Wanna drop out? No Way! 想辍学？不可以！
Today, I recieved a strange letter after class. No sooner I was to leave the classroom than Li (better not reveal his identity here)ran over and handed me this sheet of paper. Astonished and rather upset at the moment of reading it and I am now still in denial. Mainly two unexpected things. One is that he wanna quit school, the other is more ridiculous—–he wishes me to get him a graduate certificate!
Here are Li’s reasons: 1)He together with his younger-and-brighter brother comes from a one-parent family and wants to reduce his mom’s unbearable financial burden. His mom, without steady income, just finds it too hard to support two kids’education at the same time and agrees to his idea of dropping out. 2)He finds it too tough to catch up with the class because of his too weak foundation in the junior stage. Therefore, he concludes it is just a waste of time and money to continue staying in school since there is almost no hope of going to college. 3)He thinks a high school diploma will help land a job, and assumes that a deploma is easily obtainable even the student in question doesn’t go to school at all as long there is some connection with the ups. 4)He thinks the principal will issue a diploma if I put in some words since the principal is also from Shanghai.
Li’s letter, started with a compliment to my teaching, puts me in an awkward predicament. One thing for sure, I won’t support his idea of quiting school at any cost, and I won’t be naive enough to report his case to the principal,either, becauce the diploma thing is simply out of the question. I know the kid’s practice is too juvenile despite his commendable motivation, but something should be done to save the boy———His family’s burdon should not be his burdon and his confidence in study should be rebuilt. I know it’s easier said than done but what do you think I shall do. Poor kid.( By the way, it’s only the very beginning of Grade One, some two years away from the graduation. )
