As the bell rang, Maxim handed in his paper. He didn't know if he got every single digit perfect, but he knew he had tried his best and understood the concepts. Walking out into the cool afternoon air, he realized that independent work wasn't a monster to be feared—it was just a way to show himself how much he had grown since the first quarter.
"Remember, guys," their teacher, Elena Petrovna, said with a warm smile. "These tasks are just puzzles waiting for you to solve them. You have all the tools you need in your heads." As the bell rang, Maxim handed in his paper
.He wrote down the full answer, feeling like a detective who had just cracked a case. As the bell rang