Secondhand - Sophia Smith

Chapter 2

I couldn't focus on anything coach Rihan Wilkinson was saying, all I really heard was something about how we need to win this game to secure the shield for this season, which is the award for the team in first place in the regular season before the playoffs. 

I've never been good at paying attention. That's why lots of my past coaches and teachers hated me. My favorite coaches were the ones that would humor me, because they knew I listened when they talked in terms of soccer and didn't just blab on and on about random stuff. But that's why teachers hated me. 

Here's one exchange that got me in trouble my sophomore year of high school: 

Teacher: "Taylor are you listening?" 
Me: "Of course, Ms James." 
Teacher: "So you won't show up with blank homework tomorrow because you didn't listen to today's lesson?" 
Me: "No ma'am." 
Teacher: "So repeat back to me what I just told the class." 
Me: "Something like....'you won't show up to school tomorrow with blank homework  because you didn't listen to today's lesson?'" 
Teacher: "Don't get smart with me." 
Me: "If you explain it in terms of sports I'll understand." 
Teacher: "Taylor, I can't do that." 
Me: "Then I have no idea what you said." 

At this point, the whole class was laughing. 

Teacher: "Well maybe you should be paying more attention." 
Me: "Well maybe you should be less boring." 
Teacher: "Miss Riel, I think you should go take a trip to the office." 
Me: "And tell them what?" 
Teacher: "Tell them that you're a smart ass who's acting out in class." 
Me: "This could have all been avoided of you had just explained it in terms of sports. Like 'Jake scored a hat trick, and Bobby scored 2 more. How many goals did they score in total?'"
Teacher: "What is a hat trick?" 
Me: "3 goals." 
Teacher: "I don't care. Go to the office, please." 
Me: "Okay. Have fun teaching your boring class in the most boring way ever." 

Then I went to the principal, who was used to me acting like this. And because it was kind of at the beginning of the year, the teachers had no idea how much of a handful I could be. So I sat in his office, playing with a little desk basketball thingy while he was on the phone with Ms. Jones. 

"No, no no. You think I don't understand? Donna. Listen. You need to understand. You seem to be one of the only teachers who has a problem with this kid. You don't get it. Taylor doesn't learn like the other kids do. She needs alternate explanations, she can't listen for very long. She's a daydreamer. She gets lost easily. It has to be your job to help that." He said. 

I heard her shrill annoying voice through the phone say: "How is that my job? If she's so special then put her where she belongs. I don't want to deal with teaching things twice and making sure one kid listens when I have a class of 20 others too. And she's too dumb to listen anyway." 

That hurt a little bit. But I knew it wasn't true. And I was going to hear the principal tell her the same thing he's told all of my teachers, including her many times. 

"Taylor is a really super smart kid. She's very intelligent. She just-" 

"I don't want to hear this dumb bs again. She's not the crazy intelligent kid you make people think she is. She's got an IQ of about 10." 

"Donna, I promise you we've had her tested 4 times, and he IQ is consistently above 180. She just has pretty bad ADHD."

"Then why does she forget how to do her homework?" 

"I can talk to her.  Just get back to teaching class." He hung up, and then put his head in his hands for a second. "I need to get you a better teacher." 

"Please do." I said, and I decided to pretend that I didn't hear anything they said. 

"She's harsh. Don't take it personally." 

"I don't." 

"Taylor, I understand how hard it is for you to listen. I really do. I never experienced it personally, but if I put myself in your shoes, I can. But why don't you do your homework?" 

"I forget to do it. I don't forget how. Also look at this. She gives us no directions on what to do. I can assume what to do, but I don't want to gt it wrong." 

"And does whatever you assume turn out to be right?" 

"Yes. Always." 

"Then why don't you just do it?" 

"I just don't want to get it wrong." 

"Have you gotten one thing wrong on a test in the last 2 years?" 

"No." 

"Just go for it then." 

And that school year I spent a lot of time in my counselor's office doing work, because I got progressively worse and worse at listening in that class, and the district wouldn't let me switch teachers. 

"Taylor. Tay. Taylor." I heard Sophia saying, snapping in front of my face. 

"What?" I asked. 

"You're daydreaming again." 

"I tend to do that a lot." 

"We know." Said Morgan Weaver, sitting in her locker next to mine. "That's why no one can have a conversation with you." 

"If it's a fun one I can." I said. 

"Mhm." 

"Leave her alone, Mo." Said Sophia. 

After that, Sophia went to her locker and we all just got ready for the game.