Story of a child who can learn

A 10-year old boy was sent down to the office for misconduct in class. The teacher sent him to my office because of talking, making jokes, and fighting. When he sat in my office, he was angry. He was yelling, telling me where the teacher should go, and going on and on. Then he realized I was not saying a word. I let him have his time. He stopped talking, looked at me, and said, "Say something." I sat silent for a few minutes. Then I said, "Look, I do not know exactly why you are angry. Maybe something is going on at home. Maybe someone here made you mad. What I do know is that you are disrupting class and we need to find a better way for you to get the attention you deserve. So, I am going to send you back upstairs on one condition. You have to show me your next report card with improved grades and you cannot be sent out of your class for 4 weeks. I think you can handle that. Now, once you have reached that goal, I will give you a reward. Name your price; choose chocolate, Skittles, a dollar, or anything reasonable." He said, "I don't like candy. I don't want to take your money. I want two bracelets from Rue 21, black and blue." I said, "It's a deal. Go back to class. I will check on you when report cards come out." After so many offenses with this child, I would do the same thing over and over. I would call his parents, have a meeting with the child present, and the results would be the same. He would do well for two days and then cry out for attention again. This time I was going to try something different. To my amazement, it worked! He came to me one afternoon and pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his front left jeans pocket. He opened it up and said, "I made B's and C's!" For the first time in 2 years, he had a genuine smile and he hugged me. He was so used to making D's and F's and now he had something to be proud of. With this accomplishment, on top of not being sent out of his class, he earned his reward. To this day, he still wears the bracelet. Now, it is a reminder to him to stop himself when he feels the need to act up. He has a lot to work on, but I am glad that the improvement has already begun and continues on.