Six of my elementary school age children were just blessed by a week at a Math Camp. The guidance counselor put it on and invited my kids, undaunted by our inability to pay. We have applied for a local grant yet have not heard a yea or a nay from them.

While these six faced Math Camp and slung accusations of ‘nerd’ at each other, four other children got to go to an Outdoor Adventure Camp with horseback riding, whitewater rafting, kayaking and camping. The biggest dissenter is pictured here. The envy from one group to another was very pronounced at the beginning of our week yet by today when my six, super-excited elementary children watched their own progress in multiplication with undisguised amazement, I suggested that being brainiacs might be something worth striving towards on a regular basis. They’ve never encountered this much success before.

Their progress was measurable, pre-tests and post-tests showed huge leaps in their knowledge. Five out of these six children also usually exhibit behavior issues that often prevent much learning from taking place, yet this week somehow each child behaved.

They had four nights of homework that they each worked on better than they usually do during the school year, and my 11 year old son who always qualifies for summer school due to low CRCT test scores pointed out to me, early this morning, that he felt he’d learned more in this one week than in the four weeks he’d attended summer school. I know he learned a lot then as he scored better afterwards, but this one intense week has been nothing short of amazing.

This same son, touched with cerebral palsy, struggles daily to keep up with his own age group. He’s physically smaller, has speech problems and behavior challenges. His original caseworker from when he was adopted nine years ago, remarked aloud that she remembered his original spitting, screaming rages. He did not have any sort of speech ability until he was six years old, we spent many years deciphering his grunts and dodging what he’d thrown in his frustration.

To see him so proud of himself today is priceless. For him to recognize his own progress is outstanding enough, and now his excitement about heading into fifth grade is a joy to behold. We owe this woman, Mrs. Porter, a tremendous debt of gratitude.