Soon there were frogs hopping around the classroom and one leapt dangerously close to Miss Ling. She almost screamed

THE PUPILS OF FROM THREE A of a District Council School Could Sense trouble as soon as their strict and serious-looking Maths. Teacher, Miss Ling, entered the classroom. Annoyance was written all over her face and she did not even acknowledge the customary "Good morning, Miss Ling.'" call. Instead, when the pupils had resumed sitting, she began lecturing.

"I wonder what has come over all of you,"she reprimanded. "I have taught you time and again the correct method of tackling this exercise. Yet you have submitted such careless works. I am very much concerned and discouraged. I should like all of you to be present again at three this afternoon for an hour's extra lesson."

With some more advice given to her students, Miss Ling then started to teach and the class remained quiet and attentive. Not long after, the bell rang for recess and the pupils thankfully watched Miss Ling walked out of the classroom.

Then the pupils started to grumble and moan to each other. They were not particulary interested in having to go through an extra hour of Maths in the afternoon, expecially when the subject was so very boring.' Besides, most of them had 'other' was met with many disapprovals.

Then John, the naughtiest boy in the class, stood in front of the class and made this announcement:

"I have a plan for escaping lessons this afternoon."

"What have you in mind?" asked one of his classmates.

And so, John told them of his plan and all of them burst into fits of laughter.

"I bet Miss Ling  will shriek and rush out of the classroom.'"said Mei Mei.

"And I would be able to go fishing after all, "said John, with a wide grin on his mischievous face.

It had been raining heaviluy in the early part of the morning, but the rain had stopped some hours ago. When the day's lessons were over, some boys and girls, could be seen making their way to a piece of wasteland near the edge of the school's compound. From the tall, wet grass, croaking sounds wre heard - sounds made by frogs. Soon, the pupils caught a good number of them and put them in plastic bags before carring them back to their classroom. These ugly-looking and cold-blooded creatures wre then hidden in several of the desks which had lids on them.

Then three o'clock came and the pupils dutifully went to attend the extra Maths,lesson. The afternoon was fine and the pupils longed to be out in the lovely wather. They kept very quiet and were almost beside themselves with excitement. Everyone was waiting for Jon to put his plan into action. So quiet were they had realised their mistake and wre determined to improve.

Then John put up his hand and asked, "Miss Ling, may I get up to look for my frog? It has escaped."

'Look for it by all means, "said the Maths. teacher. "I do not understand why you have to bring such a hideous-looking creature into the class. Catch it and throw it out of the classroom."

"Oh no.' I cannot possibly throw it away," exclaimed John, in a pretended tone. "It's for a science experiment tomorrow."

John got up and searched around the classroom. There wre uncontrolled giggles coming from some of the pupils. Miss Ling looked around angrily. John found his frog and went back to his seat.

However, somebody else announced that his frogs escaping and more pupils joining in the game of catching frogs. Soon there were frogs hopping around the classroom and one leapt dangerously close to Miss Ling. She almost screamed. Throughout the process she stood motionless against the wall. Finally, in a rather shaky voice, she said, "All right, there will be no lesson this afternoon. Will you see that all the frogs are caught and locked up safely?"

With that, she picked up her books and hurried out of the frog-infested classroom, leaving the jubilant pupils behind to roar with laughter.