Get to Work +1

I was supposed to meet my handyman after work to get an estimate on many items we need fixed in our home. He never showed up. This is not like him. He is usually very punctual. Luckily Momoko picked me up some snacks at the mall today. I ate the snacks for dinner. Then I headed to school.

At school, a guy in my class asked if I could help him out with his homework. I asked him where he was at. He told me he was around three weeks behind. Ouch. I usually track one week ahead of the class to maximize my understand in class. This guy is about a month behind me.

The thing that is really bad is that the teacher is slowing the pace of the class because of some slow students. The teacher provides all kinds of help outside the classroom. I mean he is always helping people out if they are having troubles. So I figure there is one of two reasons why this guy is so behind: (1) he is slacking off, or (2) he does not belong in the class.

I told the guy I was too busy to help him out. It is not that I am too busy to help anyone out. I am just too busy to waste my time on a lost cause. There are a lot of things to do in this world. I am going to help Little Kat learn to read better, even if it takes a lot of effort on my part.

I am also not too busy to pick up a card for a student that was in one of my past classes. She, like me, was always working hard and staying ahead of the game in a tough class. That earns my respect and my time. Now I did consider the following statement by Malcolm Forbes:

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.

This guy was behind in class cannot do anything for me. Not now. Not in the future. So what will Forbes have me do? I don't think he wants me to help this kid out. He just wants me to treat him with respect. That's all I am ready to do.