My kids (son 13, daughter 11) came here a bit over a year ago. They already speak English comfortably. They still need ESL/Bi-lingual program to master the language of course. I like their teachers this year. They are very good. I have some problems with other teachers. My son forgets his homework, or does homework at home but forgets to turn it in. Sometimes I think that he misses what the teacher assigns if it's not a simple message: do page so-and-so. Sometimes I think he's lying to get out of doing it, but I am not sure. Every time we do his homework, he does it without struggles. But now and then he forgets, and I get a report with a bad grade because of missing work. I wish his teachers would be more willing to be in touch with me, but they ignore all my attempts to communicate. I complained, but it did very little. At this point I try to encourage him to remember and pay attention to what is assigned. Maybe one day....
My daughter tries hard. School is more difficult for her than her brother. But she's making a steady progress.
She is in fourth grade, so she has one teacher (plus ESL teachers).
We speak Polish at home, and I don't let them switch to English while talking to me. They speak English with their friends outside.
For the summer, I chose sports activities at the park district near home. They'll have 3 hours of sports every day. I was thinking about signing them up for extra studies but then decided not to. Summer should be about fun, especially that we're still in the process of bonding.
Perhaps one day we should get all together since we don't live too far away?
All the best!
Anita