10-year-old decisions

A couple of months ago, my younger son took a test.  It was a BIG, MEAN test, especially for a fourth grader.  It was a three-hour-long test.  He was testing to see if he could be accepted into the school district's Accelerated Learning Lab program.

He knew then that if he was accepted and decided to do it, he would have to change schools for fifth and sixth grades.  He didn't know if he really wanted to do that.  So we told him that he should do the best he could on the test.  If they offered him placement in the program, he didn't necessarily have to accept the placement.  There were HUNDREDS of kids there testing.  Literally.

Yesterday, he received a letter in the mail informing him that he's being offered placement!

As his dad, it's nothing but exciting for me.  I'm extremely poud of him.  I'm excited that he, among hundreds of applicants, did well enough to be placed in the program.  I'm excited about the idea that he'll be more challenged and less bored in school.

But this is a big deal to a fourth grader.  It's a HUGE big deal.  The poor guy could hardly sleep last night.

Today, we drove over to what would become his new school and walked around it.   We've been talking with him about all of the ramifications of going into this program.  But we've told him that in the end, it's HIS decision.  We're going to encourage him to take the placement, and he's even told us that he's pretty sure he's going to do it.  But even if he decides not to do it, I'll be proud of him.