On Being a Good Father (by Esther Xu 徐雨柔)

I’ve been teaching Esther Xu (徐雨柔) for a few years now. More than any other student, I have trouble understanding her when she speaks Chinese, because her voice is very soft and she speaks very quickly. Her name in Chinese, 雨柔, means “soft rain”, which makes sense. But though Esther is quiet, I know she’s very smart, because her scores on English homework and tests are always great.

Esther had to write a speech about her father for school. Teacher Glory helped her type it out, and Glory and I corrected some of the grammar. I think it’s a great little speech! Esther and her sister Rebecca, who I used to teach, are both examples of very smart, level-headed Taiwanese girls. It’s these kinds of students that make me think Taiwan has a great future.

Eric
at ELT: Effective Language Training


On Being a Good Father
The person I love the best is my father.

I have a super father. The reason why he is super is because he doesn’t only do a father’s work, but also a mother’s work.

First, he prepares delicious breakfast for me every morning. And his breakfast is always yummy and healthy. For example, you can see different colors of food in my sandwiches, with beef, chicken or bacon. Sometimes I can hear him singing while cooking. It seems that he really enjoys everything he does for me.

He takes me to school every day. Rain or shine, he takes it as a pleasure to spend time with me. Sitting on the back of his scooter, with my father, I always feel well-prepared for the day because I know he is there for me. After I get to school, he goes back home to clean up the mess I leave in the morning.

You might wonder where my mother is. Well, she always sleeps late in the morning. Of course he loves my mother very much too. He takes care of us so that my mother can get more sleep.

He not only takes good care of me, but also teaches me some great values of life. The most important rule is to respect others. He shows me how to think for myself. Whenever I have a quarrel with my sister, he never gets angry. Instead, he leaves both of us some room to think. This has made me an independent thinker. Now when I have trouble, I’m not afraid. I know I can figure things out by myself.

Since I am a busy junior high student and I have to study hard every day, pressure is a common thing in my daily life. My father knows that, so he sometimes plans family trips for us. We go camping all the time. We have camped from the north to the south of Taiwan.

I always remember my first time camping. It was a typhoon day. It was so stormy that our tent was blowing in the wind. And what was worse, we found a hole in the tent and it suddenly began to leak. At that moment of despair, guess what, here came my super father! He struggled to fix our broken tent with his own hands. And while we were taking shelter in our van, he even cooked a tasty dinner, alone, by himself. Although we ended up staying at a hotel that night, instead of in our tent, I’ll always remember the picture of my super father in that stormy rain. What an unforgettable trip.

When I was little, he used to tell me and my older sister bed time stories. And we would share everything happening in our daily lives. Now, after school, I eagerly tell him about my school life, good things and bad things. He always listens patiently and tries to give me some advice. Looking into his eyes, I feel myself well-understood and well-protected, whatever happens.

This is my super father, and he can do almost everything. I want him to know I love him just as much as he loves me.

Esther Xu 徐雨柔

Check out More English Writing by My Students, some of it quite funny.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

My book Idiocy, Ltd. (白痴有限公司) will be published in Taiwan in Chinese translation this summer. Go like my Facebook page Eric Mader 枚德林 for upcoming publication announcement and other book-related news.