- 10.
Tutoring Ethan.
I realized he barely even tried on tests.
So I gave him a practice exam.
He got a near perfect score.
So why was he failing?
I looked at his other tests.
Ah, his English and History scores were
abysmal. He was a hardcore STEM kid.
I explained a few concepts, and he got it right
away.
Math brains, am I right?
I was honestly a little jealous.
I’d been a diligent student since elementary
school, even sacrificing weekends to study.
After getting into Crestview Prep, I’d burn the
midnight oil, splashing my face with cold
water just to stay awake and review.
And this guy, understanding complex.
concepts after a single explanation.
Over the next few tutoring sessions, I
discovered Ethan had a photographic
memory.
Except when it came to essay writing. That
was a disaster.
So I meticulously walked him through essay
structure.
“You can add rhetorical devices, idioms,
elaborate on your points…”
He leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow
raised.
“Like?”
“Just try using a few idioms in a sentence.”
He chuckled.
“Okay.”
“Like, ‘The class president and I were both
dozing at our desks.“”
“I could add some idioms to that…”
I looked at him encouragingly.
The early summer heat was stifling. I took a
sip of the juice my mom had brought.
He watched me, his dark eyes intense.
“The class president and I were just getting
down and dirty on our desks.”
“Pfft.”
