The Report Card

Nora spends recess in the library, and Mrs. Byrne asks to speak with her. Behind the librarian’s desk, Mrs. Byrne hands her a 10-page document containing a list of websites. Nora instantly understands that Mrs. Byrne has printed Nora’s Internet search history from her student account, but she pretends not to understand. The list includes websites such as MIT, the CMT, the Jane Goodall Institute, and numerous searches related to alternative energy; Mrs. Byrne says that Nora has retrieved more Internet data than the combined fourth and fifth grade classes. She then addresses the elephant in the room: Nora’s search history doesn’t match the intelligence of someone who, just a few days ago, failed a basic Internet research assignment. Nora feels like a cornered animal, knowing that she’s trapped. She forces herself to think through the situation logically, and an idea comes “blasting” forward: “Yes, I was certainly in a corner. But it wasn’t a small corner, and I didn’t really have to get out of it. […] In fact, I decided that it actually might be good to have someone else in my corner” (68).

Nora takes stock of Mrs. Byrne’s character; she likes the librarian, who “always seemed fair and open-minded. Which makes sense—why would a narrow-minded person be a librarian?” (70). Mrs. Byrne’s expression is impassive, so Nora carefully admits that she likes reading about lots of subjects. Mrs. Byrne realizes that no one, not even Nora’s parents, understands how smart she is. She asks Nora why she earns low grades on purpose, and Nora explains that she wants to change the way students and teachers view grades. She doesn’t like the social divisions between high-scoring and low-scoring students and how grades make the former group feel better than everyone and the latter group feel stupid. When Nora suggests that teachers and parents only add more pressure, Mrs. Byrne reveals her true thoughts: “But teachers don’t like all this testing either. And I was not happy when they made me start giving grades in library skills. That’s not what the library is for” (73). Encouraged by the librarian’s opinion, Nora mentions that she may or may not need help with her plan, and Mrs. Byrne asks what kind of help she needs. Mrs. Byrne can’t promise to help Nora see the whole plan through, but she reluctantly says she will keep this conversation between them for the time being.

Later that day, Nora visits Dr. Trindler’s office, where she notices many certificates and qualifications displayed across the wall. Nora thinks, “Suddenly I pictured myself pressed thin as paper, trapped in a frame on his wall, my nose jammed against a sheet of glass” (76). Nora’s nerves spike when Dr. Trindler pulls out an IQ test; unlike the CMT, she doesn’t know how many problems to miss to earn an average score. She reasons that, in her experience, 70% is average, so she intentionally misses three out of every 10 questions. Nora asks to see her score when she finishes, but Dr. Trindler says that only the administration and her parents can know the results. This initially makes Nora cynical, but she catches herself, remembering that cynicism is easy and prevents her from seeing things clearly. She concedes that Dr. Trindler is probably just doing what he thinks is best, but she still doesn’t understand how knowing the results of any test—whether the IQ or CMT—helps anyone achieve their goals.

Nora gladly ends her day in gym class, and they play her favorite sport: soccer. She figured out that soccer is simply “math and physics in motion” when she was only three years old (82), which—as she has practiced and improved—makes her an excellent player. Nora loves soccer because she doesn’t have to hide herself on the field; she can simply act, and the rest of the world melts away.