Change of Plans

I had a sinus headache all day today, no doubt my payback for taunting the pollen gods on Monday, so by about 2:00 pm I was making mental plans to get out of work quickly and head home for a nap. At 2:40 I heard a student get kicked out of homework club across the hall from my room. I have no idea what he did but the adult in charge of the group didn't seem like he was offering another chance. Unfortunately, I saw the same kid crying this afternoon as he talked with two teachers about the work he was missing and the work he still needed to do before the end of the week and the end of the quarter in six days. One of the teachers that was in on the discussion reported that he was feeling unsuccessful and completely overwhelmed. I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows the feeling.

The homework proctor wasn't aware of all that had transpired earlier that afternoon; maybe if he had been the student would have stayed. The young man slowly collected his things and walked out the door. I realized if I didn't stop him he'd be off to the wrestling match and no closer to catching up on his work. I started to try and find out what had happened, to find out what he could have done to get him kicked out of homework club after only 7 minutes. As he started to explain how he'd done nothing more than take out a pencil I realized it didn't matter and invited him to come into my room and get to work. And work he did. By the end of the hour he had made a dent in the historical fiction story he had to write for English and started on his math homework. When he noticed the other kids starting to leave homework club he started packing up as well. He was anxious to get to the wrestling match and cheer on his teammates. I suggested he just finish up the math and then go. He agreed and spent another 30 minutes quietly working. We rounded out our time together with a math problem that he was unsure of.

I finally left work at about 4:15, much later than originally planned. I never did get that nap, because when I got home I couldn't resist the temptation to take the first bike ride of the year along the Potomac River. It was a short ride, but boy the daffodils in bloom near Memorial Bridge certainly were pretty, and getting a glimpse of the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial across the river never grows old.

My head still hurts but that's okay. It was a great afternoon.