[sample translations]hong jun hee, fight against prejudice! eng by LTI Korea Library

Sample Translations

Jun-hee Hong

Fight Against Prejudice! E ng l i s h

Book Information

Fight Against Prejudice! (우리 집 강아지 세리) RH Korea Publishing corp. / 2008 / 26 p. / ISBN 9788925553122 For further information, please visit: http://library.klti.or.kr/node/772 This sample translation was produced with support from LTI Korea. Please contact the LTI Korea Library for further information. library@klti.or.kr

Fight Against Prejudice! Written by Hong Jun-hee

To young readers who are about to read this book, When I was young, I was really jealous of my friends who wore eyeglasses. I wanted to wear them, too, so I went to a stationary store in the neighborhood, bought toy eyeglasses, and wore them to school. The ones that I bought had the plastic frame with yellow color glasses. My teacher saw them and said, “They are cool glasses, but I’m afraid they are not good for your eyes.” My teacher was right because everything looked yellow while I had the glasses on. My friends looked yellow, the teacher’s white blouse looked yellow, my textbooks looked yellow, and everything outside the window looked yellow and dusty although it was a clear day. The trees looked yellow, and even my puppy that had white and fluffy fur looked yellow as he ran towards me wagging his tail. After wearing the yellow glasses all day, I even felt dizzy. When my mom saw me walking into the house with the yellow glasses on, she laughed and said, “So you wanted to wear glasses that bad?” And she took the glasses off my eyes. When she did, everything became bright again, and I felt that the world returned to the way it used to be. What was green became green again, what was red red, and what was white white. When I decided to write a book about people’s prejudices, what I remembered first was this experience of wearing the yellow glasses for a day. Are there colored glasses through which you are looking at the world? If you look at the world through red or blue glasses, it would be difficult to see things as they really are. Likewise, once you have a prejudice against something or someone, it is not easy to change your mind about it, and what started out as a prejudice can grow to become a social conflict. It would be a terrible thing if a person or a

group of people is discriminated because of a misunderstanding or a prejudice. To prevent that, we need to be aware of our own prejudices and think of a way to overcome them. In this book, you will read about girls and boys who are about your age, and as you read about them and about how they fight against prejudices or stereotyping of others, you can think about prejudices that you experienced, and I hope that you will grow up with confidence and wisdom to see the world as it is and to fight against prejudice and discrimination.

Contents Reading Is So Boring

The Idea that Reading Is Boring Is Also a Prejudice!

What I Want to Be in the Future

It’s Hard Being the Best!

Sometimes I Don’t Life Myself!

Dear Rabbits, Where Are You Going?

“It’s easy to become prejudiced, but it’s not easy to realize that you are. In order to see and understand differences in people and respect different values, you have to fight against your own prejudices!”

Reading Is So Boring So-mi cannot remember when she started reading. Her mom said that she started reading with her older brother when she was four years old. But So-mi thinks that is a lie, or she has a really bad memory, for she cannot remember anything that she read then.

“You know, So-mi started reading thick children’s books when she was four. She is smart, but she just doesn’t apply herself.” Every time her mother’s friends are at their house, she starts the conversation this way. “And she just doesn’t read these days. She used to like to read like her brother, so I bought a full encyclopedia set and children’s books, but she doesn’t even go near them now. If she has any free time, she is either sitting in front of the TV or the computer.” When her mother begins to complain to her friends about So-mi, So-mi just closes the door to her room. Her mother nags at her all day to read. Then So-mi thinks to herself, “But you read fewer books than I do.” So-mi feels as if she might suffocate when she looks at the bookshelves full of her textbooks for school, study books for after-school institutes, study guides, and piano books. And on top of those, there are also the encyclopedia set and children’s books that her mother bought for her. All she can see in her room are her square desk, square pencil case, square bookshelves, square books, square backpack, square bed, square windows, square textbooks … Everything is square. When she finally decides to read a book and picks one out from her bookshelves, the square edges of the book look as if they are about to attack her. “I hate square things. I like things that are round.” I am bouncing a basketball. Bounce! Bounce! The bouncing sound of the ball makes my heart light. The bicycle wheels are spinning. Spin! Spin! With the spinning wheels, I feel refreshed. An egg being fried on a round frying pan Smells good and will taste good, too. I like round things. Sharp- and hard-looking square things scare me.

