A + in Math
A ten year old boy was failing math. His parents tried everything from
tutors to hypnosis, but to no avail. Finally, at the insistence of a
family friend, they decided to enroll their son in a private Catholic
school.
After the first day, the boy's parents were surprised when he walked
in after school with a stern, focused and very determined expression
on his face, and went right past them straight to his room, where he
quietly closed the door.
For nearly two hours he toiled away in his room - with math books
strewn about his desk and the surrounding floor. He emerged long
enough to eat, and after quickly cleaning his plate, went straight
back to his room, closed the door, and worked feverishly at his
studies until bedtime. This pattern continued ceaselessly until it was
time for the first quarter report card.
The boy walked in with his report card -- unopened -- laid it on the
dinner table and went straight to his room. Cautiously, his mother
opened it, and to her amazement, she saw a bright red "A+" under the
subject of Math. Overjoyed, she and her husband rushed into their
son's room, thrilled at his remarkable progress.
"Was it the nuns that did it?", the father asked. The boy only
shook his head and said, "No."
"Was it the one-on-one tutoring? The peer-mentoring?"
"No."
"The textbooks? The teachers? The curriculum?"
"Nope," said the son. "On that first day, when I walked in the
front door and saw that guy they nailed to the 'plus sign,' I just
knew they meant business!"