Olivia stared sullenly ahead when I asked her about her day. She hadn’t exhibited any interest in the mentoring material. Our word of the day was excellence, and there were several age-appropriate activities to spur a discussion. Olivia didn’t want to do any of them.
Setting aside the material, I tried to engage her in conversation about food, friends, activities, or whatever else she wanted to talk about. When that didn’t work, I tried unsuccessfully to interest her in a game. Finally, I said she could use our hour together to study or do homework, but she mumbled, “I don’t have any work.”
Then she stood abruptly and announced that she needed to go to lunch, although it was only 9:45 in the morning.