Two days after Simon’s fifth birthday, he went to school for
the first time.
  His mother bought him new clothes, and a special bag to
carry his pens and books in.
  The school was a long way from his home, so Simon’s
mother took him to school in the morning, and left him at the
school gate.
  “Enjoy yourself, Simon,” she said, “and be good. The
teacher will tell me if you’re not.”
  Then she left him and went back home. At half past three
she went back to the school to pick him up. She waited outside

with many other mothers. Soon he came out and ran up to her.
  “Did you enjoy your first day at school?” she asked him.
  He shook his head.
  “No,” he said, “and I’m never going back there again.”
  His mother was very surprised.
  “What’s the matter?” she asked him. “Has someone been
unkind to you?”
  “No,” he replied.
  “Did you miss me?” his mother asked him. “Is that why you
don’t want to go to school again?”
  “No,” he replied.
  “Then tell me the reason,” his mother said.
  “All right. I can’t read. I can’t write. I can’t spell. I can’t do
math and the teacher won’t let me talk. What’s the point of going
to school when I can’t do anything there?”

                    没　意　思
  西蒙过完五岁生日后的第三天，他要上学了。
  妈妈给他买了件新衣服，还特地给他买了个书包，用来装书和钢笔。
  学校离家很远，所以一大早妈妈就把他送到学校大门口。
  妈妈嘱咐他：“祝你愉快，西蒙。在学校里要听老师的话，如果你不听
话，老师会告诉我的！”
  说完妈妈转身回家了。下午三点半，她回学校接西蒙。像其他母亲一
样，她一直在外面等着。很快西蒙就出来了，向妈妈跑了过来。
  “第一天上学高兴吗？”妈妈问他。
  西蒙摇了摇头。
  他说：“不高兴，我再也不想上学了。”
  妈妈非常吃惊。
  她问：“怎么了，有人对你不友好吗？”
  “没有。”西蒙回答。
  妈妈问他：“你想妈妈了？是因为这个你才不想回去上学的吗？”
  “不是。”他回答。
  “那是什么原因啊？”妈妈说。
  “我不会看书，不会写字，不会拼写，不会算术，老师还不让我说话。
我什么都不能做，上学还有什么意思啊？”