Every week in class there is someone who seems like she does not want to be there. She is quiet and timid, and never shares her work. Her eyes red-rimmed as though she has been crying, she looks up at everyone as though they will attack her at any moment. I can’t imagine what she gets out of it, or what compels her to go, week after week. The homework appears to flummox, and the exercises fly over her head. I wish I could understand. Of all the people to drop out, and there have been many, I didn’t expect that she would still be there, dogged in her attendance.
We all got  feedback from the teacher on our assignments last week. She [the timid woman] spoke up, thanking the teacher for her encouragement. Then, for the first time, she read out a piece she wrote during one of the exercises aloud to the class. It pays to be persistent!