His Word Against Mine

Mom's Version of the Story:

There is little evidence that LM is truly my child. I have stretch marks, scars and stories to convince anyone that I did go through labor but actually proving that he is mine biologically is another matter. There must have been a mix-up at the hospital.

I obviously love to write. I love to tell a story full of engaging details. I love for a reader to know what I’m saying through examples, analogies, and metaphors. I tend to go overboard trying to make a point.

LM hates to write. Or at least he hates to write when it is an assignment. Give him a pencil and paper or sit him down at his old word processor and he’ll gladly write a story about a command ship in Vector 12 encountering enemy aircraft. He’ll tell you how many missiles each has, exactly what they sound like overhead and the screams of the pilots. He has drawn over 30 “adventures” of Smilie Man Comics, his own personal comic strip hero.

But give LM a fourth-grade writing assignment or ask him to correspond with his pen-pal, Caleb, and I’m lucky to get three sentences out of him. In school, they not only write for the sake of writing, they have to write out how they figure out their math problems. They are instructed to use prompts like: “First I…”, “Then I ….”, “Next…” and “Finally I used…”. He would rather stick pins in his eyes. Math is easy. He can solve the problem in his head in seconds flat. But writing out HOW he figured out the answer could take an hour.

This is why his report card has always scored an “A” in Reading, an “A” in Math and a “B” in Writing. “Lack of details”, “Lack of organization” and “Not citing evidence” are some of the areas that have needed improvement. We’ve talked it through. We’ve practiced writing; we have outlined our writing beforehand. I’ve used every method I can think of to help him enjoy the process a little more. He loves to read, and I try to show him how it’s the details that make reading so interesting. But he refuses to translate this into his own writing.

Last night I had conferences with his teacher. It was “optional” but I chose to go, knowing some of the troubles we’ve had this year – more socially than academically. I adore his teacher this year. She’s incredibly young but she really seems to have a great understanding of the kids and has done a wonderful job with LM. Report cards come out today but they give you a copy at conferences to look over. I went over it carefully with his teacher talking about areas he has shown improvement in and areas that still need work before the end of the year.

When I left the conference, I met up with LM out in the lobby of the school. I looked at him sternly and told him to sit down right where he was, we needed to talk. I held up the report card and he said, “oh no.” I sat down next to him and followed the grades for writing across from the first quarter to the second to this third marking period. It took a moment before he realized….

LM's Version of the Story:

I got an “A” in Writing!!!

P.S. Mom took me out for cheeseburgers to celebrate!

Comments

Jules said…
Ha, ha, HA!! My oldest girl is in the second grade and I have similar problems. All "A's", it's just she can't control her talking. This scene you laid out for us (very well, I might add. I see how details are important!) is soooo reminiscent.

P.S. Thanks for your kind words on my blog about my situation. I really appriciate the fact that other people see it just the way I did, and that I'm not just being stupid/crazy.
Emily said…
Congrats to LM! He'll have his own blog in no time.
Anonymous said…
i personally was not the best in school, especially in subjects that mattered. later in life, i finally found passions and excelled in these areas. LM is on his road to those passions.

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