One Word Right

Teo did not like spelling. The words were too long. Last week, he got every word wrong.

Today there was a new test. Ten words. Teo looked at the list and tried hard.

The teacher gave back the test. Teo had nine words wrong. But one word was correct. The first word: “cat.”

“I got one!” Teo said. “Is that better?”

“Yes,” the teacher said. “Last week, zero. This week, one. That’s better.”

Teo looked at the word “cat.” It was small, but it was his.

“Next week,” he said, “I want two.”

The teacher smiled. “I think you can.”