DR. WALLACE: I plan to become a social worker after I graduate high school and college. I'm more than a decent student but am not a straight-A student. When I was a freshman in high school, I got to sign up for whatever classes I decided I wanted to take beyond the required core classes that every student must pass.

But the last two years of being in high school my father has been overbearing about pushing me to take advanced math, science and literature classes that I have no interest in. And beyond that, I don't see how these classes will all help me gain better traction in my chosen future career field.

I don't want to argue with my father so I'm thinking perhaps I could go to a school counselor and explain things to her. Maybe then she could call my father and explain my side of the story to him. I think you'll listen to an adult much more and he will to his own daughter, don't you agree? — Not Into These Advanced Classes, via email

NOT INTO THESE ADVANCED CLASSES: I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of presenting your case to a counselor at your school. But rather than asking the counselor to call your father, I recommend that you see your counselor directly first and then have the counselor arrange a follow-up meeting with the three of you, including your father, to be held in person. This way you can be present as the counselor explains things to your father and you can answer each other's questions in an open, wide-ranging discussion.

This will likely be the best way to settle the issue of what discretionary classes you would like to take over the remainder of your time in high school.

HE ASKS ME EVERY SINGLE DAY!

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 17-year-old girl who finds herself in a dilemma! I date only occasionally, and I have not yet had a steady boyfriend, but I have enjoyed dating a few different guys over the past few years. I'm more interested in hanging out with my best friends and focusing on getting good grades, but I do enjoy an occasional date at a nice social event.

I'm fortunate that I have more than enough opportunities to be asked out on dates by various guys. I'm quite selective and because I don't date that often I typically say no far more often than I say yes. In fact, I would say that I answer no 10 to 20 times for every time I say yes!

Well, this one boy at my school comes up to me every single day and asks me out. I've always told him no and I've been pretty polite about it for the past month. But now that he's coming up to ask me every single day, I'm starting to feel a bit agitated and there's part of me that wants to lash out at him and tell him off, but I haven't done that so far because he's actually pretty friendly and he always asks me with a nice smile and a good tone. Not only that, but also when I tell him "no," he just smiles and thanks me for letting him know and then he walks away. But he always comes back to ask again the next day!

Do you feel I would be justified in snapping at him to send the message to leave me alone, or do you think I should just continue to politely tell him no in as brief of a way as possible each day? — I Still Plan to Say No Every Time, via email

I STILL PLAN TO SAY NO EVERY TIME: I believe you've been doing the right thing so far, and therefore would advise you to simply smile back at him, say "no thanks" and then turn and head on your merry way to wherever you are headed next on your school campus.

The reason I advise you to do this is that he's been very polite in the manner that he's approached you, since he smiles and accepts your answer and immediately leaves you alone, at least for the rest of that day.

I feel that if you were to snap at him or speak to him in a harsh way that you would eventually come to regret that. There's something to be said for being polite to other people, even when you find yourself in a situation that does not make you feel comfortable. Trust me, later in life as an adult you will find yourself in many business and social situations in which you don't feel comfortable. Having the ability to smile, be polite but firmly give the answer that you wish to give is indeed a talent that will serve you well over your lifetime. This young man has created an opportunity for you to get some practice in this area.

One idea I have that may cause him to slow down or stop his requests might be if you offered to set him up on a blind date sometime if you can find a suitable counterpart for him!

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 [email protected]. 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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