A FOCUS Student

Mrs. Forehand chose Andrew as her Focus Student this year to fulfill a requirement of a special project with the Moss Point School District. We were invited to a special dinner recognizing the teachers and their students last night. It was fun as we got to eat and learn more about his teacher and her family, as well as the classroom, school, and school district. Below is part of what she shared last night.

Student Portrait

My focus student is a kindergartner named Andrew Wood. I choose Andrew because he came to me speaking no English. He was adopted from Colombia eight weeks before school started. I chose Andrew because I thought he would be a challenge to teach. I was wrong!

During the beginning of the school year we had very few situations where Andrew could not communicate effectively. Although he did not speak English, he was very bright. I had originally told his parents not to worry about the normal objectives the kindergartners would be working on such as letter recognition and reading, but rather speaking English and socialization skills.

As the year went on, Andrew picked up on everything we did in class. He also has been blessed with wonderful parents who worked with him at home. Not only has Andrew learned to speak English, but he is also one of the best readers in the class. He has drastically exceeded all the goals I had set for him at the beginning of the school year. Andrew has turned out to be as “normal” as any student in my class. He has even been on the Superintendent's list for the last two nine-weeks! His ability to adapt to so much change has really been an inspiration to me and everyone he has came into contact with.