Square books with hard-looking letters about boring stories. I hate boring books with nothing but letters in them. Tests, study guides, report cards, thick books … Those square things should be banished. Let’s attack them! Attack! Attack! In So-mi’s imagination, there is a battle between things that are square and things that are round. So-mi, the princess of the world of round things, fights valiantly against the Report Card Prince who leads the world of square things, and in the end, she is victorious. But not in her real life. In reality, things that are square always win. So-mi wonders who invented books in the first place. To So-mi, books are just a nuisance. One day at the start of the new semester of school, the students had to decide what afterschool class they wanted to sign up for. Some classes, like the art class, were very popular, so the students had to play rock, paper, scissors to decide who would get to join the popular classes. So-mi tried hard to win, but she lost, and instead of the art class, the only class that she could sign up for was the reading club. “I hate this. This is so not fair.” She had no choice but to go to the classroom that had “Reading Club” written on the door, and when she walked into the room, there weren’t too many students there, as she had expected. There were about twenty students, but out of the twenty, only five were girls, including So-mi. Two girls in the sixth grade must have been close, for they sat together and constantly whispered things to each other. So-mi didn’t have to think about where to sit. She walked over to Ji-won and Ye-eun, who were her classmates last year, and plopped down on a seat next to them. Some were playing with a tennis ball in the back and front of the classroom, some were playing with Yi-Gi-Oh cards, and some were fighting over a comic book. So-mi also saw Jun-yeong, the trouble maker of her class. So-mi was certain that nobody signed up

for this class because they liked reading. Finally, the class bell rang and a teacher walked in. “Is this classroom for the reading club?” When the teacher, whom the students had never seen before, asked them the question, they just nodded. The students who were playing with the tennis ball stopped playing and went back to their seats. “Hello, everyone!” The teacher smiled and looked at everyone in the class. Her hair was curly, her face was very round, and her eyes were also round like marbles. “She is wearing a polka-dot dress with round buttons, and even her necklace is round with a four-leaf clover inside. Everything she has on is round!” So-mi was looking at what her teacher had on and was trying to see if she had any other things that were round. The teacher said, “Everyone looks so pretty and handsome in this class! Before I take roll call, I should introduce myself.” The teacher walked over to the blackboard and wrote her name. Mrs. Rabbit A student sitting in the front asked, “Is that your nickname?” “Yes, a friend of mine gave me this nickname a long time ago, and I liked it so much that I have used it like my name. I’m sure you all have a nickname, too. Does anyone have an interesting one?” Somebody in the back said, “Pigolous.” Hearing that, a couple of students tapped their desks and started to giggle, and Ye-eun, who was sitting next to So-mi, turned around and glared at them. The students stopped giggling, but they stuck their tongue out and taunted her.

“I didn’t ask you to tell me the nicknames of your friends, and you should not tease your friends.” With that, the students became quiet. “Ms. Rabbit, what are we going to do in the reading club? Are we going to write about what we read?” A student in the front seat raised his hand and asked Mrs. Rabbit. The other students including So-mi looked at her with curious eyes. “What we are going to do is meet once a week in this classroom, and we are going to read a story and talk about it.” As soon as Mrs. Rabbit said this, the students started to grumble and complain. “I can’t believe it!” “I don’t like to read!” “We’re not going to do anything else?” Mrs. Rabbit gestured for them to pipe down and continued talking. “I didn’t know you didn’t like to read. But there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Because I’m going to read you stories.” “Then what are we going to do?” A boy who was obviously puzzled asked her. “All you have to do is listen to the stories that I read to you. After that, we will talk about them. While listening to the stories, you can raise your hand quietly if you have questions or cannot understand something, or if you think something sounds too weird. Then, we can stop and talk about that, too.” “So we are really going to do nothing but listen? You’re not going to have us write something? You know, other reading classes make you write essays and things. But I hate writing more than reading,” said a boy who was playing with Yi-Gi-Oh cards under his desk.

