Once upon a time, there was a great boy whose name was Hui. He loved to learn, but sometimes he forgot how smart he was. One day, Hui found out that he had a very big test coming up at school. It was going to be one of the hardest tests of the year! When Mrs. Collier, his teacher, told everyone, Hui felt his stomach twist, and butterflies formed in his tummy. “Oh no! What if I don’t do well?” he thought.

    Mrs. Collier stood in front of the classroom, explaining what the test would be: “You will be tested on everything we’ve learned! From math to science. So make sure to study hard!” Hui felt even more nervous. The whole car ride home, he had his head down, feeling worried like a little storm cloud floating in the sky. Ready to spill.

    As soon as Hui got home, he rushed to his room and slammed the door with a THWACK! He took out all his books and scattered them everywhere; his desk and floor were covered! He wanted to study and do his best, but his tummy started to hurt because he was so stressed. Dinner was ready, but Hui couldn’t even think about eating. He stayed up late, reading and reading, trying to remember everything he's ever learned in class.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? HOW IS HUI TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

    The next day at lunch, Hui's friend, a cheerful boy named Leo, came over. He was excited! “Hui! Guess what? Mrs. Dreher is coming to teach us about stress management!” he said, smiling. “She’s going to show us how to take deep breaths and feel better when we’re nervous!” Hui listened closely, and a little light of hope started to glow in his heart.

    When it was time for Mrs. Dreher to visit their class, she walked in with a big smile. “Hello, everyone! I’m so happy to be here today! Who here feels a little stressed sometimes?” The kids looked around in confusion. "Stressed means to be worried about something. This ''something'' could be a task, like a test, or being late to an event." She explained. "So, who here feels stressed sometimes?" Many hands went up, including Hui's! Mrs. Dreher not only had a comforting smile, but she also had many fun activities to share.

    “Let’s all take a deep breath together!” she said. Everyone closed their eyes and breathed in deeply through their noses and out through their mouths. “Inhale... and exhale. Good job!” Hui felt a little better already. Mrs. Dreher taught them how to take breaths when they felt worried and how to think of happy things to feel calm.

    After her lesson, Mrs. Dreher walked over to Hui. She knelt and said, “Hui, remember, you can do this! Trust yourself. ” Her kind words made Hui feel like a superhero. He walked out of the classroom feeling more confident, and he knew that he was going to ace the test. 

HOW DOES MRS. DREHER HELP HUI?

    The next day was the test day! Hui woke up, and instead of feeling scared, he felt confident, he reminded himself of what Mrs. Dreher had taught him. He took some deep breaths and told himself, “I can do this!”