"I'm passing back last weeks test. Over all I was pleased with the grades, but there are some areas where a few of you need some help. I'm offering tutoring after school hours. If I think you need it I'll let you know, and if you think you need it, then you need to let me know." Mr. Jenkins was a young teacher. He was about 24, barely out of college. This was his first year of teaching, but he was a good teacher. A lot of the freshmen girls had crushes on him.
Trisha didn't want to see her paper. She hadn't studied enough, and she knew the grade she was about to recieve would not please her, Mr. Jenkins, or her mother.
"Trisha, I need to talk to you after class." Mr. Jenkins frowned and pushed the paper marked "D-" towards her.
Trisha bowed her head. "Yes, Mr. Jenkins."
The period was brief. They reviewed the test, went over some problems and chatted with one another until the bell rang. Mr. Jenkins hadn’t felt like giving out an assignment.
“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Mr. Jenkins looked up from his desk. “Trisha? Oh yes. Well, your test grade. Let me ask you, are you happy with this grade?” He pointed at the large “D-“ scrawled in red ink.
What kind of question is that? Of course I’m not happy with it. What kind of idiot would be? “No.”
“I’ve reviewed your test so many times, trying to give you points where ever I could. The truth is, it was hard work.”
Gee, thanks for boosting my ever-strong self-esteem. Trisha thought, bitterly.
“You didn’t make any mathematical errors, so all I can say is that you just didn’t understand the material.”
“Shouldn’t I get credit if I do math right?”
“Only if you’re in algebra, and unfortunately, you’re not in that math class anymore. You have to know the formulas and the concepts. You were just guessing, and that worries me.”
“Why?”
“You’ve always been one of my best students. You’re a hard worker, I admire that. But lately your work has gotten sloppy. I want to know how to cure this problem.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, in a friendly gesture. “I want to tutor you. I can help you get a better grasp on the concepts you’re having trouble with. I’ll even let you retake the test.”
“That’s really nice of you, but the problem is that I don’t have a way to get home if I stay after school.”
“Oh, I see. Well, if it’s alright with your parents, and I get a written consent letter, I’d be more than willing to drive you home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. If you really feel like this was just a bad test for you then you can always just retake it. But I’d really like it if you’d accept my offer. You’ve been slipping all around in this class, I think some little help may be exactly what you need.”
“My grade’s not that bad, is it?” She laughed.
“It dropped to about D+.” He replied, solemnly.
“Please, go home with you mom, discuss it. Let me know what the plan is. I’m sure we can work something out.”
“What am I going to do?” She mumbled. She walked down the street to the bus stop. “I can’t believe I’m getting a D. Oh wait, a D+.” She added bitterly. “Excuse me is this seat taken?” The man sitting in the other seat nods in the negative.
“My name is Jeff.” He extends his hand.
She nods rudely, without returning the offer. “I’m Trisha.”
“Are you alright? You seem to be having a bit of a bad day.”
“Ooh, you sure are a big one for insight.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to be nice.”
“Sorry. I’m just having a bit of trouble.”
“With what?”
“School, if you must know.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” He stands up. “Well, this is my stop, I hope everything works out alright.”
“Hey mom!” Trisha was surprised to see her mother home from work so early.
“Hi honey, how was school?”
“Not too bad. Not too great, but it wasn’t that bad either.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” Mrs. Cornwell walked over to hug her daughter. “I got off work early today and thought I’d come home and cook us a nice meal.”
Trisha smiled. “That sounds great mom.”
“Tell me about your day.”
“Well, I got an A on that English essay from a couple weeks ago. My poetry/journalism teacher says I’m one of the ‘most promising students she’s ever had the pleasure of teaching.’” Trisha put on a fake pose and accent. Imitating her British teacher.
Mre.s Cornwell laughed. “That’s good to hear. How’d you do on that math test you had a while ago?”
“Oh, well, not so well.”
“Not so well? Oh it couldn’t have been that bad. You’re too hard on yourself sometimes. What was the grade?”
“Seriously mom, this time it really is not that great of a test grade.”
“Well what was it?”
Trisha hung her head. “A ‘D-‘.”
“A ‘D-‘? How could you get a ‘D-‘?”
“Quite easily actually. All I had to do was miss a little over a 1/3 of the questions.”
“Do you think this is funny?”
“No.”
“Then why are you making jokes?”
“I don’t know.”
“There seems to be a lot that you don’t know.”
“HEY! Now wait a minute! I am not stupid! I have an A in every other class!”
“I never said you were stupid. I’m just saying you should have an A in all of your classes.”
“What do you mean I should?”
“I mean you could. You have the capability.”
Trisha nearly yelled at her mother. “How would you know? Like you’re around me enough to have any clue what kind of capability I have!”
“You watch what tone of voice you use with me young lady.”
She ignored her mother’s warning. “Stop having such high expectations! I can’t stand it! I’m not that good at math! I’m not an all around 4 point student like you were! I’m not you! I’ll never be you!”
“I never expected you to me like me. And I know that math is not exactly your cup of tea, but I know you can do better than that. Tell me what your over all grade is.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You tell me this minute.”
“NO!”
“Alright, let me tell you something. Isaac Hanson called earlier and asked for you to accompany him on some tour dates. I told him it was find with me as long as you said you wanted to go. Now I’m laying a new rule. You better get your attitude inline, or else I can tell him the next time he calls that you are in no position to accompany him on something like that.”
Trisha stared hard at her mother, partly in defeat and partly in dis-belief. “My grade is a D+.”
“That’s more like it. I will not put up with attitude like that. Do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Now, you need to get that grade up to a B or better before you can go on that tour. Is that reasonable?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Alright, now go clean up for dinner.”
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