“No, so you don’t have to worry. All you have to do is listen to the stories that I read to you.” “Then what are you going to read to us?” “Oh, I forgot to show it to you, didn’t I?” Mrs. Rabbit took a huge book out from her bag and put it on the table. When the students saw the book, their jaws dropped. “That’s a book?” It was So-mi’s first time seeing a book that thick. It was thicker than an encyclopedia or the bible that her mother read all the time. “In this book, there are stories and adventures of rabbits that live in a rabbit village. There are stories about young rabbits around your age, stories about old toothless rabbits with white beards, and adventure stories about a rabbit that wants to become a pirate. There are also stories about a rabbit that invents an airplane, a rabbit that lies so she doesn’t have to go to school, and a rabbit that takes all the carrots in his field and exchanges them for a bicycle.” Listening to Mrs. Rabbit, the students’ eyes began to twinkle out of curiosity and expectation. Ye-eun asked Mrs. Rabbit, “Where did you get the book?” “That’s a secret. Maybe I’ll tell you later.” “Can you please tell us now?” Pounding on their desks, the students asked her to tell them the story. “Since today is the first class, I think we should do the roll call first and have you introduce yourselves.” The class ended after the students introduced themselves to Mrs. Rabbit and to the class. On the way home, So-mi thought, “So we are going to do nothing but listen to the stories? That’s still reading. It’s not that different.” But she was curious about the book. However, she told herself that it was still a thick, square book with boring words inside, and she pretended as if she had no interest in it.

The Idea that Reading Is Boring Is Also a Prejudice! When the next class for the reading club came on Thursday, So-mi stayed behind in her classroom telling her friends every excuse she could think of. She really didn’t like to read and thought about a possible way to be excused from the class. However, she remembered what her homeroom teacher had said: If anyone plays hooky from the after-school classes, they will have to clean the bathroom for a week. Realizing that she had no choice, So-mi picked up her bag. But the class bell had already sounded. “I’m late!” So-mi started running in the hall. “I told you not to run in the hall!” The teacher from the next classroom yelled at her, but she continued running until she reached the reading club room. She panted as she sat, and when she looked around, the students were talking in loud voices and running between desks and seats. The classroom door opened and Mrs. Rabbit walked in. “Oh my! Is this really the classroom for the reading club?” Looking as if the playtime had been too short, the students all went back to their seats. “Now raise your hand if you are absent.” The students burst out laughing and said, “How can you raise your hand if you are absent?” “You are so much cuter when you are laughing.” Mrs. Rabbit grinned. She looked around the class and asked the students, “Now, raise your hand if you really don’t like reading.” The children looked at one another and slowly started to raise their hand. So-mi raised her hand high. Almost everyone raised their hand. “Wow, that’s a lot. And it is also making me curious why you hate reading so much. Can

someone tell me why?” When Mrs. Rabbit asked them this, one of the boys said, “Books have too many words. And you have to read until the end to know the story. And books are more boring than comics because they have no pictures.” “I think so too!” said the other children as they nodded in agreement. “Mrs. Rabbit, I become sleepy every time I try to read a book. I mean, when I start to read a book I am wide awake, but as I read it, I become sleepy. Even if the story is a fun one. I really hate reading.” “Me too!” said someone else. “Books have too many words that I don’t know, and they are usually about boring things.” “And I hate it when people tell me to read and say things like I will become stupid if I don’t read. I hate it when they nag me about reading.” “I think I have an allergy to books.” Laughing, giggling, and sometimes clapping, the children told Mrs. Rabbit how they felt about books. The whole time Mrs. Rabbit just smiled, and finally said, “Then what is more fun than reading?” To that, every student took a turn answering. “Comic books!” “Computer games!” “Playing soccer!” “Board games!” “Watching TV!” “Playing with friends!” When the students ran out of things to say, Mrs. Rabbit took out the thick book from her bag. “You may be right that some books are boring and reading them is not fun at all. But it can

also be that you have a prejudice against books.” “Mrs. Rabbit, what is prejudice?” “Well, what do you think it is?” On the blackboard, Mrs. Rabbit wrote in big letters, “Prejudice.” Then she opened the book. “Now I’m going to read you a story. Just listen to the story, and we can talk about your feelings about the story later. Now open your ears and open your heart. Are you ready to listen?” “Yes!” said the students in a loud voice. The story Mrs. Rabbit to them was this.

