Teacher: Megan

When I was young, I didn't have an idea that I must not hurt other people. On my fifth birthday, my father gave me a bicycle. I really liked the bicycle, so I was always riding it outside. I thought it was more important than any other things or any other people. I would do everything for my bicycle; but a few days later, I realized that I shouldn't do one specific thing.

One summer, I was riding my bicycle in my neighborhood as usual. For a few moments, I got off of it to tie my shoes. When I raised my head, I found that my bicycle was gone. My friend who lived next door ran away riding my bicycle just for fun, but I was seriously shocked and upset. At that time, it was the most embarrassing situation in my short life. I didn't know what to do. I thought, “I have to make him stop, and I have to give him a shock.”

First, I yelled at him to stop going, but he ignored me and continued. Do you know what I did next? Believe it or not, I threw a stone at him! When the stone hit him on the head he stopped immediately, and he came back to me with the bicycle. As I took a closer look at his head, I saw that it was bleeding where the small stone had hit him! Because I was young, the blood made me afraid and nervous; so I wanted to tell him sorry. Before I could say sorry, he said, "I will not tell my mom you hurt me if you don't tell your mom what I did either." Without my answer, he went to his house crying.

Because I was too shocked, I stayed there for a few minutes until my mom called me from out of the window. I now thought my friend's head was more important than my bicycle. I learned there was one specific thing more precious than my bicycle: a person and their life. All living things are the most valuable things in the world. Nothing can replace a life. My mom still doesn't know this accident, but I know the sanctity of life.

Discussion questions: 

Tell me about what you understood from the story!

1. What was her favorite object when she was five years old? // What did she do when the boy took her bicycle?

2. What did she learn from her experience?

3. What is your favorite possession? What would you do if someone took it from you?