Today I was meeting with a student who was having a horrible day. She is one of my only students who is actually passing seventh grade. Not only is she passing but she has the highest GPA out of any girl I have had in my program in three years. She is considering flunking on purpose so that her mom will take her out of Charlotte (high school). I remember her telling me before that the only ways she can get her mom to agree to move her to another school is by failing or getting kicked out.
Her bad day was as a result of getting her arm slammed in a door, reportedly by a teacher. I was not there so I have no idea what happened. She has a good track record with me and the school and has no apparent reason to lie to me. So, this is where she started getting more motivation to begin the steps needed for a transfer. She told me she has it all planned out. She will meet with the teacher and if he doesn't want her in his class anymore she will just skip for the rest of the year and fail. Thus earn the transfer she wishes. Or, if the teacher gives her attitude she was going to slam him up against the wall. Also, an effective way (according to her mother) of getting out of there. She told me there is no reason to care what way it happens as long as it does. These are what she sees as her options.
In the middle of our meeting, in which we were starting to make some progress, a counselor pounds on my door. She enters without my reply because I was just going to ignore her since my student was so upset. It was no surprise to me that it was the snarky woman from upstairs. The counselor began her diatribe about another student not being placed in my group. She had obviously not seen, or cared to recognize, the very upset girl in front of me. My student asked her rudely if she could be transferred out of the class about which she was complaining to me. The counselor snapped, "You know very well no student will be transferred out of ANY class for ANY reason!" I thought it was more shrill than necessary. She looked at me and said, "I sure hope you aren't leading her to believe it is a possibility for her to be transferred!"
I said, "I haven't given her any hope that she would be. I was really just hoping you could listen to her concerns." She turned around and left.
This student is very intelligent. She is sick of doing the right thing. It seems she is more likely to get what she wants by doing the wrong thing. We talked for twenty more minutes before her bus was leaving. I hope she is still there next week, she promised she will try. Seems like I may be the only person encouraging her to continue being one of Charlotte's top students.
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