Matt misses school. I miss school, too. Sometimes I think about returning as a part-time or auditing student. I would definitely be a much better student now but what matters most is that I would be able to engage the teachers without fear. I used to be scared to say anything to a teacher.

I think that feeling stems from the way my second grade teacher scolded me for my precocious objection to her rule that “you can’t subtract a bigger number from a smaller number.” I went in knowing about negative numbers and I came out embarrassed and confused and unable to trust teachers.

I vowed that I would quit school as soon as I could. Fortunately I forgot about my vow until my third year in college.