Our son first entered Virginia Beach Friends School in the middle of eighth grade. What a time for a kid to make such a big move.
And he came to you needing to relax, needing to feel respected by the other students (not outcast), needing to feel like he not only fit in but that his unique gifts and characteristics would be accepted.
You've provided a perfect fit. We haven't seen him this relaxed and happy since his more carefree days of elementary school. He's always been a high achiever, but it used to come with a lot of self-imposed stress and the destructive belief in his report card as the only measure of his worthiness of the respect of others. At Friends he's able to excel quickly in his strengths and to get support when he struggles in the face of a challenge. He understands that it's okay to get a B; that grades do not define a person; that the barometer for "smart" is not necessarily
what a person has already learned, but
how a person will continue to learn for a lifetime. Because your focus is truly on who he is as a
person, not only as a producer of academic achievements, our son is proud of all aspects of his educational development and strives to foster the same in others when and as appropriate.
Thank you for taking every initiative you do to recognize and support the spirits of your students. Thank you for your interest in their talents and unique gifts. Unless these gifts are at the forefront of a child's personality, they can easily go unrecognized. But as we all know, we find what we're looking for in life--as well as in people. You're looking for what's special in our kids. You're affirming that they not only have an important place in this world but that they have support on a spiritual level as well as on an academic level.
You're making a difference in who they are today, in who they will grow to be and in how they view and influence their world.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
With deepest gratitude,
A Virginia Beach Friends School Parent
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