Chapter 2
Steve and Catherine made their way down the hallway and knocked on the door frame of Mr. S's now familiar classroom.
"Come in, come in." Jack Seftas waved them in with a warm smile. "I'm just getting the last of my things packed up for the summer."
"Thanks for making time to see us," Catherine said. "I'm sure you're anxious to get going on your trip. When do you leave?"
"Day after tomorrow." The teacher's eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement. "I can't wait to get going. This will be my third summer working with Rwanda Girls Initiative."
"Angie is quite impressed that you go to Africa every summer to, as she puts it, 'help girls learn lots of stuff'," Steve said.
Jack chuckled. "Of course you know the first question she asked me when she found out."
"Let me guess," Steve replied. "Do they have goats there?"
"Got it in one. I promised I'd send her some pictures." Jack indicated the adult-sized chairs still remaining in his classroom from end of year conferences. "I'm pretty sure I know what you're here to talk about. The possibility of Angie skipping first grade."
Catherine pulled a notepad and pen out of her purse. "I hope you don't mind me taking notes. We're getting input from quite a few people and I want to make sure no detail gets forgotten."
"Not a problem at all."
"We'd like to hear your honest opinion," Steve said. "No punches pulled."
Jack Seftas knew that Steve and Catherine valued honesty and candor. Angie had been such a special student, one of the kind that only comes along a few times in a career. He owed it to both her and her parents to be completely honest about what he thought would be best for her future.
He took a deep breath. "As I told you at our last conference, Angie is one of the most dynamic students I've ever had the pleasure to teach. She's bright, eager to learn, and a very hard worker. She has more social and emotional intelligence than many adults. She's a natural leader but also a natural helper and more than happy to be fully supportive if someone else wants to take the lead.
"Personally, I have very little doubt she's going to do big things in the world. Do I think she could handle the work in second grade? I do. Do I think she could fit in socially? Yes, though it always takes time to break into a new social circle, especially an already established one. But if anyone could do it with ease, it would be Angie.
"All that having been said, I don't think moving her to second grade is a good idea. That's certainly just my opinion. I know others feel differently. But you asked me to be honest."
"That's definitely what we want," Catherine assured him. "Is there a specific reason why you think that?"
"I'm of the belief that education is like building a tower with blocks." Jack pointed across the room to the play area in the corner. "You need to make sure each layer is as strong as it can possibly be so it holds up the ones above it. I'm certain Angie could learn everything she would need to over the summer in order to hit the ground running in second grade. But learning is different from fully understanding.
"Children Angie's age, even advanced students, need time to assimilate all the new concepts coming at them. If a student moves on too soon they don't get a chance to really make a concept part of their bank of knowledge. And if those gaps occur too early in a child's education, it can create a shaky foundation they'll have to deal with later.
"Not to mention that it can create academic temerity in a child who might no longer feel quite as confident that they have a strong grasp of the material." He smiled. "Not that I think that would necessarily be an issue with Angie, but it's something to keep in mind."
Catherine continued to furiously take notes as Angie's beloved kindergarten teacher carried on speaking about a topic he was clearly passionate about.
"He raised some very good points," Elizabeth said later as she sat on the deck with Steve, Catherine, and Joseph listening to a recap of the meeting with Mr. S. and watching Angie and DJ play in the sand.
Steve nodded. "Everyone we've talked to so far has made interesting points, both pro and con. But honestly I've been most eager to hear what you have to say. You can see this as both an education professional and a grandma. And I know you'll tell us what you really think."
"Always," Elizabeth said. "I agree with Mr. S. that building a strong intellectual foundation is important, but I also think you have to consider very carefully what this would do to Angie on a social and emotional level. She'd be leaving all of her friends behind. Even though she could still see them, and still have play dates, it would be different. It couldn't help but not be."
"When we talked to Jimmy Kualani at the Department of Education, he said studies show that most children who get accelerated advancement eventually catch up in those aspects," Catherine said.
Elizabeth nodded. "I went and read that study after you called earlier. It states that most students catch up socially and emotionally by the time they've completed their education. Meaning by the time they're out of college."
Steve frowned. "I don't think I like the sound of that."
"We all know Angie is more than capable of holding her own and breaking into a new social group," Elizabeth said. "But there's absolutely no question her place in that new group would be different. That group is already well established. She'll be younger than everyone else. She'll be seen as 'the girl who skipped a grade' which will bring a lot of academic expectations. She'll have a completely new role. Not to mention she'll also have a new role with her old social group just by virtue of the fact that she won't be with them at the same level anymore."
"Sweetheart, we know that fitting in with a new group is possible," Joseph said. "You proved that every time you had to change schools. But those were clean breaks. You left your old school behind. Angie would have to deal with being in the same place but in a totally different situation."
Catherine adjusted her sunglasses. "So you think it's a bad idea?"
"I know," Joseph looked at Elizabeth, "I should say WE know that you two will make the right decision for Angie. But we love and respect you enough to give you our honest opinions."
