Seriously, now!

School-- Just do it to get through it. It’s not imperative that you do your best; do what you have to do to get by.

I know this had to be my husband’s attitude because my MIL once gave me his last and final report card to take a look at. My jaw dropped! I couldn’t imagine how he passed! Btw you can pass in school with pretty much straight Ds as long as you have another grade here or there that brings you up. Totally unacceptable! Gotta love the public school system for that!

And I, of course, just absolutely love my hubby when he says something like “He’s just like I was. I didn’t see the point. When are you ever going to use that stuff? I still haven’t used it. Not since I did it in college, anyway!”

Well, believe you me… I know I haven’t used much Algebra since college either (other than teaching), but why in the world don’t you think before you let something like that come out of your pie-whole in front of your kid who could already care less about school! His mind is on mowers, baseball bats, hunting, and of course he already knows what he is going to be when he grows up…. Algebra isn’t necessary for that.

Hello… it is a necessary class you must take in college and you will have to go to college for the career your day-dreaming about while you are supposed to be getting that algebra problem done!  Or did someone forget to mention that?

Math/Algebra… I live it, breathe it, eat it…well not really but it’s the 1/4 the pizza thing, ½ a bag of chips, thing, and the calorie counting thing! Don’t forget donuts have a “whole” in the middle! Lol! I’m kidding! I do enjoy math, though, so I guess it is hard for me to understand why my son seems to have such a block with it.

As long as I sit and work the problems with him, allowing him to talk me through it while I write it on the overhead, he can do them time and time again. The moment I sit him down alone and say to do problems 3-10, he literally zones out! He stares at it and does nothing. This is where the “mom won’t help me” bit came in (prior post). Forgive me for thinking he should try and work some problems on his own for a change. Um… that’s how we did it when I taught public school. That is the way it is done. I don’t think his college algebra teacher will go for this method either.

So I’m covertly observing him and it actually looks like he’s asleep…hmm.  I get a little closer. Lean in…be very, very quiet! (Sigh….) He IS asleep!

“Son… Hey… Wake up…” soft and slow

No response.

“Boy, waaaake up!” with that southern drawl again, but a snap on the up to end it along with a thump on the head

“Wha…huh? I’m working?” blinking his eyes

“You were sleeping.”

“Oh… uh… no ma’am.” scratching his head

“That wasn’t a question. I saw you sleeping!”

“uh… I was just thinking.”

“Get that problem done!”  and the eyebrow raise

“Yes, Ma’am.”

And yep, my eyes did a roll! God knows I need some patience! Oh wait… back to the fruits of the spirit again? And I am really feeling it… Longsuffering? I’m going to suffer a long time through the teenage years aren’t I? Yeah, yeah… I know that’s not the interpretation I should be getting from the Good Book. I am trying to be funny… key word in there… trying! You really need a sense of humor if you’re raising a teenager.