CHAPTER 13: THE MISTAKE
After the academic programme, Amara returned to school feeling more confident.
She had learned many new things, and she was happy about the new friends she had made.
One afternoon, her Mathematics teacher gave the class an important assignment.
"Everyone should submit your work tomorrow morning," she said.
Amara took the assignment home and started working on it.
She answered the questions carefully and checked her work before going to bed.
The next morning, she brought her assignment to school.
When the teacher collected the books, she began marking them.
A few minutes later, the teacher called Amara.
"Amara, please come here."
Amara walked to her teacher.
"Yes, ma?"
The teacher showed her the assignment.
"There is a mistake in one of your answers."
Amara looked at the page carefully.
She was surprised.
"But I checked it twice," she said.
"I know," her teacher replied kindly. "But sometimes, even when we check our work, we can still miss a mistake."
Amara felt disappointed.
She had become used to getting things right, and she did not like making mistakes.
She sat quietly at her desk.
Author's thought:I could see that Amara was beginning to put pressure on herself. She thought that because she had won competitions, she was not supposed to make mistakes. But nobody gets everything right all the time.
During break time, her friend Daniel noticed that Amara was quiet.
"Amara, what happened?"
"I made a mistake in my Mathematics assignment," she replied.
Daniel smiled.
"So what? Everyone makes mistakes."
Amara looked at him.
"You're right. I just don't want to make the same mistake again."
"Then learn from it," Daniel said.
Amara smiled.
After break, she went back to her teacher.
"Ma, please can you explain the question to me again?"
Her teacher smiled.
"Of course."
The teacher explained the question, and Amara understood where she had gone wrong.
"Oh, I see it now!"
She corrected the answer in her notebook.
That evening, Amara went home and told her mother about what had happened.
Her mother listened carefully.
"Amara, making a mistake does not mean you are not intelligent. What matters is that you learn from it and try again."
Amara nodded.
"I understand, Mummy."
She opened her Mathematics book and practised the question again.
This time, she got it right.
Amara smiled.
She had learned another important lesson.
She did not have to be perfect.
She only had to keep learning.
Author's thought:Sometimes, a mistake can teach us more than a correct answer. Amara was slowly learning that making mistakes was not something to be ashamed of.
She closed her book and smiled.
"This mistake will help me become better."
To be continued… 🌟📖