"Look who I found in the driveway," Danny said as he slid open the door from the house and stepped out followed by Carrie.
"You didn't find me." Carrie elbowed his ribs playfully. "I found you. Sitting in your car listening to Livin' on a Prayer at a volume that quite frankly should embarrass a man of your age."
"No such thing as too loud when it comes to Bon Jovi," Danny said unapologetically.
Carrie took a seat next to Catherine. "Have you reached a decision yet? When we talked earlier it felt pretty clear to me you were leaning towards no."
"We just want to make sure we do what's right for Angie," Catherine said.
"Look at all of us." Carrie indicated everyone else sitting on the deck. "We each touched all the bases, and I think we turned out pretty good."
"This is completely your decision, obviously," Danny said. "But they're little for such a short time. We all know Angie is gonna run the world someday. What's the harm in waiting one extra year?"
"I just want to be sure I'm not holding her back in any way just because I want to savor every minute of her childhood," Steve said candidly.
"I am 100% positive you would never do that," Danny replied confidently. "But whatever you guys decide, I will support it 100%."
"Also, there are lots of ways to stimulate your kids intellectually outside of school," Elizabeth said. "I think you two already do a great job of that. But if more trips to the zoo, or the aquarium, or the museum, or the library, or wherever Angie's imagination takes her are required, your father and I will be happy to pitch in."
"Same here," Carrie said.
Danny smiled. "Ditto."
"Have you talked to Angie about it yet?" Joseph asked.
"That's on the agenda for tonight," Catherine said. "Wish us luck."
After discussing the idea of skipping a grade with Angie in a way they felt she would understand, Steve and Catherine sat back and waited to hear their daughter's reaction.
"So I wouldn't go to first grade at all?" Angie asked.
"No," Catherine told her.
"Ever?"
"No, not ever," Catherine reiterated. "You'd go straight to second grade."
"Would Ashae come? Or any of my other friends?" Angie asked.
"No." Steve tried to keep his tone upbeat. "But you would make new friends."
Angie tilted her head the same way Catherine did when she was trying to puzzle something out. "What did DJ say?"
"We haven't told DJ yet," Catherine said. "We wanted to talk to you first."
"You always say we make all our decisions as a family," Angie pointed out. "I want to talk to DJ."
"You can't argue with her logic," Steve said before going to the bottom of the stairs to ask DJ to come down to the dining room.
Catherine and Steve caught DJ up in much the same way they had explained things to Angie.
"I'm not sure," DJ said uncertainly. "This seems like a super important decision. I don't want to say the wrong thing. This should be up to you guys and Angie."
"You could never say the wrong thing as long as you tell the truth," Steve said. "And Angie wants to hear what you think."
"How about this?" Catherine said. "Instead of telling Angie what you think she should do, think about what you'd do if it was you. Would you want to go straight to the 6th grade?"
DJ bit his lip. "Honestly? I don't think I would. I'd want to stay with my friends. And in 5th grade Mr. F. said we'd be making popsicle stick planes and seeing how far they can fly and also tornadoes in a bottle and real working volcanoes. I wouldn't want to miss that."
He looked at his little sister.
"But that's me, Angie. You should be real proud they think you're such a good student you can skip a grade. If you want to, you should."
Angie wrinkled her nose and screwed up her lips in thought.
Steve and Catherine could tell by the look on her face, and her body language, that she was truly thinking the idea through.
After a few minutes of silence Catherine finally asked, "What do you think? Do you want to go to the 2nd grade?"
Angie shook her head. "No, thank you."
Her words were clear and confident.
"Are you sure?" Steve asked. "Do you have any other questions?"
She thought for a few seconds then hopped down from her chair.
"Can we have cookies before story time?"
Catherine barked a laugh.
"I think Daddy meant any more questions about going to the second grade."
Angie shook her head. "No. But we're still goin' to see Felix tomorrow, right? You and Daddy promised."
"You guys go upstairs and get ready for bed and Daddy and I will be right up with a snack," Catherine chuckled.
As the kids' voices retreated Steve and Catherine could hear Angie making plans for the zoo, any thought of skipping a grade already gone from her mind.
Steve breathed a sigh of relief. "If I'm being honest, I'm glad she isn't interested."
"Same here." Catherine admitted. "Maybe we should have just asked her first and saved ourselves all those discussions with other people."
"Our daughter knows her own mind," Steve said proudly.
"I'll email Dr. Baxter while you get a plate of cookies for storytime snacks." Catherine smiled. "Then after the kids are asleep we can celebrate the fact that there are so many people in their lives who want what's best for them."
Steve waggled his eyebrows. "And that we handled this whole situation with as little drama as possible and no tears at all."
"We deserve a prize for that," Catherine purred as she leaned up to kiss him.
"Hurry up and send that email," Steve said against her lips. "I'll get started on stories. Then we can practice a little accelerated advancement of our own."
THE END
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