Tikkabik

We were surprised and honored today when Robert was given not one, not two, but three awards at his school. One of them was the top honor any student can be given -- Student of the Year.

We'd already been told by his teacher that he was going to receive awards, but the school kept us in the dark about what they were. The other two were Poet Laureate for Group 8 (the academic group he's part of) and Biggest Improvement in phys ed., which makes me happy too.

The Student of the Year award is a big deal -- students who get it, according to the vice principal -- not only excel academically, but socially as well. We know Robert's still having some trouble getting along with the other kids in his class, but it's phenomenal to see him progress this far, especially since he's only been there since November, and arrived a bit sullen and withdrawn. After what happened to him in public school, I can't say that I blamed him.

The Poet Laureate award was a special one one of his teachers thought up, as Robert is prone to doing his schoolwork in poetry form rather than just as a five paragraph narrative. Which is pretty cool, I think.

As far as the most improved in phys. ed. award, it may seem trivial, and I suppose it is, a bit, but this was a real weak area for him when he got to the school. His hand eye coordination is great with video games but not so good playing sports, and I actually made sure that he'd get some special attention in this area when we crafted his IEP. So I'm happy to see him rewarded for all his hard work.

Plus, his sister was awarded at her school too -- all A's and B's.