Disciplinary Action

"This is the third time your child has skipped class, Mr. Gutierrez. If he misses art class even one more time, he will no longer be able to attend Society of Dreamers Academy," Principal Esperanto said.

Xavier's father glared at the boy. "Xavie we've been over this. You have to attend all your classes."

The boy didn't look at anyone or anything except his sneakers. His voice didn't even change tone as he answered. "Dad I told you, art is useless and boring!"

His dad groaned and the principal gave an audible gasp. "Young man, art is the A in our STEAM curriculum here," Principal Esperanto said. "Humans have been engaging in creative endeavors for a long time. It engages the senses—"

"My senses are in overdrive all the time!" Xavier yelled. "Did art discover electricity, take man to the moon or build the first hybrid vehicles? It didn't, that was science helping technology advance and engineering furthering civilization! Art never did any of that just ask Elon Musk."

It was a marvel that someone so intelligent and articulate could be so stubborn. Xavier had quite the brain, his robotics team had won the innovation prize during science day. None of the kids Xavier had been partnered with wanted anything to do with him afterward but they'd won something.

The kid was all brains but no niceties. Even years of behavioral therapy hadn't changed that.

"Mr. Gutierrez, have you done anything to help your son see the importance of abstract endeavors?" The principal asked.

"Well we tried taking him to Disney World with his sister and cousins," Xavier's dad said. "We even took him on that one 4-D ride with the goofy song about imagination. He just rocked back and forth, complained about the air blowing in his face and screamed bloody murder when the bright flash went off in the middle. It was kinda funny when he said 'eww! Skunk!' At the bit where the ride sprays stinky stuff in your face. But when we got off, his mom asked what he thought he said 'Don't ever take me on that silly, scary thing again!' He kinda just looses interest in that kind of thing."

The principal clicked some things on her desktop computer. She flipped the monitor around. "I think I have a solution," she explained. "This is a new course we just added, it's taught by Ms. Keefe. The title is Mathematics in Art."


"It's not a paint by numbers class is it?" Xavier asked.

Both his dad and the principal had to stifle a laugh. He hadn't meant it the way most people would. Still to neurotypicals, the question seemed absurd.

After composing herself, Esperanto smiled at Xavier. "Definitely not," she said. "This is a class that looks at the math in drawing and painting. Like the ratios used by Renaissance artists, basic shapes and how to use a cartesian plane to break down a drawing to copy it better. There's even a unit on computer animation. You love computers, right Xavier?"

Finally Xavier looked up his eyes wide. "There's an art class with math and computers in it? That sounds awesome!"


"So if we enroll you in this class, you'll go?" Esperanto asked.

"Oh yeah! That sounds cool!"

This was a better outcome than either principal or parent could've hoped for. Then again anything computers or programming was Xavier's obsession.

"Dad take me to IHOP," he demanded. "This calls for a celebration!"