Bring. The bell rang and all the students sat down at their desks. I looked toward the back of the classroom and saw Caleb sitting by himself. The kids around him were jeering at him and calling him names, but he just sat there, pencil poised, with a smile on his face. I rang the bell on my desk and the room grew quiet. Steven, the class helper took the worksheets from my desk and passed them out. When he set the paper on Caleb’s desk, Chase, the student sitting next to him, grabbed it and taunted him, keeping it just out of his reach.

“Chase! This is your warning. Act up again and you are going to the principal’s office.” I said sternly. Chase dropped the worksheet. Caleb bent over and picked it up. He smoothed out the wrinkles and began working on it. Within ten minutes he placed the finished worksheet on my desk and returned to his seat.

            “Caleb, please come here.” I said. I had noticed that he was a bright young child, especially in math, so I had a created a workbook to make sure he was being challenged enough.

            “Yes?” he asked when he reached my desk.

            “Whenever you finish your math assignment early, work on this packet. If you have any questions, just come ask.” I replied as I handed him the booklet I had made him. He returned to his desk, the other kids laughing at him once again. Yet, he was still smiling. The bell rang and the students all rushed outside for recess. I walked around the room collecting the papers. When I got near the window, I saw Caleb playing with his friends. Chase snuck up behind Caleb and shoved him into the mud. A couple minutes later, Chase tripped and fell. Caleb stopped cleaning the mud off his new jacket and helped Chase up. Chase then accepted the help, only to push Caleb into the mud once again.

            Recess ended and my little 3rd graders found their seats again and sat down. Caleb walked in, covered in mud with dried blood on his knee and took his seat. I could not understand it, but when I looked back at him, he was still smiling. It seemed like no matter what happened to this kid, he was always happy. When I noticed that he had finished his daily reading, I told him to go wash up and then wait for me in the hall.

            Slightly cleaner, Caleb sat in the hall, waiting.

            “Ok, everyone go to lunch. Except you, Chase. I would like you to go to the principal’s office. Mr. Stevens is expecting you.” Chase moaned, but did as he was told.

            I called Caleb back into the room and asked him why he was always so happy.

            “That’s easy,” he replied cheerily, “I just think about my eternal reward for completing my mission here on Earth, and then the things they do seem very insignificant.