"It's going to catch up with you, Scott." There once was a little boy named Scott who really hated to read and write. He spoke in uneducated terms and really didn't care if people didn't understand him.

"I don't come to school to learn nothing anyway," he would say, "I come to hang out and have fun."

Scott was in the seventh grade. Now you might wonder how he got so far in school. Well, he was such a pest to the teachers and so mischievous that his teacher would get frustrated and pass him the next grade. At least, that's how it seemed. Scott loved it. He did little to no work, acted as silly as he wanted and still passed. Other students would get upset because they would do their work and it seemed that Scott never did anything. No one ever said anything or challenged his passing, until he entered Mrs. Williams' seventh grade language arts class.

Mrs. Williams was a straight-laced teacher who refused to bend the rules. She explained to her classes at the beginning of the year that they would have to complete all their assignments, read and summarize books and follow directions to pass. She told them that their behavior was also very important.

Of course, Scott ignored the warnings. He had heard teachers say those type of things before. He didn't listen to them and he wasn't going to listen now. Scott came to class everyday and played. Mrs. Williams would give the assignment for the day and all the other students' would begin working. Scott would shoot rubber bands and aggregate his classmates. Once he even chased one of his classmates around the room trying to get her to give him some candy out of her purse. He played and played and Mrs. Williams notated every misbehavior, the biggest being off task and not doing his work. She wrote him up when it was deemed necessary, called his parents and informed them, and made sure to keep good records of all that was going on.

At the end of the first nine weeks, she shocked Scott when she gave him his first F. He was really floored when she called his mother in for a conference and told her that he read on a third grade level, his writing was that of a second grader, and that his speech and handwriting was terrible.

"I just don't understand why he is doing so poorly." His mother stated, "You are sure he is failing?" He can usually pull a D out of his classes."

Mrs. Williams pulled out his folder and showed his mother all of the unfinished work and his behavior record.

"Well, I will get on to him and make him do his work at home." His mother promised.

Scott didn't change and he failed the semester. He just shook off the warnings from his parents and all of his teachers. As each grading period passed and he received his failing grades, he continued on his destruction path. He felt confident that he would pass in the end. Afterall, he pestered Mrs. Williams worse than any other teacher that he ever had.

MCT time came and Scott didn't do well on the test. The year ended and Scott failed Seventh Grade English. Not only that he failed Math and Science.

"How can this be?" He asked Mrs. Williams. "I always get Ds. That's why I can misbehave and not do my work, cause I know the teachers will pass me."

"Reality is a hard thing to get used to, but you can not get a free ride in life you have to gain things in life."

Scott had to go through the Seventh Grade again. This time he was better behaved and did his work. He learned what he needed to pass the MCT. Scott made the necessary changes he had to make the get to the next grade.