Today, we met with the principal at The Boy’s new school.

I went in knowing that they don’t have all of the programs and supports that his previous school had, but hoping to get a feel for the size of the classes and the flexibility they have to accommodate The Boy’s needs.  We were also hoping to get a peek at the school so The Boy could become a  little familiar – the more of those before school actually starts, the better!

(not The Boy’s real classroom)

I was very pleasantly surprised.  Our new principal (besides being an old friend of The Man) was very personable, and very open about their programs.  He was very reassuring and informative about the various ways they can meet The Boy’s needs.  And as I very well know, the principal’s attitude sets the tone for the staff.  Having someone as caring and open as this man in our corner reassures me a great deal.

We spoke about placements, and what worked at The Boy’s previous school.  We talked about class size (Only 70 6th graders in the whole class!) and personnel.  We talked about The Boy’s interests and motivators, and what exploratory classes he might be interested in.  And The Boy seemed very happy to meet this nice principal.  This man doesn’t know it yet, but The Boy cares a great deal about the person in the principal position: what he thinks, and how he enforces the rules in his school.

All in all, I feel more hopeful than I did before.  Hopeful that this just might work, and The Boy may thrive in this environment, too, even though it is so different.