There was a village where white rabbits and black rabbits lived together. White rabbits thought that they were smart and good-looking, and that black rabbits were dirty and stupid. So white rabbits created a law that discriminated against black rabbits. When they rode the bus, white rabbits sat in the front of the bus while black rabbits could only sit in the back. White rabbits and black rabbits went to different schools. In restaurants, white rabbits sat at certain tables while black rabbits could only sit at tables in the corner. One day, a black rabbit who was sick got on the bus. There were no empty seats in the back of the bus. The rabbit was so tired and sick that she sat in one of the front seats on the bus. The police came and arrested her for breaking the law. When other black rabbits heard the news, they became very angry. And they decided to boycott the bus companies. Instead of taking the bus, they walked or drove their cars. The bus companies lost money, and they started to think about whether it was fair or not to designate seats based on the color of a rabbit’s fur. In the end, they decided it was wrong and got rid of the law that discriminated against black rabbits on the bus. “That’s the end of the story. Do you think you can tell what prejudice is by listening to the

story?” “Mrs. Rabbit, I think white rabbits are really strange. It was terrible to make a law like that just because they had different colors of fur.” “It is not like black rabbits were born with black fur because they wanted it.” “I think so, too. I think what the white rabbits did was terrible.” After listening to the students, Mrs. Rabbit said, “But some people actually thought that anything or anyone that was black was bad and dirty.” “That makes no sense!” Mrs. Rabbit made two big circles on the blackboard, one colored with black chalk and one with white. “Why don’t we see what we think of these two colors?” Mrs. Rabbit told them to write what they thought about the two different colors. Soon, the blackboard was filled with things that the students had written. The students and Mrs. Rabbit read aloud the words that the students wrote. Around the black circle, the students wrote, “dark, fraud, death, dirty, scary, messy …” Around the white circle, the students wrote, “clean, soft, pretty, cold, clear, warm …” “What do you think? Do you think we have unbiased ideas about these two colors?” The students looked at what they had written on the board and became quiet. Everyone seemed to be thinking something. “Mrs. Rabbit, is a prejudice an idea or a thought that is not right?” “It could be. Does anyone have a different idea?” “A prejudice may be a thought that is unfair. It’s about treating people differently and unfairly.” “I think prejudice is when people side only with one group of people. Like the white rabbits that thought only about themselves.”

Mrs. Rabbit wrote “Not being fair” and “Siding only with one group” under the word “Prejudice.” “Then is prejudice siding with only one group of people and acting unfairly?” When a girl in the sixth grade said this, everyone nodded. “When we are treated unfairly and being discriminated against, we usually think we did something wrong. But it could be that we were treated that way because of people’s prejudices. If that is the case, we have to let the people know that they are acting based on their prejudices. I am going to work really hard this year to teach you that thinking books are boring is your prejudice.” When Mrs. Rabbit clenched her fists to show the students how determined she was, they all laughed out loud. The class bell rang, and they all left the classroom. So-mi, who was the last one to leave, stopped and turned around. She looked at the word “Prejudice” one more time. “It doesn’t matter. I still hate books.” She erased the word and left the classroom.

What I Want to Be in the Future Time passed by really fast, and summer was around the corner. So-mi was running across the playground not to be late for the reading club. The classroom for the reading club was in the building across from her homeroom. While running, So-mi saw Jun-yeong writing something under a tree. “What are you doing there? Aren’t you going to go to the reading club? You’ll be late.” “You go ahead. I have to do this homework.” “What?” Jun-yeong had an English book out and was writing something. So-mi thought that it was her first time seeing Jun-yeong working on something that hard.

“You’re going to miss the reading club? You’ll be punished if our homeroom teacher finds out.” Jun-yeong sighed. “This is all because of my mom.” Jun-yeong looked at So-mi and said, “My mom said I have to study English if I want to become a dentist, and she signed me up for an English class at a private learning center. But the class gives me way too much homework every day. And I didn’t get to finish today’s homework. If I don’t finish this, I will get rapped on my palms with a ruler.” And Jun-yeong also told So-mi what had happened last weekend. What Jun-yeong wants to be is a dog groomer. He has liked dogs ever since he was little. He reads books like How to Raise a Happy Dog, Raising Your Dog Well, About Dogs, and A Story of the Best Dog in the World. When he was six, his dad got him a Cocker Spaniel puppy. Jun-Yeong was so happy that he had the dog in his bed and couldn’t even sleep because he wanted to make sure the puppy slept well. He named the dog Mimi-chang. But a week later, his mother sent the dog away. Because it was such a small pup, it peed and pooped everywhere in the house, which his mother couldn’t stand. His mom said, “Raising a dog is worse than raising a baby. I would rather raise one more baby.” His mother looked for someone else to raise Mimi-chang, and finally Jun-yeong had to give up Mimi-chang. After that, he couldn’t ask his mother to get him another dog. Every time he passed by a pet shop on his way to school, he would glue himself to the window looking at the dogs inside. When he saw a stray dog, he would chase after it, hoping he might bring it home with him. When he was watching TV last weekend, his dad looked up from the newspaper and said all of a sudden, “I don’t know what you want to be in the future. You don’t even have a dream!” “What do you mean he has no dream? Jun-yeong said he wants to become a dentist. You did,

