The New Kid on the Block

Once upon a time, a new boy entered the doors of Room 302B at Ottaman Elementary West. He had red curly hair, had braces, and wore glasses. He just did not fit in.

Tommy Green’s family had recently moved to Ottaman. Tommy’s dad had a new job as a business manager at the town’s local manufacturing plant. The new job was a great opportunity for Tommy’s dad. The Green family had moved often, but this was the first time Tommy had to move in the middle of the school year.

Switching schools is always hard on kids, especially in the middle of the school year. Tommy’s mom was anxious about this move for her boys, especially Tommy. He did fine switching schools in 3^rd grade, but things were totally different in 6^th grade. That was middle school in Ottaman. Mrs. Green had checked out all of the schools in Ottaman. The one they were moving into had a great reputation and had a strong enrichment program.

Because Tommy was a good student, you would think he would fit right in. It sure did not appear that way. Let’s start with Tommy’s looks. Red, curly hair is not that common, and he was the only student in Room 302B with those curly, red locks. Well, they were not really locks. His mom kept his hair nice and short. Tommy had her cut it every couple of weeks, so no one would notice when he got a haircut.

Kids seem to get braces earlier and earlier in their lives these days. It just so happened that no one else in Room 302B had braces this school year. To make matters worse, Tommy had an expander in the room of his mouth, so it always sounded like he had food in his mouth when he talked. And because of the expander, he was restricted with what he could eat. He often brought soup in a Thermos for lunch with applesauce for his fruit and pudding for his dessert. “Why can’t you eat sandwiches and chips like the rest of us?” his classmates often asked.

Now let’s look at Tommy’s face. Eyeglasses rested on his freckled nose. Tommy did not choose wild frames for his glasses. They were only plain gold. There was a girl in his glass who wore eyeglasses, but first, she was a GIRL, and she wore different frames each day to match her outfit.

We need to keep in mind that the students in Room 302B had all been together since 2^nd grade. No one had left, and this was the first time someone new joined their class. The class was a close-knit group of friends. It appeared they had no room for a newcomer.

Tommy felt even worse when class was in session. Tommy was shy and very reserved, but he never hesitated to answer teachers’ questions, express his opinion, and share what he knew. Soon the class learned how smart Tommy was. At first, they thought he was just a show off. “Why does he always raise his hand with the answer?” classmate Jim asked his friend Sarah.

Tommy won the school spelling bee soon after he joined Room 302B. While he was immensely proud and excited, it did not mean as much when the other kids just gave him dirty looks. Tommy’s teacher tried to express enough excitement to make up for the classmates’ responses.

Tommy loved to learn, and he just tried to take things in stride. He hung out a lot with his younger brother and his friends. Paul’s friends thought Tommy was so cool. He was older and so smart!

Tommy had been looking forward to the big math competition coming up in Ottaman. The five middle schools in Ottaman all competed for the City trophy. Ottaman West had not won the trophy in about 10 years. Room 302B represented Ottaman West this year, and they were really hoping to finally bring the trophy home!

The competition had two parts. The first part involved having all the students take a written test. The scores from each school were added together. The second part of the competition involved having the teams work together to work out more involved math problems. Before going into the second part, it was announced that Tommy had scored the highest out of all the participants, but Ottaman West was still behind by 10 points. They could still win with a strong finish in the group problems.

When the group got their first group question, the students started doing their calculations. Room 302B was stumped. Jimmy leaned over to Sarah and whispered, “Do you think we should ask Tommy what he thinks?” She replied, “We might as well. You ask.”

Jimmy yelled over to Tommy, “Hey Tommy, will you come over and join our group?”

Tommy hesitated but then walked over to the group and looked at their whiteboard and said, “You’re totally right about the angle’s size, but I suggest we rework the formula like this…” They tried Tommy’s suggestion and got the answer right. Tommy continued to work with the group. He never told anyone that they were wrong. They just worked together to figure out the answers.

It came down to the last question. Ottaman West was neck in neck with Ottaman East. West needed to get this one right to win. They all worked together. Room 302B asked Tommy to walk their answer up to submit it. Soon the announcement came, “And the winner of the Ottaman City Math Competition Trophy is…Ottaman West!”

High fives went all around the group, and everyone included Tommy in the celebration. For once, Tommy felt like part of the group.

Jimmy leaned over to his buddy Mark, “Tommy really is pretty cool. He was not a showoff. We really worked as a team.”

Sarah pulled her friend Kiki to the side, “I’ve never noticed how cute Tommy is. I love how his glasses rest right on his freckles. He looks so smart!”

Who would have thought a math competition could break the ice with the group in Room 302B? Now to look at the group, you would have thought Tommy had been with them since 2^nd grade. Room 302B lived happily ever after as great friends.