English Listening Rocks

A teacher had many pupils, but one of them often stole things from the school and sold them. The other students told the teacher they wanted the thief to leave, but the teacher stayed quiet at first. When the boy stole again, the classmates wrote a long letter asking the teacher to make him go away. In a meeting, the teacher said that the boy still needed to learn right from wrong, so he should stay and be taught. Hearing the teacher’s kind words, the boy cried and, for the first time, decided to become a good person.

teacher

Definition: the adult who runs the school and makes decisions about the students’ behavior
Example: The teacher called all of the students together for a meeting.

student

Definition: a child who attends the school and learns under the teacher’s guidance
Example: The other students didn’t like that and told the teacher.

market

Definition: the place where the bad student sold stolen school items
Example: Sometimes he would take things from the school and sell them in the market.

letter

Definition: a written message the angry students sent to the teacher asking for action
Example: They wrote a long letter to the teacher.

right

Definition: the correct moral behavior that the teacher says the students understand
Example: “You know the difference between right and wrong.”

What did the student do with the items he took from the school?

He kept them in his locker
He gave them to his friends
He sold them at the market
He returned them to the teacher

How did the other students first react to the misbehavior?

They ignored it
They told the teacher about it
They helped the student hide the items
They wrote a letter to the market owner

After receiving the long letter, what action did the teacher take?

He expelled the bad student immediately
He called all of the students together for a meeting
He left the school for the day
He punished the letter writers

During the meeting, what did the teacher suggest to the students?

To stay and study at the same school
To leave and study at another school
To ignore the bad student's actions
To report the incident to the market officials

What was the bad student’s response after hearing the teacher’s words?

He laughed and walked away
He shouted at the teacher
He started to cry and began learning to be good
He stole more items that day

Do you think the teacher made the right decision to keep the bad student? Why or why not?
Have you ever seen someone change because a teacher cared about them? Share your experience.
What might have happened if the teacher had sent the bad student away?
Why do you think the other students wrote a long letter to the teacher?
Is it better to punish a student who does wrong or to try to help them learn? Explain your view.
Should the teacher have told the whole class what the bad student did? Why or why not?
Imagine you are the bad student. Write three things you would say to the teacher after hearing his words.
How would you rewrite the ending if the teacher decided to send the bad student away instead?
How would you feel if you were one of the students who saw the bad student stealing?
If you could ask the teacher one question about his decision, what would it be?

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100

2 years, 3 months and 12 days ago Level: Intermediate (B1)

Right and Wrong

Long ago, there was a special teacher. He had many students.

One student was not a nice person. Sometimes he would take things from the school and sell them in the market.

The other students didn’t like that. They told the teacher. They wanted the bad student to leave school.

The teacher did nothing and said nothing.

The following week, the bad student took more things. Some of the other students saw that. They were angry. They wrote a long letter to the teacher. They wanted him to tell the bad student to leave.

The teacher called all of the students together for a meeting.

The teacher said, “My students, you are all very smart. You know the difference between right and wrong. For that reason, I want you to leave and study at another school.”

This bad student doesn’t know what is right and what is wrong. If I don’t teach him, how will he learn what is right? This boy will stay here to learn.”

The bad student heard the teacher’s kind words. For the first time in his life, he thought someone cared about him. He started to cry. On that day, he learned how to be a good person.