Today is Monday and Jessica and I wake up feeling excited because it is my first day at my new school in Marrakech. I have my breakfast, put my new clothes on, and my mom drives us to the school. In the entrance of the school, the teachers are greeting the students with smiles and the students are chatting happily. Mom takes us to the administration where we find a lady waiting for us. She welcomes us in the school, talks to my mom, and takes me and Jessica to our classes.Ā 

When we arrive in the class, the lady knocks on the doors and the teacher tells us to enter. She points to an empty place and tells me to go and sit there. She waves at the teacher and closes the door of the classroom. Everyone is looking at me. The teacher smiles at me and looks at a paper and says ā€œwe have a new student here. Jacob James. He is from London. I am Teacher Aicha, your math teacher. Nice to meet you Jacob.ā€Ā Ā 

ā€œNice to meet you too, teacher Aicha. Iā€™m very happy to be here.ā€ I say. Students continue to look at me and smile or wave. I smile and wave back from time to time. The classroom is big and has nice pictures on the walls.Ā 

During break time, we go outside to the playground. Some students are running around, and others are jumping rope. I sit there alone and a girl comes and says hello to me. She is my classmate and her name is Lina. Lina asks me if I like the school and I say yes. Lina and I are talking and laughing while we swing on the swings, and later another classmate joins us. His name is Mohamed . I can hear the sound of children laughing and playing all around me. It feels great to be a part of this friendly and lively school.

After lunch, the school principal asks all the students to go to a special room. She announces an exciting event. We are going to have a drumming performance, and parents will come to watch us play! I feel so excited. I love the drum and I play it in London. I see other students writing their names on a paper to participate in it, and they seem really excited. I decide to give it a try too so I write my name down. Lina and Mohamed do the same, so we will be practicing together.

When I get home, I’m so excited to tell my parents all about my first day at school. “Mum, Dad!” I say, “I love thw school! I have a great teacher and I made some new friends! We did some fun activities and I learned some new words in French and Arabic!” They both smile and listen to me as I talk about my day. My sister Jessica was also happy about it. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow and see what we’ll learn next!

The next day, our teacher says that we will have drumming lessons during our music class. The teacher introduces us to our drum coach, Mr. Jamal. He shows us different drumming techniques and teaches us how to keep a steady rhythm. We practice hitting the drums softly and loudly.

Mr. Jamal is kind and patient, and he teaches us how to play the drums step by step. We start with simple beats, like tapping and clapping. We practice together, following Mr. Jamal’s instructions. Sometimes, we make mistakes, but he encourages us to keep trying and not give up. With each practice, I feel more confident and excited about our drumming performance. We continue to practice everyday because the event is close and we still have to learn a lot of things.Ā 

One day, when I arrive at school, I hear some surprising news. Mr. Jamal, our drum coach, has quit the school. I feel worried. Who will guide us now? Will we still be able to perform at the event? Lina, Mohamed , and I talk about what we should do but we donā€™t find any solutions. It is a bad situation !!Ā 

Glossary:

 

Greeting: A friendly and polite act of welcoming or acknowledging someone.

Swings: A seat suspended by ropes or chains, used for amusement in a playground.

Playground: An area outside a school for children to play and have fun.

Drumming: Playing a drum or drums.

Principal: The head or leader of a school.

Coach: A person who trains others in a specific skill or activity.

Rhythm: A regular pattern of beats or sounds.

Patient: Able to wait calmly or endure without complaining.

Quit: To leave or stop doing something permanently.

 

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