Ben is a second grader just like you. He likes soccer, video games and ice cream on a hot day.

Most days Ben loves going to school and learning new things. His best friend Zoe in his class and his Teacher Ms Stevens is so nice. Ben likes listening to Ms Steven’s lessons, eating lunch with Zoe and playing on the playground during recess.

Ms Stevens tells the class she had some exciting news. At the end of this week there will be a class trip to the beach to celebrate the end of the school year. Ben is so excited! He loves the beach and can't wait to have fun with his classmates. “But” Ms Stevens says “inorder to come on the trip you have to follow two rules very carefully for the rest of the week. You need to be respectful and kind to your classmates and complete the homework assignment for the week”.

Ben is very responsible and always gets his homework done right away, he also is very kind to his teachers and classmates. However, this week has been difficult for him. Ben feels tired out from the long school year and got some bad news. His mom told him that his grandma is sick and it is making him feel sad. 

Ben doesn't feel like going to school and is finding it hard to be nice to his classmates because of his bad mood. Ben’s mom told him that even when it's difficult he still needs to be kind to the people around him and work hard at school. He knows she's right.

At school Zoe is telling Ben about the fun day she had with her grandparents at the park. This is really bothering Ben, he feels sad and angry and wants to yell at her to stop talking. Ben remembers what his mom said about being kind and what Ms Stevens said he had to do in order to attend the beach celebration. He knows his friend Zoe isn't trying to upset him, he also knows if he yells at Zoe in frustration that would not be kind.

Ben says to Zoe "Hey my grandma isn't feeling well now so when you talk about having fun with your grandparents it makes me feel bad. Can we talk about something else?" "Sure im sorry Ben" said Zoe.

When Ben got home from school that day he was so tired. The last thing he wanted to do was his homework, but he remembered what Ms Stevens said. He knew if he did not complete his homework he could not attend the beach celebration. Ben thought about how it  would make him feel tomorrow if he could not go to the breach with his classmates. He knew it was the right choice to complete his homework tonight so he could enjoy the celebration tomorrow. So Ben got to work.