Philip writes in his diary about how upset he is that he received a D in Ms. Narwin’s English class and that he has been placed in her homeroom. He continues to try to impress Allison, is considering giving up his paper route, and is still focused on working out. Sarah Gloss, one of his classmates, told him she would loan him The Outsiders because it is her favorite book.

A memo from Dr. Doane to Ms. Narwin informs Ms. Narwin her request for funding has been denied because all funds have already been distributed. The last grant went to the music teacher so she could attend a course on marching band techniques. Dr. Doane is excited about the prospect of having a good marching band at athletics events, since the superintendent is such a big fan of sports. Dr. Doane closes by telling Ms. Narwin how much she admires Ms. Narwin and wants to do anything she can (short of providing funding for professional development) to support her.

The next item is a transcript of a conversation between Coach Jamison, the track coach, and Philip. Philip, it turns out, is ineligible to run track because he has a D in Ms.