"OK class," says Ms. Liu. "It's time for our group project. Let's get to work!"
Yi Han is the leader of one group. She is not looking forward to working with her group because a boy named Li Tian is always absent from the group meetings. He doesn't follow the rules, and he refuses to do any work. This slows the whole group down.
Yi Han considers telling Ms. Liu about these problems, but she doesn't want to get Li Tian in trouble. Instead, she decides to talk to him and find out what the problem is. She says, "Everyone is working hard on our project. But so far, you have done nothing. Is there something wrong?”
Li Tian is quiet for a few seconds, and finally says, "It's not that I don't want to be in the group. Sometimes, I don't really understand the things we're learning. I know it's not fair, but I don't want to say something stupid, so I do nothing."
Now Yi Han understands. Li Tian isn't lazy—he just needs help! "From now on," she says, "I will do my best to help you feel more confident. Then you can do your share, and it will be fair for everyone." "Thank you! I'll try hard to do my part," says Li Tian.
Yi Han feels happy. She realizes that talking about problems is better than keeping them as secrets.