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Once upon a time
a girl called
Rita was
attending the
Year 2 at her
local Primary
school.
Since her dad
earned a lot of
money, she would
always take
different things
to school. The
other students
were admired but
jealous at the
same time.
One day Rita
searched for a
ruler in her bag
but couldn’t
find it. Leandro
was sitting next
to her. He came
from a poor
family, and was
watching it
without saying
anything.
Rita felt angry
and irritated,
looked at
Leandro and
pointed the
finger at him:
— It was him,
teacher! He
stole my new
ruler!
The boy looked
scared and
surprised at the
girl. The
teacher stopped
writing at the
black board and
said to the
girl:
— How can you
say such a
thing, Rita?
The girl then
insisted:
— I am 100%
sure, teacher. I
caught him
yesterday
looking at it!
The boy calmly
said:
— It’s true,
teacher. I found
the colourful
ruler quite
beautiful, but I
never touched
it.
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The teacher then
looked at her
student and
advised:
— We can never
judge anyone,
Rita, especially
if we can’t
prove what we
are saying. You
could have left
your ruler at
home.
The girl
continued with
her accusation.
— No. I am sure
it was Leandro.
He was the last
one to leave at
snack time. He
stole it. I want
my ruler back! I
want my ruler
back!
That’s when the
mess started.
Some students
were at her
side; some
others were at
Leandro’s side.
In order to
re-establish the
order in the
room, the
teacher decided
to check the
boy’s bag.
Leandro felt
humiliated but
assured of
himself. He let
the teacher
check his
belongings.
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She couldn’t
find anything.
The girl
continued to
demand her ruler
back, even
though it wasn’t
there. The
teacher decided
to send them to
the school
management. |
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Peace came back
to the
classroom, after
both students
were gone from
the room. On the
following day,
Leandro didn’t
come to
school.
He came
back two
days
later,
looking
quite
pale.
Even if
the
teacher
couldn’t
find
anything
within
his
belongings,
the
accusation
hit him
badly.
He ended
up in
bed,
with
fever. |
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One week later,
Rita came to
school with her
mother. She was
extremely
ashamed of her
daughter’s
behaviour when
she heard what
happened at
school. Rita
remained silent.
Her mother
looked at the
entire classroom
and said:
— My daughter
has something to
say, right
Rita?
The girl was
blushing. She
was feeling
really ashamed
of herself and
admitted:
— I want to tell
you I found my
ruler.
Everyone
murmured.
Leandro smiled,
feeling
relieved.
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The girl
then
said: |
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— On the day I
missed my ruler,
I went to tide
up my room. I
didn’t realise
it fall on the
floor, close to
my cupboard. Our
cleaner found it
today when she
was in my
room....
She then paused,
looked at
Leandro and
said:
— Would you be
able to forgive
me? I feel so
ashamed! I
promise this
will never
happen again. I
learned I should
not judge so we
are not judged.
The boy smiled,
hugged his
colleague and
told her:
— I have nothing
to forgive you
for, Rita. The
important thing
is that you
found your ruler
and everything
is now clear.
She smiled and
thanked her
colleague. She
then took the
ruler from her
bag and said:
— I know I will
never be able to
avoid what I
have done to
you. I would
like you to keep
this as a gift.
I know you
really
appreciate it.
Leandro hold the
ruler and felt
really happy.
The entire class
cheered. The
case was
solved.
Aunt Celia
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