didn’t you? Jun-yeong, I’m talking to you!” Because one of his favorite programs was on TV, he wasn’t really listening to his mother, so he just nodded. “Do you really want to become a dentist?” asked his dad as he rapped Jun-yeong’s head. “He did! He said he would become a famous dentist and fix your and my teeth for free. You wait and see. Jun-yeong will go to a famous school and become a dentist.” When his mother kept answering the questions for Jun-yeong, his dad became annoyed and said, “Are you Jun-yeong’s spokesperson? Why are you answering the questions that I ask him? Jun-yeong, do you really want to become a dentist?” Jun-yeong looked at his dad and his mom. He sighed and finally said, “Mom, Dad, there is something that I do want to do.” His dad stopped reading the newspaper and his mother stopped making lunch, and they both looked at Jun-yeong. “The thing is … I … want to become a dog groomer.” His parents didn’t say anything for a while. “You mean a person who grooms dogs?” “You’re not serious!” His parents looked at him as if they just couldn’t believe what he had said. “Are you nuts? You know, I think he must have eaten something bad,” said his mother. Jun-yeong said, “No, I mean it. I love dogs!” “Not one more word. You said you’d become a dentist,” said his mother as she took off her apron and sat next to him on the sofa. His dad said, “That’s because you keep pushing him to become a dentist. He said that because you pressured him about it.” “That makes no sense! I am the one who has been taking him to one after-school class to the

next.” Thinking they were at it again, Jun-yeong covered his ears with his hands and started to repeat the Korean alphabet in his head. But the fight between his parents would not end. “So-mi, is there something that you really want to do in the future? Not something that your parents tell you to do, but something that you want to do?” “Well … I always do what I want to do.” “You’re so lucky. I don’t want to become a dentist at all. I feel like fainting when I get close to a dentist’s office.” “Then why did you say in kindergarten you wanted to become a dentist? Do you know how jealous my mother was when she heard that? I said I wanted to become a mother, and my mother kept asking me about how that was all I wanted to do in the future.” “You know, I just can’t understand grown-ups. They say every job or work is important, but my mother always says something opposite.” While Jun-yeong and So-mi were talking, the class bell rang. “You’re going to make me late. Let’s just run to the classroom!” They ran across the playground, jumped two steps at a time on the stairs, and threw the door open. Surprised, Mrs. Rabbit and other students all turned around and stared at them. Mrs. Rabbit said, “You’re late. Go and have a seat.” Jun-yeong and So-mi were still out of breath, and they could hear their hearts beating in their ears. Mrs. Rabbit brought two glasses of water for them. “Imagine that this is from a spring deep in the mountains.” The water tasted sweet as if it really were from a spring deep in the mountains. “Now, can one of you tell me why you were late?” Unable to answer Mrs. Rabbit’s question, Jun-yeong held his head low. So-mi didn’t know what to say either and kept looking at Jun-yeong. Suddenly, he asked in a barely audible

voice, “Mrs. Rabbit, what did you want to be when you were little?” Mrs. Rabbit smiled and said, “An investigator.” Hearing that, the students all exclaimed, “Wow!” “Then why did you become a teacher?” “If you said to your parents that you wanted to become an investigator, they wouldn’t have liked the idea at all.” “Do teachers make more money than investigators?” “But I think investigators are cooler.” “You think your dad would like it if you told him that you would like to become an investigator? I’m sure he wouldn’t let you.” The students talked honestly and shared their ideas about different jobs. “Good. Today, I think I’ll read you a story about work. Are you ready to listen to the story?” Mrs. Rabbit began telling them the story about a rabbit that wanted to become a shoemaker. Jun-yeong and So-mi quickly sat down to listen to it. Once there was a rabbit who told his parents that he wanted to become a shoemaker. His parents said, “What? You don’t have a dream, do you? You want to repair someone else’s shoes all your life? You should dream bigger!” The rabbit couldn’t understand why his parents thought that. Everyone wears shoes. He thought it would be not only great but also very rewarding to make and repair shoes. He couldn’t understand why his parents thought it was not worthwhile work. “Dad, if this world had only doctors, who would make and fix shoes?” “You don’t have to worry about that. You should just think about what great thing you want to do with your life,” said his mom. “But Mom, I worry about who would fix shoes. And that is what I want to do.” When his mother began to raise her voice, the rabbit’s grandmother said, “Why don’t you

