Special Ed

We got a phone call from J's ESL teacher yesterday saying he was having attitude problems at school with her and with his math teacher. Attitude problems? J? They must be mistaken. (Yeah, that's a whole lot of sarcasm.)

I talked with J when I picked him up. He says he asked for help in math class and she showed him again and he said he didn't understand. She showed him again and he said he didn't understand and then she told him to be quiet. I know him well enough to know that he wasn't telling me everything. I know human nature well enough to know that there are at least 2 sides to every story and that people always sway their side to their favor. I was trying to figure out what really went on.

J went to his room to throw darts. They are the rubber tipped kind and I confirmed through the door that he was hitting the target. Then he went over to work for my mom. I texted her warning her of J's mood and assured her that it had nothing to do with her.

T got home just before J did. We talked to him again and he mentioned how some of the kids get to go to a different math class. He mentioned some other things. We reminded him that we talked about his attitude and his bedtime. We told him that this was his last warning and if it happened again his bedtime was getting moved up.

We ate, J did his homework and T and I went to praise team practice. Later on, after J went to bed, I was thinking more about what all went down and what was said. I honed in on the fact that J had asked for help because he didn't understand to the point of exasperating his teacher. I thought about his words that those 4 or 5 kids got to go to a different math class. It finally dawned on me that this child is so smart that he was playing dumb to get into a special ed math class that he assumed would be easier. I texted his ESL teacher my thoughts. She agreed.

This morning J was doing homework that he claims he forgot to do last night. I looked at him and told him to forget about special ed as it was for people with learning disabilities or who lacked the mental capacity to do the work. I told him his only problems were his lack of learning and lack of the English language before he came to the US and that he just didn't want to do the work. I told him to stop the stupid act and to decide to stop being lazy and just do the work. He said a nonchalant, "Ok." He knew the special ed gig was up.