Alex had told me that if she was going to change grades she also wanted to change schools. Specifically, to Bronx Dance Academy. But when Craig and Alex and I talked with her teacher yesterday, Alex got talked out of that decision with three simple words. They. have. uniforms.
We do not believe in uniforms. At all. Like vehemently against them.
Plus that school is only like 2% white and over 70% hispanic. It turns out Alex is in a major love affair with her teacher, who loves her right back. I bet half of that love is simply pure relief over the disaster that was last year's mean teacher. This explains why Alex was hesitant to skip into seventh grade. What if she got another mean teacher? Don't mess with a good thing. Plus seventh grade is when you get a different teacher for each class. That's so many opportunities for mean teachers. It's like Alex has post dramatic stress from fifth grade.
Her current teacher said she could always keep getting lesson plans from her 7th grade teacher friends for Alex while she stays in her class. Except she gave Al a math packet for the entire month of October and it got done in one weekend. And then what would Alex do next year? Get eighth grade packets?
Alex's teacher showed us a mock 7th grade schedule she had asked the guidence counselor to make for her. I think really it was based on just which classes had space for another kid but Alex all but made her promise all the teachers listed are the nicest ones of the grade.
Craig offered to go home with us to talk to Aunt Elaine. They met in the hallway and the speed freak yelled at her not to sign the "skip a grade" thing Craig showed her. I think the only thing that propelled Aunt Elaine to get out of her chair for Craig was the fear that otherwise he'd come in and our promise that this would get Alex out of her house sooner than she thought. Luckily Aunt Elaine ignored him even when he licked his fingers and rubbed his nipples at her.
Tomorrow Alex starts seventh grade under the condition that she visits her sixth grade teacher before the end of the month to check in and let her know how it's going.
2 comments:
Good luck to Alex. Even if one teacher isn't so great, at least it won't be the same teacher all day. And it sounds like the sixth grade teacher will be watching out for her.
Not related to the post, but this might interest you:
http://www.kidfresh.com/vote_enter.php
Regarding the post, some schools allow students to advance one or two grade-levels in math without skipping a grade. That is, the students stay with their class for everything else, so those subjects aren't missed by skipping, but there is a special fast-track for those gifted in math.
Just an option, but we all hope it all works out academically, socially, and emotionally with the current plan.
It stinks they didn't do it at the beginning of the year. I had something similar happen to me as a child, also actually involving math!
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