stop chiding the poor child? He is still very young. When he grows up and goes into the world, he might change his mind and decide on something else to do with his life. If he wants to become a shoemaker now, let him.” And looking at him, his grandmother said, “My child, if that’s what you want to do now, you should. But remember this. Whatever choice you make for your life, do your best to become the very best. When you are young, you can decide to do anything you want and give it the best you got. If you want to become a shoemaker, try to become the best one. Do you understand?” The rabbit decided that he would always remember what his grandmother told him and that he would become the best shoemaker. “That’s it for the story. There are so many different jobs in the world. Which jobs do you think are good ones?” The children thought about Mrs. Rabbit’s question long and hard. One student said, “I think a job is a good one if you can make a lot of money. Then you can buy anything you want.” “No, I think a job that people respect is a good one. My mom said a job isn’t good even if you make a lot of money if other people look down on you for it or they think it is something not good.” “My mom said the jobs that you have to study hard for are good ones.” When a student said that, everyone gave an example. “Doctor!” “Professor!” “Lawyer!” “How about Mr. Know-it-all?” When Mrs. Rabbit said that, everyone laughed out loud.

“But what would happen if everyone in the world were a lawyer or doctor? What would happen if a toilet got clogged? Or the streets were full of trash and leaves? Or who would take the trash from your house?” “But when I said to my mom that I would like to become a firefighter, my mom said that was dangerous work. She said I should study harder and become a scientist.” “If nobody becomes a firefighter, what would happen if there were a fire?” “My dad that I should become a diplomat when I grow up. He said I should have a big dream. When I said I would like to become cook, he said I would have to cook when I got married, so I should think about doing something else.” After listening to his friends, Jun-yeong said, “When I said to my mom that I would like to become a dog groomer, she didn’t like it at all and told me to become a dentist. Mrs. Rabbit, is it prejudice when grown-ups tell us some jobs are good and some jobs are not?” “Yes, it is. There are no jobs that are not important, but once you become a parent, you start to think differently. As a parent, you want your child to have a job that’s better than other people’s and to have a comfortable life. So your parents tell you things like that about jobs.” “But not everyone can become a dentist!” “You are right, Jun-yeong. Nor does everyone want to. And there is one more thing. Which is you are too young to make a decision about what you want to do in the future. What I want is for you not to have any prejudices about different jobs so that you will consider the many different jobs that are out there.” Mrs. Rabbit and the children talked about different jobs until the end of class. As soon as Jun-yeong got home, his mother spoke in an angry voice from the kitchen. “Why didn’t you go to your English after-school class? Your teacher sent me a text. Where were you?’ Jun-yeong put his backpack down on the floor and walked over to his mother.

“Mom, I would really like to become a dog groomer instead of a dentist.” “What? Didn’t we talk about this last time?” His mother stopped doing the dishes and turned around. “We did, but I thought about it again. The reading club teacher and the students talked about different jobs in class today. The teacher said that because we are still young, we shouldn’t decide on something yet, but we should think more about what we want to do and about different jobs. I think being a dentist, like you want me to, is great, but I also want to think more about becoming a dog groomer, which is what I’d like to do.” His mother wiped her hands with her apron and looked at him for a while. “What you are saying is that you are not rejecting the whole idea of becoming a dentist, but you will think about being a dentist and a dog groomer?” “That’s right. When I go to middle school, I might find something better than being a dentist. Or being a dog groomer can become really popular by then.” “So you are not going to give up on the idea of becoming a dog groomer … Okay. We will compromise. I didn’t know that you had given such serious thought to your future. You seem all grown up.” His mother looked at him and smiled. And Jun-yeong loved to see a smile on his mother’s face. “Thank you, Mom. I’m going to do my homework now!” Smelling the sweet and spicy hairtail stew from the kitchen, Jun-yeong went to his room beaming.

