the time of knowing each other increasing, Yo started disclosing more and more about his life to me, he’d transferred so many times, moved too many times to count too; the two older half-brothers he had, are much older, but her eldest brother dodged arrest from getting caught abusing drugs, and his second eldest brother left home too.
As I was thinking about how to give him console, Yo started again, “I’m the head of my class in the church’s Sunday school!”, he’d become more animated, and, his lips curled upward too, “I’d never been chosen as the head of the class before.” “Why?” “because I’m too uneven tempered, I’d only worked, as the student discipline master, and that was because someone in my class no longer wanted to take the part.”, I can see, how becoming the head of class in Sunday school was, encouraging to him.
For the months that followed, the same breakfast shop, at the same time, and, I’d allowed Yo to order the foods every single time. That day, the owner of the breakfast shop said, “Your son is so well-trained, he’s not at all, afraid of strangers, like a little grown up”. “Your son would fit to go into business when he’s older!”, the customers sitting next to me started giving Yo praises too.
I’d smiled, without saying a word, however, Yo had that look on his face, saying, “Come on, my last name is not Lin, how can I be your son!”
So, this, is the influence that an educator has, on a student, and, this just showed, how much the children when they are growing up, need to have an adult they can look up to close by, to show them the way, to teach them how to act right, and, this teacher played that role for this young boy.