==U.S.A.==

I have a particular memory from my Junior high school days. It was so significant that, even now, I sometimes recollect what happened when I was I 3 years old. I have never regretted what I did at that time because it was one of the good experiences that became a memory of my school days. What was more important was that I had a special teacher who was in charge of my class and it was impossible for me to forget her after graduating from the school. Without her, I would not be here because she rescued me from student delinquency.
When I entered junior high school, I was just a normal student. There was nothing special about me except having a sister who was an honor student in the same school. When I turned 13 years old, there were some changes in my school life. I became friendly with some classmates who were juvenile delinquents. They smoked cigarettes, had fights with students from other schools for no reason and always hung out together. In other words, they were the worst students in my school and I joined, them. I have no idea why I became close to them, but I was very happy to be with them because they lived in another world I had never known until that time.
However, my days in the gang did not continue very long. The teacher in charge of my class became suspicious of me since my grades dropped suddenly. She asked me to bring my parents to school to consult about my situation. After their meeting, some rules were made just for me. One of them which I remember was that my teacher and mother checked the time when I arrived at the school and at home everyday and I had a small notebook for filling out my arrival time and their signatures. It was to prevent me from going anywhere after school. There were more rules beside this one that I had to keep, but I don't remember them any longer. What was so impressive was that my teacher and parents never threatened me. They always talked in such a way that I could understand, and I thought it was very good because if they had treated me with force, I would have behaved worse. I came to recognize that I was on the wrong path and I started studying to enter senior high school. Among all my gang friends, I was the only one who could proceed to a higher school. All the others were kicked out of school.
After graduating from junior high school, I saw my teacher only once more. When I was 15 years old, I heard that she was going to get married. l thought I had to go to her wedding because she was my benefactor who had saved me from student delinquency. On the wedding day, my sister and I went to the ceremony together and seeing her so happy made us happy too.
Now, I have not seen my teacher for a long time, but in the bottom of my heart I always appreciate her for saving me. Although I did not like her class which was Home Economics and my grades were very poor, I came to respect her because she showed me what a good teacher was like. It might be important for teachers to teach subjects they know well. But above all, it is important to treat their students with love--as my teacher did to me.