That’s a good question.
The thing is, if Tom has an attitude adjustment - meaning if he tries a little harder at school and doesn’t feel obliged to entertain his classmates with his witty repartee - he won’t cross paths with this particular counsellor again. This counsellor is the guy that steps in when students are having problems. As for the “sexual misbehavior”, I am satisfied it is NOT on Tommy’s record and we have to let it go. And move on.
The other thing is, this is a private Christian school and we are not Christians. It was Tom’s idea to go to this school, and while we had reservations about it, we enrolled him after he begged and pleaded so he could be with his especial friends. I think he’ll be going back into the public school system as the religious aspect of this school is becoming an issue with him.
The science teacher was explaining to the class the other day why Evolutionists are wrong. Tommy said he wanted to speak up but he didn’t. So I asked him what he might have said and he said he wanted to say that “creationism is all bullshit” and I said, “OK, tell me why.”
Of course he couldn’t really tell me why, just that he “doesn’t believe in god”. I said I knew lots of people who believe in god but who still accept the Theory of Evolution - that the one belief doesn’t make the other one impossible. He knows which side he thinks he stands on, but I explained to him that if he’s going to argue that subject, he has to know a little bit more than he does about both Creationism and Darwin’s theory. I explained that he can just learn the subject as it’s taught there without having to believe it, just as he has to learn bible verses without believing them.
I didn’t say “I told you so”. I don’t think it’s wise for him to argue about Evolution with his science teacher but if he does, he’s going to have to learn more about it, and he’ll have to do that on his own time. Will he? I don’t know. If he does, I’ll help him out. We shall see.
It won’t hurt Tommy in the long run, as far as I can see. By and large it’s a very good school, with the odd exception such as the counsellor. Tommy has been exposed to a different culture than he’s used to at home, has made some good friends, has had a lot of fun.
I think being the parent/guardian of a 13 year old is every bit as exhausting as it was when his Dad was 13. They’re a tough bunch.