It’s Hard Being the Best! “Everyone looks happy today!” Mrs. Rabbit walked into the classroom smiling. But not everyone was. Ji-won, who was

sitting in the corner, had her head down on the desk and didn’t move a muscle. The other students didn’t know whether she was crying or sleeping. Mrs. Rabbit eyed So-mi, who was sitting next to Ji-won, but So-mi just shook her head to let her know that she didn’t know what was wrong. Mrs. Rabbit pretended that she didn’t notice Ji-won. The other children listened to Mrs. Rabbit’s story, clapping and laughing. But because she was worried about Ji-won next to her, So-mi couldn’t really pay attention to the story. After class, Mrs. Rabbit whispered to So-mi, “I’m going to leave this book on the desk, so take this book to the library with Ji-won. Okay?” So-mi nodded. When all the other students had left, just So-mi and Ji-won were in the classroom. “Ji-won, everyone has left.” Ji-won raised her head. Her eyes were red from crying. “Mrs. Rabbit left the book on the table. We should take it to her. The book is very heavy, so can you help me …” Ji-won hesitated, but she stood up and went to get the book, and they carried it together to the library. “Were you crying?” “I was.” “Why? What happened?” Ji-won took out a note from her pocket and gave it to So-mi for her to read. It was from Myeong-ju, who wrote that she didn’t want to be Ji-won’s friend anymore. So-mi was surprised. “Myeong-ju gave you this? But you two have been best friends since the first grade! Why did she give you a note like this?” Without a word, Ji-won’s head hung low as she walked to the library. Seeing her so dejected,

So-mi, all of a sudden, remembered what had happened during second period. During second period, the class had been drawing posters about the dangers of fire. Their homeroom teacher said that they would choose the best poster and submit it for the school competition. Ji-won and Myeong-ju were rivals. But every time they had a class competition for essay writing or drawing, Ji-won was always selected as being the best. Because she always had the best grades, her classmates thought she was the smartest one in the class. When their teacher asked the class a difficult question, the other students would just wait for Ji-won to answer instead of raising their hands or trying to answer the question themselves. And Ji-won never gave a wrong answer, which again made the other students think, “Yes, she is the best one in the class.” Because she had had the best grades ever since the first grade, the other students thought it was only natural that Ji-won’s drawing would be the best one. On the other hand, Myeong-ju, who always ended up being second best, didn’t like that at all. She thought it was unfair that the other students jumped to thinking Ji-won was the best in everything. Myeong-ju and Ji-won had been best friends since the first grade, but lately, there was a strange tension between the two. And today it finally led to Myeong-ju writing that note. “Now, if you are finished, bring your posters to my table.” The teacher took a look at the posters and selected a couple of them. Among them were the ones done by Ji-won and Myeong-ju. So-mi thought that Myeong-ju did a better job drawing a poster than Ji-won did. “Now take a look at these and vote for the poster that you think is better.” Although Myeong-ju’s drawing was better, the other students raised their hand for Ji-won’s, and it was obvious that Myeong-ju was upset. “All right. Ji-won’s poster will be in the school competition.” When their teacher said that, Myeong-ju looked as if she would burst out crying. She glared

at Ji-won and walked out of the classroom. When the recess bell rang, the other students ran to Ji-won and said, “Since you always get first place in everything, your drawing should be in the school competition.” “That’s right. She won first place in the school competition last time, too. What’s wrong with Myeong-ju?” “It’s because hers didn’t get picked. She’s so lame!” When Myeong-ju came back to the classroom, they laughed louder as if to taunt her. So-mi felt bad for her. “Mrs. Rabbit, here is your book.” “Oh, thank you. I was going to get it. Thank you, So-mi, and thank you, Ji-won.” Mrs. Rabbit winked at So-mi and took out some lollipops. “I feel better when I have a lollipop. Would you like one?” Mrs. Rabbit gave each girl a lollipop and went to make tea. Ji-won wanted to leave and said, “I have to go now, Mrs. Rabbit.” Mrs. Rabbit brought some tea out and smelled it. “The library is pretty empty today, so I was going to make some tea and drink it here. I also brought carrot cake that I had made. Would you like to have some tea and tell me why you had your head down the whole time in class today?” Mrs. Rabbit took out really pretty cups, like ones that could be in Alice in Wonderland. And she carefully poured the tea into the cups. She also put a slice of carrot cake on each plate. “The thing is …” Ji-won told Mrs. Rabbit what had happened during second period, and she whimpered when she told her about the note that Myeong-ju had given her. “I see …” Mrs. Rabbit poured some more tea into their cups and brought the book in front of her.

