My daughter just got her first letter graded report card, and she is already focused on how many As she got. I hope she will understand that the letter grades are marks that merely reflect how well ONE person thinks she did in the small portion of a subject that she studied during the past three months. I hope she feels as much pride for how much she overcame in these past three months, as she does in those letters. I know I'm darn proud of how far she has come, not necessarily in what she has learned, but in how well she has adapted to a very different style of teaching that came with very high expectations. It's taken a few months, but I can see her starting to hit her stride and really light it up.  

And for as well as she did, I have to mention (proudly) that Lukasz is doing AMAZING this year in school. He performed during Dance Week without a hitch, and is determinedly rehearsing for the Christmas performance despite his "stage fright"! His teacher writes "Lukasz is a bright and active student. He demonstrates an open willingness to share his rare combination of intellect and sensitivity. He is working very hard to understand his role in the school. He works equally well on his own independently and with others cooperatively. He works very hard to understand his emotions and integrate them into his everyday school life...Lukasz is exceeding expectations in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.")

And again, that's just one person's opinion, but when I see that he is working well cooperatively, and working to understand his emotions, well, my heart wants to burst with pride.