Here is an update on the school change...the good, the bad, and the great!

The good...Ds's teacher is working with ds and keeping me informed of what's going on so I can help her with following up at home. She really seems to like kids and she is patient, positive, and kind while also expecting the children to behave and do their best.

The bad..My dks are so far behind their classmates at the new school. Dh and I are shocked at how far behind the public school is from the private school my dks now attend! On a good note, my ds seems to be catching up very quickly and is in advanced math and reading groups where we knew he should have been at his last school (his mean teacher placed him in the lowest performing groups and told me that she thought he had learning problems). Our dd is also working hard and playing catch-up.

The great...Both my dks are very happy with the change and love their new school. My ds now looks forward to school in the mornings and talks excitedly about his day when I pick him up in the afternoon. He loves his teacher! His teacher says that there were some behavior issues on the first day, but since then he is settling down and improving each day and things are going very well. Dd has made new friends quickly and thinks this school is much better than the old school.

Dh and I both feel we made a great decision so far and it is such a relief to see our ds turning around and enjoying school again. I'm so glad we removed him and dd from the old school!

On a side note, I have not finished the letter to the principal and school board yet. We decided to wait until we received ds's report card in case we need to send a copy of it with the letter. We feel that, given her past vindictive behavior, there is a good chance his old teacher will fail him thinking that she can get one last dig at both ds and me without repercussions. She would be wrong of course.

By Kate on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:03 pm:

Thanks for the update! I look forward to hearing more updates! I'm so happy for your family, what great news! When will the report card arrive? How is everyone handling the commute?

By Heaventree on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:09 pm:

Yeah! Great news! I'm so happy for you all. Don't worry about them being behind, they'll catch up in no time.

By Enchens on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:12 pm:

What a relief it must this must be. It's so great to hear that your dkids are enjoying school, especially your ds. What a difference a teacher can make.

Good luck with all the old school stuff.

By Mommmie on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:23 pm:

I am so so happy for you!!!! Thanks for the update.

By Cat on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:44 pm:

That's great! I'm so happy your kids (and you) are happy there. Sounds like it was a great move. ^5, Mom!

By Dawnk777 on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 03:24 pm:

Wow. Sounds like a very positive change!

By Rayelle on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 03:45 pm:

That's so good for your dks! I have a good idea what your dks are going through and I can relate to the difference in public/private schools. I started in a private school, then it closed and I went to public in 4th grade. The 4th grade teacher was nice and gave me all kinds of challenging work and projects to do I enjoyed.My 5th grade teacher hated me. She was mad I could not pay attention to her and still get answers right among other things and told my parents I was a problem kid. They pulled me and my brother out right then and there. When I went to a different private school, I was behind that last semester of 5th grade, which I was not used to. I was back to honors classes pretty quick though. Good luck! Sounds like a great move!

By Amecmom on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 05:40 pm:

I am so happy to hear this. Please do follow up with the school board when you feel it is okay. You are fortunate to be in a position where you could take your kids out of that school. There may be other children and parents who have no choice but to suffer.
Great great news!
Ame

By Luvn29 on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 08:16 pm:

That is wonderful news. More than likely there were behavior problems the first day because your son was on the defensive. Once he saw the difference in the teachers, he was no longer in defense mode.

I am so happy for all of you. It makes such a world of difference when a child enjoys school and is excited about going.

By Tunnia on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 04:11 pm:

It's amazing how different schools can be! I had no idea that the public school (and ours is at the top in our county) would be so far behind, but both dks are working hard to catch up and not complaining. My oldest is also quite surprised at how far behind her old school is. I think my dks will catch up fairly quickly. Ds is already doing quite well and I am amazed at how quickly he is grasping the new material.

The commute is quite long, about 40 minutes from home to school and then another 30 minutes for me between school and work. In my area though, it's not unusual to have a commute that is an hour or more.

By Kate on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 06:26 pm:

Tunnia, is it the Abeka curriculum by any chance?