Page 32 - SD Woman Glace Ziperovich Issue

As the end of the school year looms, 18th birthday. And he’s raised yet another have been in, I don’t know…) He scored an
my mind is taken back 10 years to the end pig to take to Del Mar this summer. 84%.
of another school term and the excitement If you ask him about school, he’ll Meanwhile, not knowing this, I’m at
and tension of an upcoming graduation. somewhat shyly tell you that he’s popular. home on my knees - one moment giving
Passing is only 60% in Mrs. Fox’s And with his varied interests and gorgeous the situation to God and in the next breath
geometry class at Fallbrook High. On green eyes, it’s no wonder. But still, the math taking it back.
Thursday evening when my oldest grand- haunted him. And he entered senior year The senior class has been busy check-
son, John, checked the online grades to see needing yet another year of math. This time ing out the past couple of days – turning in
how he stood after the final, he had 58.8%. it was geometry. I told him it was completely books, and paying fines. All they had to do
He was failing his math class, by 1.2%. And different from algebra and that he was going this morning was show up at 7:40 am and
his teacher had warned him that if he did to like it. Didn’t happen. go to their first three classes and have their
not do well on the final, he would fail and teachers sign their check-out sheets. So, with
he would not graduate. John having gone in early, I expected to get a
For some reason, John got off on the text message from him by 8 am or so. Thus,
wrong foot when it comes to high school by 8:30 am, I was in bad shape. I texted
math. It began when he was a freshman. him at 8:40 am. And at 9:20 am. At 9:21, he
Coming out of a home-schooled environ- replied saying that he was waiting because
ment into a public high school, his mother he’d taken another test that the teacher was
and I both thought it best to start him off grading. At 9:40 or so, he called his Mom.
in a relatively easy course, so he signed
up for pre-Algebra. I guess most kids take One of the verses in the Women’s Disciple
Algebra. study for today was 2 Colossians 20:21which
Anyway, he hated the class. He said it ends:
was full of goofballs who didn’t care about
school and everyone else was taking algebra “Give thanks to the LORD,
and he felt like a loser and blah, blah, blah. for his love endures forever.”
And he didn’t put a lot of time into it. By
the time he woke up, they were solving for Wanting to know more about this verse, I
unknowns and it looked a lot more like a searched the internet, but Psalm 136 popped
regular algebra course than I’d imagined. up. It seems it has 26 verses and each one of
He squeaked by. them in the NIV ends:
I don’t know what he did in his sopho-
more year. I think he just didn’t take a math “His love endures forever.”
class. So, in his junior year, he was facing
real algebra. And he moaned and groaned PASSING Not finished, I checked the KJV and
that he was in with a bunch of freshmen found that all 26 verses end:
who wondered what the heck he was doing
there. And they figured he was a loser and ”for his mercy endureth forever.”
blah, blah, blah. is Only
Mind you, John was doing fine else- After I read that 52 times (that’s 26x2,
where. He’d played football for two years John), I began to feel better. If anybody
and was doing club lacrosse as a junior. He 60 needed mercy, it was John. Still, I thought I’d
was involved in FFA and had blue ribbons faint when I heard his mother’s cell phone
to show for his effort – taking home grand ring. She quickly began shaking her head,
champion for a hen one year in Del Mar. By Sharon Hightower “Yes.” And then she said, “You did it.” And I
A willing dancer, he was popular with the exhaled for the first time in about 12 hours.
young women. And his grades were fine. Just to be clear here, I’m not sure how
He often brought home straight As in most And so none of us got much sleep last much John had to do with it. I rather think
everything else. And somehow he pulled Bs night. I’d suggested he use Dale Carnegie’s it had a lot to do with the prayers of my
in math. technique: picture the worst possible out- friends!
Senior year came and he got to choose come. Then, do everything you can to avoid Being a math teacher, I’m sure it wasn’t
more of his classes. And he’d wanted to it. So he got up early determined to be the too tough for her to recalculate his grade.
try ceramics for 3 years. Now the house is first to “her” class so that he could ask what You’ll recall that passing is 60. With the new
decorated with lots and lots of his creations. he might do at this late date. She showed score of 84 on the test he retook, his overall
The lacrosse team went CIF and he played him his grades for the term including some percentage was 60.86%.
varsity. He continued in auto shop which pretty weak test scores. She offered him the The ceremony is next Thursday. He will
he loved, often working on “Zippity” – his chance to retake one of the worst. He agreed. graduate having passed his geometry class -
nickname for my poor ole Volvo as well as And she gave him an hour to study. (What by less than 1%.
his Durango which he’d been given for his he did with regards to the class he should Do I hear an AMEN?

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