The New Teacher

In January, a new Spanish teacher arrived at Hillside School in Swansea. His name was Mr. Garcia, and he came from Malaga. On his first day, he didn't smile once. He wrote a lot of rules on the board and gave the class a test.

At lunch, the students talked about him. "What's the new teacher like?" asked Megan, who was in a different class. "Terrible," said Owen. "He's really strict. He gave us homework on the first day!" "And he's very serious," said Chloe. "I don't think he likes us."

In the second week, Owen forgot his homework. He was nervous. "Sorry, sir," he said. "My dog ate it." The class waited. Mr. Garcia looked at Owen for a long moment. Then he said, "In Spanish, please." Everyone laughed, and Mr. Garcia laughed too. Owen said it in Spanish, very slowly, and Mr. Garcia gave him a point for the grammar.

After that, the lessons changed. Mr. Garcia played Spanish music and taught them songs. He told funny stories about his family in Malaga and his grandmother, who cooked for twenty people every Sunday. When Chloe had problems with the verbs, he stayed after class and helped her. He was patient and kind.

One day he brought a big pan to school and cooked paella in the school kitchen. The whole school could smell it. Even the principal came to try some.

In June, Megan asked again. "So, what's Mr. Garcia like?" Owen thought about it. "He's strict, but he's fair. And he's actually really funny." Chloe agreed. "He's the best teacher I've ever had." At the end of the year, the class gave him a card. It said, in perfect Spanish: "Thank you for everything."