6:31 a.m. Monday morning, and I’m opening my school email. Sometimes I dread opening my email. Usually, there is an email from an “unstable” parent about why their special little guy or girl should be shown special privilege. This morning I received a forwarded email from the geometry teacher. A parent wanted to know if little Johnny could drop geometry. I think to myself, “he must be failing.” I open up the student’s profile to see what’s going on. More than likely, he isn’t turning in his work. Nope…that’s kind of unusual. Little Johnny was passing the rest of his classes grandly. But this one class was a sticking point. Mom was trying to get him out of it. Time to give her the bad news. I called mom and told her he could not drop that class. She asked for advice. She says she has already gotten him a tutor. I asked, “Has he spoken to his Geometry teacher?” She said no. I explained that he needed to speak with the teacher, and together they could put a plan in place for Johnny to be successful.
To struggle isn’t bad. Failure isn’t permanent.
From The Tales of A School Counselor’s Email.
