Tutoring Story

This week at Tutoring, there was like 5 tutors to every kid. They just keep coming and we waited for more kids to come… but they didn’t. Sara and I decided we just have to go each week no matter what, because some weeks there are not enough tutors for all the kids that come and sometimes… well, it’s like this week. Anywho, we were helping this little boy (10) with an English assignment. Homophones to be exact. He wasn’t even trying to understand at first. I think a lot of the kids try and make us do their homework for them. As soon as they figure out we won’t do that (I hope nobody else does that) then they try and actually get it just fine. Towards the end of his assignment this kid just starts talking… spilling the beans.

Boy: “Ya, my teacher gave me a note to give to my mom about me going to summer school, but I burned it and threw it in the gutter before I got home”

Us: “What? Why did you do that?”

Boy: “I don’t want to go to summer school”

Us: “Maybe we should write your teacher a note saying you burned it so she can send your mom another note”

Boy: “No way! I don’t want to go to summer school. I have no idea why the cop stopped me on my home from school today…”

Us: “Umm… did he think you were lost? Maybe he wanted to make sure you were getting home okay?”

Boy: “No, he searched my back pack. I mean… I didn’t have anything; I don’t know why he was searching my backpack”

Us: “What? Was it because you burned the note from your teacher and threw it in the gutter? Were you looking suspicious? Cops usually don’t stop you for no reason at all”

Boy: “No, this was not the same day I burned the note. He didn’t find anything in my backpack. He pulled out pens, paper, candy, a gun…..”

Us: “WHAT? A gun? Why do you have a gun in your backpack?”

Boy” “Ya, a bee bee gun. We were shooting each other with them. I actually got hit in the face.”

Us: “Wow, this story just gets more and more interesting now doesn’t it? Even if it is a bee bee gun, you should not have it in your backpack and you should not be shooting each other with them, so I can see why the cop stopped you.”

Boy: “Well, we had helmets on”

Us: “But you just told us you got shot in the face, so obviously… still dangerous. You shouldn't be doing this.”

Boy: “Ya, the cop only got half way to hand cuffing me…”

Me: “How much of this story is true?”

Boy: “Mostly all of it”

HA! What the heck? I was really starting to get worried about these kids getting into so much trouble at such a young age. First we had to stop a gang fight last week and this week we are hearing these stories? I wonder how much of what he said was really true and what he said for attention. I can’t quite tell. Either way… I feel bad for these kids. I obviously had never been to this part of Provo before I started volunteering for this Outreach program. Wow… that is all I have to say.