As Amy Hagdorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she ran into a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.
"Watch it. Squirt." the boy yelled, as he kept away from the little third grader. Then, with an unfriendly smile on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and imitated the way Amy limped(跛行) when she walked.
Amy closed her eyes for a moment.
"Forget it!" she told herself as she headed for her classroom.
It wasn't as if he were the only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. The tease made Amy feel all lonely.
Back home at the dinner table that evening, Amy was quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at school. That's why Patti Hagdorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter
"There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the newspaper, she announced." Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize.
Out came a pencil and a piece of paper and Amy went to work on her letter. She wrote:
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy(脑瘫). I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fan of me.
Love
Amy
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the News Sentinel. The little girl's story spread quickly. She asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift-just one day without being teased.
During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters or cards of friendship and support.
Amy did get her wish of a special day without being teased. Additionally, teachers and students in her school talked together about how bad tease can make others feel.
