An Outstanding Teacher   Ben put the white envelope into the mailbox. He felt proud, excited, and happy--and also a little nervous about whether his essay would win. Ben's local newspaper had advertised a contest inviting students to submit essays in honor of a remarkable teacher. The newspaper would choose the five best essays and print them in the paper. As soon as Ben heard about the contest, he knew he wanted to write about Mrs. Gruen. Mrs. Gruen was always so friendly and patient, and she always had something encouraging to say to her students. Even more importantly, she knew how to make science interesting and enjoyable. Before being in her class, Ben would have said he was uninterested in science, but now science was his favorite subject. At first, Ben had struggled with his essay. After he finished his first draft, he asked his older sister, Hannah, to review it. Eventually, after many more revisions, the essay was ready to mail. As Ben stood before the mailbox, he imagined how surprised Mrs. Gruen would be  to open the newspaper and see her name in print.  When the big day finally came, Ben opened the newspaper and eagerly studied the columns of print for the essay he had written. He did not see his essay anywhere. He turned through all of the pages, but it was not there! Instead, he saw five other essays talking about five other teachers. Ben felt like a balloon that had suddenly lost all its air. A few days later in science class, Mrs. Gruen asked Ben to stay after class for a few minutes. "Your sister stopped by yesterday," Mrs. Gruen told Ben. "She brought me the most wonderful gift." Ben saw that Mrs. Gruen was holding a copy of his essay. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you enjoy my class and think I'm a good teacher. No reward or honor could ever be greater than this essay," said Mrs. Gruen. "OK," Ben said, "I meant everything I wrote." Then he stepped into the hallway with his head held high. When Ben read the five essays in print, he felt   _  .
surprised disappointed annoyed nervous