It got better!!

We decided put Alec back into his assigned public school, which has an incredibly strict 'hands off policy'. After we explained what he's gone through, they've even got him meeting with a counselor to work through the frustration and anger that accompany being bullied.

His first day was Monday and he was so excited/nervous!

This was the most I could get him to sit still for a picture. His teacher came out to greet us and she was wonderful! She appears very organized and caring which will be great for him.

After school, he was all smiles & happy stories, "no one hit or kicked me the entire day!" What a change! At Somerset NLV, he didn't want to go, always came home rather 'down in the dumps', and had always been hurt physically at some point in the day.

SO many positives now: he has normal homework, so I don't feel like I have to supplement! His teacher tested him, so he's working at his correct level now-yay (fourth grade)! 

Another big advantage to having him go to the local school is that it's in bikeriding/walking distance. So, Alec has really enjoyed being able to ride his bike and I'm enjoying getting a little bit extra running time in.

I can tell it's better, because I don't have a sinking feeling in my stomach when I drop him off. What a wonderful change!

This has been a huge burden on our family and looking back now, I can't figure out why we didn't just pull him out sooner. I believe we felt so invested in the school, because we had wanted him there so badly, put so much time and money into it, and had such high expectations. I definitely feel like it was a 'parent fail' on our part as we should have just pulled him out sooner. 

This has humbled us a lot, but I feel like we have learned a lot from this situation. It was a good way to realize that we should trust our own personal revelation, more than the professional administrators at the school who continually promised us that things were getting better. I'm grateful I was able to volunteer so regularly, so I could see what was really happening at the school-not just the bits Alec reported (he told me, maybe, 1/10th of the violence that was being permitted). I feel like it was a good learning experience for Alec, who now really appreciates a fantastic, dedicated teacher and a wonderful school where his safety is important.

Apart from talking in class, (which his teacher reports at the normal level for a 6-year old boy) he's not having any problems! When I went into his class Wednesday, I was shocked at how much calmer & organized the entire school was! This was definitely the right decision. Lesson learned the hard way.