DEAR ABBY: I'd like to add another thought to "Teacher Who Cares About the Future," who discussed undisciplined children in the classroom. If a child seems bored or consistently misbehaves in class, the parents should have his or her eyes checked.
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When my grown son was small, he used to hate his first-grade class. He'd hide under his bed and plead with me not to make him go to school. His first-grade teacher had put his desk out in the hall with the wet boots and coats, and another time had forced him to sit in a corner on a stool wearing a dunce cap.
My son's eyes had been tested by a specialist who examined each eye separately and said there were no vision problems. Not true! Just to be sure, I took him to another doctor, who tested his eyes together. Sure enough, the eyes did not work properly together. Was it any wonder he couldn't do his school work? When he tried to read, the little fellow saw double, backward and blurred!
Fortunately, the doctor was able to help. Today our son is a radio engineer with a large station and is a happily married father of two. We didn't give up until we found help -- and it was certainly well worth it. -- PROUD MOTHER IN NEVADA
DEAR PROUD MOTHER: I'm pleased that your story had a happy ending. It reinforces how important it can be to get a second opinion if a diagnosis is in question.