Two students stayed after school with me today, one by choice and the other by coercion. The one who chose to stay retook a test and improved his grade from a C to an A. The other moped and refused to work despite the expectations of his parents and the cajoling and offers of support from me.
"No one can make you do your work," I acknowledged at one point in our conversation, "but wouldn't it feel better if you did?"
In the end he turned in the incomplete (but well-written) narrative he had, and I called it a win, since he complained about the effort of tapping his screen the entire time.
This kid has been on the team's radar since day one of the school year. "I think he might be my future favorite," I have joked with my colleagues at lunch, even after told me how much he hated my class. Maybe? I thought today when he left without saying good-bye, he's not a problem to be solved, but just a kid to accept for who he is.
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