Hello everyone, it has again been a long time since I've logged in to this board and reading this thread has brought back lots of memories. I thought I'd update you on my son's growth, if only so concerned parents can get my hindsight, particularly those parents with a single child.
Alexandre is now 12 and just entered 8th grade in Oakland Public Schools where he has been since 6th grade. The move from a bilingual private school to a less than stellar public school was a little challenging during the first 6 months but he eventually settled in and has come to really like his environment (we parents a bit less...). While the social integration has been a fantastic adventure for him, the academic level is mediocre and our son is an A student with little effort. Being an April kid and having skipped 2nd grade, he nonetheless struggles with a lack of maturity. His lower attention span has frustrated some of his teachers who, as a whole, have told us that he is quite bright but needs focus. Ironically, when I mentioned that he is nearly a year and half younger than his peers, they all rolled their eyes in a "now I get it" moment. Our concern however is that compared to California's State average, his scores are just in the top 25%. He isn't taught what he needs to know and it shows on State tests. We supplement his school curriculum with French, piano and Kumon math classes (highly recommended if you don't know what Kumon is!). His French teacher recently gave him a sample SAT French exam on which he had a perfect score.
Looking back at my early posts, I see that Alexandre continues to display the traits that brought me to this forum. He learns and retains very quickly, yet he doesn't show the inquisitive mind to push himself to learn more, which is probably what sets really bright kids apart. Like most parents, we compete with screens and struggle to motivate him but we are relieved that he raises to the challenges he is faced with, even if this school's are not high. Next year is high school and a whole new world awaits him because we are going to raise the bar way higher than he is used to...
