Gordon wishes her son hadn't made it to middle school so far behind. "He should have been held back in the third grade because when he got to the fourth grade it was challenging," Gordon said. "And I as a parent am sitting here thinking, 'Did I set him up for this failure? Did I play a part in this failure?'" As the mother of two other former Metro Nashville Public School students, Gordon said she worries about the students who aren't struggling as much as Malik, but are just skating by. "I'm advocating for that kid who is sitting there, he’s acting good, he is making those Cs, but he’s still behind," she said. "He still doesn’t get it, he’s going to do enough to not get noticed, but he isn't prepared."