Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

Nate cannot seem to win with any adults today. Sometimes this is not his fault, and sometimes it is. It’s not his fault he gets a lecture and detention because Principal Nichols is embarrassed. During this lecture, Principal Nichols discusses how Nate’s sister would never act this way, which is a low blow. Nate’s sister has no bearing on Nate’s behavior, yet Principal Nichols implies that Nate is a failure compared to his sister. The fact that Nate hears this often from his teachers is even more disheartening. Principal Nichols stresses that Nate has so much potential. Nate agrees but does not see the point in wasting his potential at school. This statement proves that the education system has failed Nate. Instead of convincing him to reach his potential in school, his educational experience has cultivated the opposite emotions. Nate feels that trying at school wastes his time. This hints that there was likely a time when Nate did try extremely hard in school, but his efforts were not appreciated.

Stressed and without any outlet for his emotions, Nate is sent to gym class overseen by a crazy, yelling substitute. Even on a good day, Nate does not like Coach John, and it is not a good day. Naturally, Coach John yells at Nate for being late. Nate’s lateness is through no fault of his own because the principal kept him. Once again, Nate is criticized for things beyond his control.

The rest of Nate’s poor interactions with adults are entirely his fault. Although there are extenuating circumstances, Nate steals someone else’s gym shorts, which is both disgusting and a crime. In Nate’s mind, he is more likely to have success stealing shorts than getting help from an adult. Nate has been conditioned not to ask for help because he knows he will not receive any. Although Nate genuinely does not mean to insult Coach John, his reasoning is ridiculous enough to seem unbelievable. At least he gets to explain himself to some extent in this section, not that anyone is listening. Further insulting Nate’s dignity, Coach John does not even look up Nate’s name, instead writing “kid with weird hair” (150).

In math class, Nate again refuses to ask for help. The story includes a copy of the front of the pop quiz. Nowhere are there instructions to turn the page over. Nate makes a completely honest mistake and should be able to ask Mr. Staples for help. Nate does not even consider this as a possibility. In Nate’s mind, it is more likely that he will win the paper tug-of-war with Mr. Staples and write a few answers than that Mr. Staples will help him if asked. While it is not necessarily the teachers’ fault that Nate refuses to ask for help, it is not a good sign either. The teachers might argue that Nate should have checked to see if there was a back, and no doubt he should have. However, this is a common mistake. None of these teachers, except perhaps Mr. Rosa, have built a relationship with Nate, so Nate lacks trust in them. To have a student who would rather fight over a paper than ask for extra time shows that the school system has failed Nate. Throughout this story, Nate’s needs are ignored by the adults that are supposed to help him. These adults also ignore Nate’s feelings as though they do not matter, which is an unfortunately realistic and troubling depiction of what many students experience.