I collected Jonty's report card today. He did well, what a genius! Right up there in the top the class, not the very top, but close enough. How do I know where he came? Its simple - on the report card they indicate where he came in the class.
I thought that I could keep this information from him - the boy doesn't really need to know - until I walked out the classroom. Stuck up on the door of the class is, get this, a copy of the students' results ordered from highest to lowest. When Jonty arrives at school tomorrow, that will be the first thing he sees. So now I have a few hours to prepare him for the fact that (1) he's not number 1, and - more importantly - (2) how to deal with the fact that the results are posted there for all and sundry to read.
I am relieved that my son is up near the top, but I just feel terrible, awful, horrible for those kids at the bottom. And in a society where "face" is everything, I wonder how a kid recovers from being rock bottom...
And remember, they're only six or seven years old.
Over breakfast tomorrow morning, before he heads off to school, I'll be working on trying to help Jonty understand how those kids at the bottom feel and try to encourage a bit of empathy and compassion for them in his heart.
BTW, guess what Jonty's highest mark was for? No, not English, that was second highest. It was Maths. Must have an awesome Maths & English teacher. Ha ha.
No comments:
Post a Comment