“Let’s see. Which story would be good now?” And she turned the pages for a while. “Got it. I’ll read you this story.” And Mrs. Rabbit started to read them a story. There was a rabbit that always won running races. So other rabbits called him “The Best Rabbit.” When the rabbit won for the first time, he was really happy. But as time passed, he realized winning wasn’t always great. “The Best Rabbit is the fastest runner!” “That’s right. Nobody can beat him.” “Yes, he will win first place in the next race, too.” The rabbit felt pressured by others’ expectations. One day the rabbits decided to have an obstacle race. The Best Rabbit wasn’t confident at all this time, but other rabbits were sure that he would win. The rabbit couldn’t even sleep. Thinking he had to win, he practiced jumping over the hurdles day and night. He lost his toenails and bled from his feet, but he practiced jumping again and again. Finally he won first place in the obstacle race. Everyone said, “That’s why he is The Best Rabbit,” and clapped for him. But the rabbit’s friends started to avoid him. They said, “We practiced hard, too, but because you always win, we don’t get a chance at winning.” “I’m just so sick of seeing you win all the time.” With that, his friends left him one by one. Ji-won said to Mrs. Rabbit, “I think I understand how the rabbit felt. I’m sure it was hard for The Best Rabbit. The expectation that you will always be the best or always win first place is actually scary.” “You think so?”

“Yes. I think it is terrible for people to expect that just because you did well the last time, you will do well or even better the next time. People have no idea how hard you have to try or how hard you have to work to meet their expectations. My mom always tells me how proud she is because I am the best in the class. And she tells me that she believes I will have the best grades next time, too. So I get very worried and nervous before a test, I get a headache, and I can’t even sleep well.” Hearing Ji-won, So-mi also added, “And there is no reason to think that you will be good at everything just because you have the best grades in class. It’s not easy to be good at everything, but people end up thinking that way.” After So-mi said that, she looked at Ji-won and became worried that she might have hurt Jiwon’s feelings. But Ji-won understood what So-mi meant and said, “You’re right. People do end up thinking that way.” “It’s not different with grown-ups either. Instead of looking at a person’s competence, people think the name of the school that the person graduated from is more important. It is not fair to think that just because a person graduated from a famous school, the person will be good at everything.” “That’s also a prejudice, isn’t it, Mrs. Rabbit?” “It is. People should be able to see a person for who he or she is now, not who he or she was in the past,” said Mrs. Rabbit, stroking So-mi’s hair. So-mi thought for a while and said, “When you make the effort to see the world as it is and to be fair, you should be able to fight against prejudices, I think.” “Wow, you are a philosopher, aren’t you, So-mi? Maybe I should call you Ms. Philosopher!” Mrs. Rabbit grinned ear to ear looking at Ji-won and So-mi. A couple of days later, the school held an essay writing contest. The teacher picked several essays from the class, and like the drawing contest, the essays by Ji-won and Myeong-ju were

among the ones that the teacher had selected. Some students whispered, “I’m sure Ji-won’s will be the best one again.” To that, So-mi said, “How do you know? You should listen to their essays and think fairly about who did a better job.” Jiwon, Myeong-ju, and some other students read their essays, and this time the class really had to think hard about whose essay was better. So-mi thought that Myeong-ju did a better job. The teacher asked the class, “So, whose paper do you think should be in the school competition?” “Myeong-ju’s! I think hers was the best one,” said Ji-won. The class took a vote, and this time, more students raised their hand for Myeong-ju’s paper. The teacher said, “Myeong-ju’s paper will be in the school competition this time.” Everyone in the class looked at Ji-won and Myeong-ju. Myeong-ju blushed, and Ji-won clapped really loudly for her, and other students also clapped for Myeong-ju to congratulate her. During recess, So-mi was in the bathroom with Ji-won. So-mi asked her, “You didn’t get picked this time. Are you okay?” “Of course I am. I am better than okay. What’s important to me is not being the best all the time. My friends are more important.” “So did you talk to Myeong-ju?” “I did, and we decided to be best friends and best rivals.” “Best friends and best rivals? That sounds cool.” So-mi and Ji-won high-fived each other, and So-mi realized how good a friend Ji-won was.