The year has been much calmer and less stressful than last year. I doubt much could have been worse than that, in retrospect. So let's say it has been a very happy year for DS7, who has made many new friends after switching schools. My parents visited recently from out-of-state and noted how much calmer he seems. My mom (who is very familiar with what we went through) credits the new school environment. I suspect she is largely correct.
He's not getting as much differentiation/acceleration as we might like, although he is two years advanced in math (and doing great there, though it's probably also not quite enough stretch, it is enough that if he gets lazy and makes mistakes, he wants to and does correct them). He's had some special projects at school (wrote a play, which was performed by some of his classmates, researched several topics and made reports), which have been great, and has had fun.
We are meeting w/the teachers (current and next year's planned) and administrator soon to hear the plan for next year. I am anxious and feeling unprepared for this meeting, despite knowing so much more than I did at this time last year. (Perhaps because I know so much more!) This year's teacher has been so supportive of him, and the next one may not click. One never knows at the start...
We have talked briefly about the IAS with the head of school, who has only used it once but is open. Not so much because we are in a rush to do a full acceleration, but because we think it might be illuminating.
DS has read oodles of books and attended one G&T weekend session this year (and some online sessions), so despite the lack of acceleration, I think he's learned this year. He likes fact-based books (think: encyclopedias of various sorts) as well as fiction. We are blessed to have a fabulous local library.
I was enjoying the break from having other grownups talk to me but after church today, the leader of the children's section (the kids step out of it) approached me to discuss how to improve DS' behavior. Seems he has been bored and thus going back to negative leadership (leading the others astray with his wisecracks). Sigh. The very nice man said several times he knew DS was very intelligent, but could do better. (He handled the conversation beautifully.)
