Dr. B – So, how did it go?
Parent – What?
Dr. B – The deep dive into math excuses.
Parent – Well, I did your ‘why, why, and why’ thing.
Dr. B – And?
Parent – Aren’t you going to complement me (for doing that)?
Dr. B – I thought it was your kid who was concerned about judgment and approval?
Parent – You have a nasty streak, you know that?
Dr. B – I’ve been told, but you are avoiding the story I asked you to tell.
Parent – Well, I was right. He wanted to avoid my disappointment.
Dr. B – And?
Parent – And, I gave him a hug and said all the right things, blah, blah, blah.
Dr. B – The old blah, blah, blah intervention?
Parent – Yeah, you know, “I’m here to help. Just ask. I struggled in school too …” You know, blah, blah, blah …
Dr. B – So, the two of you identified a significant set of emotions that were intolerable. You figured out the basis for those feelings. And you figured out how to handle those issues?
Parent – Yeah. That’s what blah, blah, blah meant.
Dr. B – Great. I’ll have to remember that psychological terminology.
Parent – Kind of useful shorthand, don’t you think?
Dr. B – Absolutely. The blah, blah, blah approach.
Parent – Don’t be sarcastic. I did what you recommended. I’m just not as articulate as you are.
Dr. B – What’s the verdict on the Evil Math Teacher?
Parent – Well, I asked about going for help, blah, blah, blah …
Dr. B – Ha.
Parent – And the teacher is not Ms. Congeniality.
Dr. B – And?
Parent – Don’t worry. We didn’t stop there.
Dr. B – Good.
Parent – I said, “I didn’t always like my teachers. And some of my teachers weren’t as helpful as others. But you have to find a way to learn the material despite what kind of teacher you have”.
Dr. B – Good.
Parent – Kind of like our relationship.
Dr. B – Ha. Touché.
Parent – I offered to help with math and I got him set up with Khanacademy.org online.
Dr. B – Cool. I really like Khan academy for math instruction.
Parent – You should spell that for your audience.
Dr. B – Don’t worry. It’s on the screen.
Parent – Am I on the screen? I didn’t dress up.
