I am a university professor. Last year, I took a（n） 1 step: I decided to sign up for an online course to learn Arabic, a very difficult language.
My teacher was a patient and 2 man from Cairo, who had been teaching here for years. He could 3 my awkwardness in class and would find ways to help me feel more comfortable. "You are intelligent today," my teacher would often say when I 4 well in class. When I heard these words for the first time, I was filled with 5 . A few words from an authority 6 had made my day. His praise truly 7 my confidence and I became more positive about my Arabic learning.
That was when I 8 how little I had praised my own students. I had 9 that too much praise would make students too proud, and even lazy. Now, as a student, I saw things 10 . I had a change of heart. If I—a university professor with a PhD—felt 11 with a few words of encouragement, imagine what 12 my words could have on my students, sensitive young people who were looking to carve out a career in a 13 environment.
So now I praise as often and as sincerely as I can, knowing that even simple words can 14 a lot. They can save someone from a bad day, as my teacher's 15 have done for me.
