A Glimmer of Light

I almost fell out of my chair last night.

For the last several years, my son has been lazy and uninterested when it comes to his school work. The kid is bright and intelligent, but he kinda skipped out on life for awhile. Life was a bit hard and he struggled in many areas. A glimmer of light began to show through toward the end of school last year.

I had high hopes for this year.

So far it has sounded like things have gone pretty well. He's mentioned a couple of geometry tests he's aced, interesting topics in modern world history, and other interesting components in his classes.

All sounds well - but I was still feeling a bit keyed up and nervous. I didn't want to look at his grades online and once again feel so at a loss for how to help him or what to do or angry that he was squandering the incredible talent God had given him.

Last night I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. We're getting close to mid-semester and if he was faltering in any classes, he'd still have time to turn things around if I got ahold of him soon enough. What was the picture going to look like? I was dreading another confrontation.

When the grades screen popped up, I was so pleasantly pleased. A's and B's. We're not just talking he's barely squeaking by either - these are solid grades in the mid to upper ranges. He's acing geometry and biology, among others. Wow! My buttons just about popped off my blouse.

This morning I told him I'd checked his grades. He didn't even look scared or like he was about to get verbally creamed. He already knew he was doing good just by the daily work accomplishments. My son even mentioned how it all seems to be sinking in and he's able to recall most of it.

I told him he should be very proud of himself. I know I am. Just hope it lasts.

I have a feeling that this time it just might. That is if my son has anything to do with it.

Mathematics Mad Cow

My son has started school and is quickly settling into a routine. He's already gotten into a kerfuffle with his geometry teacher though.

He tends to have "Open Mouth - Insert Foot" disease. I think it is related to "Mad Cow", however I could be mistaken. Must be a genetic thing.

When something hits his brain it tends to come spewing out of his mouth. Now it isn't necessarily a bad thing. He doesn't mean to come across as a know-it-all or anything. He doesn't intend to offend, but sometimes his teachers don't like having their errors pointed out to them in front of the whole class.

I guess it comes from having a grandpa who is a college mathematics instructor.

The teacher gave an incorrect definition for a theorem in relation to the problem. My son happened to be absolutely certain of that particular definition and questioned the instructor, who proceeded to harrumph (according to my son) it away and ignore him. One thing about my son, when he does actually take the time to speak up, he's usually very confident of his answer. So he went a step further, looked up the definition and proceeded to read it to the instructor, who didn't take kindly to it at all.

My son was fuming when I arrived home from work. Just to make him feel better, we called my father to ensure that there hadn't been a misunderstanding. Nope - no misunderstanding. My son was right.

Just because he was right didn't make what he did completely appropriate. I told my son that he needs to learn to temper himself in those situations, to not be afraid to question those in authority (with respect), but to leave it alone if the teacher doesn't respond to the question or point. Then after class it is 100% appropriate to talk with the teacher about it one on one. Teachers are human too. They can make mistakes, and like the rest of us probably don't appreciate having it pointed out in front of the entire class.

Yes, my son was okay to ask for clarification on the issue. But he should have then left it alone until they could discuss it in private. That way he could save the teacher a bit of his dignity.

He could also demonstrate tact and something else he greatly desires - his maturity.

With great intelligence comes great responsibility.