A Week in the Woods

Mark keeps his promise to himself and goes to school on Monday morning determined to make new friends. He approaches a circle of boys and starts talking to them; they stare back, shocked that he has chosen to interact. Mark doesn’t give up and takes some teasing before surprising the boys with his experiences of snowshoeing. He starts to feel that he might make a friend or two. However, winning his teachers over proves more difficult, as Mark’s English teacher punishes him for finishing a quiz early and reading a book. His history teacher only calls on him once, after Mark corrects her on the location of the start of the Civil War. In science class, Mr. Maxwell ignores Mark completely despite the boy’s new efforts to participate and answer questions. At the end of class, Mark goes up to Mr. Maxwell and politely gives turns in his permission form for the camping trip. Mr. Maxwell takes it without much excitement, and when Mark leaves the room, he mutters to himself that Mark is too “spoiled” and “lazy” to be given a second chance. Mr. Maxwell tells himself that he already gave Mark a chance, and unless Mark openly apologizes for his previous behavior, Mr.