Samples
A Better Place to Grow Up (Chapter 8)
Chapter 8
Boot camp
Howard Small , 10, looks even smaller than usual today as he sits between his mother and his teacher. They're looking at his report card, shaking their heads and commiserating over what they'll do to get this child on the right track.
Howard was marked down for failing to complete "assigned tasks" at Jefferson School. He got a 1 out of 4 in handwriting. His best grades were 3s in reading, music and physical education.
"Everybody talked about how Howard had beautiful handwriting in primary," teacher Mary Spencer is telling Howard's mom, Toni McNeal.
"Now it's sloppy?"
"Uh, huh."
"I want you to check his homework every night."
"He tells me he doesn't have any homework. Every day he tells me all I've got to do is read. And he doesn't do that."
"He's still reading below grade level," Spencer says.
"He should be reading above level," McNeal says, shaking her head.
Spencer asks Howard why he has two language sheets to take home tonight.
"Because I forgot to do one of them," Howard says, barely above a whisper.
"Uh, huh. You know we aren't too bright."
Then McNeal turns to Howard and tells him she just might have to follow through on her threat to send him to a boot camp for juveniles in Texas if he doesn't straighten out.
"Your going or not going will depend on how you and I get along," Spencer tells Howard. "Shall we shake on it? Do you understand?"
Howard nods.
"Tell me what you understand."
"I understand that if my report card isn't good next time I have to go to boot camp."
After the two leave, Spencer reflects on the visit. She knows Howard's mom well enough to know that she'd never send her baby boy off to boot camp. And Howard knows it, too. "You shouldn't threaten consequences you can't follow through on," Spencer says.
She adds, "I knew Toni's mother pretty well. We were close in age. We were all sort of taught the negative things. Sometime when I get a chance I'll talk to Toni about praising that kid. I know she loves him dearly."
At least Toni and Howard showed up for parent-teacher conference day. A third of the parents from Spencer's class did not come. The school sent numerous reminders home, and teachers made themselves available from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., no appointments necessary. McCormack Baron & Associates, the developer that renovated the neighborhood, wanted to help by making attendance mandatory as part of its lease agreement. Show up or face eviction. But the company later dropped the idea.
Spencer says it's not that the missing parents don't care. Sometimes they feel ashamed when their children don't do well, as if it's a reflection on them. Some don't have much more than a grade-school education and feel helpless. Spencer makes sure to read the report card aloud to the parents, just in case.
If there's anything that Spencer could take heart from this day, it's the number of fathers who have accompanied their children to her classroom. Many have jobs and they ask good questions.
"Do they have learning computers for kids?" a father asks. "Do you think that's a good idea?"
"The personal touch is even better," Spencer replies. "Do get the computer. But person to person you can see what's going wrong. Flash cards are still good."
"We're going to do it," the father says. "It's going to get done."
