I'm Stuck

I have a student who (LONG story short) struggles to complete and hand in homework. He is absolutely brilliant, but school is a real challenge for him.

Gifted children often have odd quirks or mannerisms so their social skills can need a lot of work. Add that to this child's issues - only he has more than the usual gifted child's share of oddities to deal with.

Having said that, I am very fond of him and enjoy having him in my class. We have connected well, and he does try to do what he should. He really does. There's just so much going on in that little head that he often fails to get done what he should.

Yesterday was not a high point for him. Assignment after assignment was not completed, things were not at school that needed to be, etc. This was a worsening situation, so I called him over to my desk and had a pretty stern chat about the missing work, its importance, why he needed to get it done, etc. (Cue the teacher in the Charlie Brown specials - never seen, but you hear, "wah WAH wah Wah wah WAHHHHH" when she speaks.)

He listened quite solemnly, agreed he needed to change (for the umpteenth time, I might add), and then with a sudden change of subject, said he had something to run by me. I agreed to hear it.

"You know how my sister was Hershey's Student of the Week? And she gets to do something fun as a result?"

I nodded assent.

"Well, she asked what I thought about this. I said I'd ask, and that I thought you would, but she didn't think you would be able to."

"Sure, what is it?"

"She wants to have lunch at school with you one day. I know it's a problem because she eats at a different time, but I have talked so much about you and she knows you're the nicest teacher in the world." A pause.

 "I know I have problems, but I told her you were the best teacher ever," he finished frankly.

Oh, brother. He wasn't playing me or trying to get on my good side - that's not this boy's style at all. He was absolutely sincere. And I'd just been pretty tough with him.

I told him I would be happy to eat lunch with his sister, and have been musing over what he said ever since. Those words speak volumes. Despite the hard chats he and I frequently have, he knows I care. That's the first step in teaching - personal connections with your students so they know you care about them. As researcher Nel Noddings discovered, children learn best when that happens.

But how do I take the next step, the one where I help him get on track and complete his work? Or remember to bring it back to school?

I am stuck.