DR. WALLACE: I'm 17, and I dropped out of high school last year. I have realized that this was a mistake and I want to return, but my high school won't let me return, because they don't think I will take the schoolwork seriously. I also made some unwise comments on my way out the door and off of the campus back then, so I wanted you to know this as part of my full disclosure of my situation.

Now that some time has passed and I'm a bit older, I realize I made a bad mistake. I really do want a chance to resume my high school education and earn a diploma. I'm prepared to work hard to make this happen.

What can I do to have a chance to make this a reality at this point in time? I sure could use a few suggestions on how to best proceed, since I did not really leave on very good terms. — Contrite and Reconsidering, via email

CONTRITE AND RECONSIDERING: To begin with, I did note two elements in your letter that I liked and felt indicated your sincerity here. First off, you mentioned "working hard," which you'll absolutely need to do, and second, you used the word "contrite" in signing your letter.

My suggestion is to write a letter to your high school principal and bring these two elements into the letter. Show your contrition with a proper apology in writing, and be sure to mention how hard you'd work if you were granted another chance. Furthermore, I'd recommend you make this a handwritten letter. Why? Two reasons: First, the principal will likely know you wrote it (not your parents), and second, it takes more time to do, which shows your sincerity.

Have your parents proofread a draft of your letter before you finish it. Once completed, have one of your parents talk with the principal, and request to mail the letter in or have it scanned and emailed in. Following this, if you still are not admitted, have one of your parents talk with the district superintendent. If this doesn't get results, take your case to the board of education. A 17-year-old should be allowed to attend school, unless he or she is a total disruption to others.

Finally, this unusual era of COVID-19 might actually work to your advantage. Since your current classes would likely be via a remote connection such as Zoom, you might not need to be in a physical classroom, at least at first. Since the classroom is where your situation went south, you might be better off restarting on a remote basis. Of course, you will need to show complete and consistent respect for everyone from your teachers to your fellow students, and you'll need to work very hard indeed.

I'M NOT A MAID

DR. WALLACE: I am 14 and the only girl in our household. I have five brothers! We end up sharing everything in our big, noisy family. I keep my room tidy, but I don't like to clean up the bathrooms after my brothers trash them. I'm not a slob, but I don't even like cleaning up after myself, let alone everyone else. Of course, it's part of my chores to clean the bathrooms every week, and then there are other chores that include vacuuming, ironing, dusting, and washing and drying the dishes.

The boys in the family do all the outside work. They take care of the yard, cut the grass, garden, rake up leaves, wash off the driveways, and wash and vacuum the inside of our family vehicles. Since I'm the only girl, I feel like I have to clean up after all my dirty brothers. There's only one of me working inside the house, and there are five of them to handle the outside chores. It isn't fair!

How can I get my parents to understand that the boys should also be responsible for some of the inside chores? — Not a Hotel Maid, via email

NOT A HOTEL MAID: Prior to discussing these frustrations with your parents, have some suggestions about how the household chores could be split up among you and your brothers. This will show your parents that you have given this a lot of thought, and it will start a conversation that can include the whole family.

Having your siblings sharing a portion of the inside work is better for the overall family relationship, too. You could also consider doing chores all together as a group at specific times to power through the drudgery.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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