Once you said he was dyslexic, I could see your problem. I've had to deal with that all my life, so I can understand your feelings and his.

So I'm going to throw a few things out to you, if you don't mind.

You asked his to proff read his paper, not a problem except that he might not be able to. You have to remember that the words might have looked right to him, they will and can change on him as he reads. I'm sure you know that already. So did you ask him if he already proof read it or did you assume he didn't? How you picked your words when you woke him up, might have something to do with the fight. You can't image what it like to try hard on something and be told that it is not accectable. Just because a person knows they have a problem, does not take away from the embarrassment that still comes with it. Like you said he might have been embarassed that he's not "getting it" and that the reson he left. But being a 17 year old man, as he most likely thinks of himself, he didn't want to deal with it. It's easier to get up and leave. He knows you want to help, but he's 17 and getting help from his parents, could be hard for him, male ego and all.

My Father and I still to this day talk about my spelling lessons with him or as we call them "The Crying game" One minute I get them right, 5 minutes later they where all wrong. A lot of hard words where sproken between the both of us, from my embarrassment to his frustration in me. They were some bad times that still hurt to this day. I so wished that he had choice a different way. If he had just told me he understood that I had a problem but it was not my fault that he knew even with my problem I was still a intelligent girl and would make it. Even now at 40+ years of age, I'm still get embarrassed when someone catches my mistakes.

I do know your frustrated with him and you have a right, but what I'm saying is choise your words right with him, just in case he feels that embarrassment, that most of us feel with this problem. He will never amit to it, but I have a feeling it's there. Tell him you read his paper sense it happen to still be on the putter and it was a great paper, he did a good job, but there are just a few mistakes that the both of you might want to look at real quick, if he likes. Make the problems look small, give him some hope that he is "getting it".

Let him know how proud of him you are and offer to help if he wants it, make him feel he has a say in it. If he doesn't take it then he learned from his own mistakes. Maybe next time he will take the offer of help, the lose of his track, could be the wake up call he needs. Knowing you need help is one thing, asking for it is another and thats come with maturity and time. How do most people learn to ask for help, by making mistakes and learning from them. If he's off the track team, then as hard as it might be, thats life in the real world, for ever action there is a reaction.

I'm only going by what little you said here and my own childhood, so I could be off, who knows. Does his teacher know he has this problem? I was lucky mine did and worked with me with out anyone knowing. Thats was the most important thing for me, that noone knew. She also graded me with the knowledge that I had a problem and so some of the little mistakes were over looked. Maybe that was wrong, but I made it through college with a B.A. because of the confidence she instilled in me. That and have a good friend the proff read my papers for me.