The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder for July 04, 2017

The sad thing is, I actually had kids like that in my classes during middle school. During study period or on the bus I might have my head in a book, and I’d hear a boy say “Look at him reading, acting all smart.” Same kid would give me $5 to do his book reports. Another kid got his spelling test back: “I failed, like I care.” When I called him on it, asking why he felt the need to announce that he didn’t care, he turned to someone else for validation “Hey Wayne, he thinks I care! Ask Wayne if I care.” I remember at one point, when the teacher would call on me to read in class, I pretended to struggle with my vocabulary. After class the teacher pulled me aside. She was concerned about me, not that I was struggling, because she knew better. She thought I was trying to make fun of other kids, when I was actually trying to fit in with them, as funny as that sounds. Don’t know why I cared so much back then.