May 2010
James is wrapping up his last few months at Kline School. He has had a wonderful education at this exclusive private school. Its too bad he wasn't as motivated as I would have liked. I am afraid motivation is always going to be a struggle with James. We are now deciding on a high school placement. Currently he is completing a battery of tests to determine the best type of program available to meet his academic and social-emotional needs.
This summer James is hoping to get a job besides attending several sessions of Camp Bravo. James has completed his First Aid and CPR training so maybe he can work at one of our local water parks. I am hoping a summer job will help James develop more responsibility and increased maturity. James definitely has the skills and personality to be a leader, now we have to guide these leadership skills in the appropriate direction.
November 2009
James continues to struggle in school. While he is a pleasant and compliant student he has almost no motivation to complete his work despite the consequences. James is in his third year of private school and will complete 8th grade in June. I am nervous about James going to high school where there are lots of less than desirable influences. James is definitely a follower and tends to follow students who do not make good choices. We continue to encourage James to try his best. James is a smart teenager and could easily go on to college if he put his mind to it. Its difficult to say how much of James' early institutionalization (Russian orphanage) is contributing to his lack of motivation now. The good news in behaviorally, outside of academics, James is doing well. He is helpful and nice to be around. Some of the behaviors he struggle with at home are gone which certainly makes parenting James much more pleasant!
March 2009
James had fun on a week-long trip to Hawaii. He and George shared a hotel room and were very well-behaved. James had fun taking surfing lessons, riding in a helicopter, and attending a luau. This was a whole new experience for James who has not traveled on an airplane since he came to America. Despite our encouragement, it took several days of the great Hawaiian weather for James to trade out his hooded sweat jacket and skinny pants for a bathing suit and sandals. I had to keep reminding myself that James has an fashion image to protect---ahh to be a teenager again.
It was good for us to spend some special time together away from the environments that seem to cause some of James' behavioral challenges. Even though James told me that he was "bored" several times a day, I believe that overall I think James enjoyed himself.
November 2008
James continues to struggle with school work and with serious behavioral challenges at home, in the community and at school. James can be charming but he can also be cunning. He has many of the traits of a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Despite having an average IQ, Jams put very little effort in to his school work. We have hired an assistant five days a week, after school, to help James keep up with his assignments. Even with this level of support James continues to put more effort into getting out of his school work than completing his school work. We are also dealing with lots of behavioral challenges ranging from lying and stealing to property destruction and severe noncompliance. James' emotional problems make it very difficult to deal with his behaviors. He literally can be sweet and wonderful at the same time he is picking your pocket. James probably has the most serious behavioral issues of all of the other children at this time. Because he is bright and cunning it is very difficult to catch James in the act or stealing or destroying property. In addition to these behaviors that we see on a daily basis, we also have caught James smoking and drinking. This is really scary behavior for a boy just 13-years-old. We are currently looking for a therapist who has extensive experience with post institutionalized adopted children with behavioral issues related to attachment disorder.
September 2008
We are still working on finalizing James' adoption. We are trying to get continued services for James post-adoption. Since James was a private placement from an adoption disruption we are struggling to get the country to approve medical insurance and counseling. We may need to take James' situation to fair hearing. We know that James is eager to have his day in court and complete his adoption however we know that James is going to need support throughout his childhood. We feel it is necessary to advocate for James even if this means temporally postponing the finalization.
J
ames is continuing at Kline School. He struggles a bit with the higher level workload but we are all supporting him. He stays after school four days a week to study with his classmates. Grandma Sue helps James weekly and they are now working on a science project together. We are also looking into a private tutor. Unfortunately James does not have the solid educational foundation that most of the other Kline Students have so he will need to work a bit harder to just keep up.
May 2008
James has enjoyed attending Kline School. While he
continues to struggle with age-appropriate organizational
and study skills James says he loves school. James stays
after school Monday through Thursday to work on his
homework. This has been a great situation to help James
develop the responsibility in homework completion. Staying
after school helps James focus on his homework free of
distractions. With James' ADD/HD and lack of early schooling
he definitely lacks good study habits and organizational
skills. Hopefully over time, with the help of Kline School
staff and the family, James will be able to improve his
study skills and his grades. James will attend summer school
for six weeks at Kline School then he will attend a few
summer camp programs including two weeks at Catalina Sea
Camp. James really enjoyed this camp program which was not
only fun but extremely educational.
February 2008
James started at Kline School this month. We are thrilled that James got accepted into this prestigious private school. We have been worried about James' academic progress lately. While he loved attending our local middle school it was clear to us that he was getting lost in the crowd. James is a people pleaser but he also is very disorganized and out-of-focus when it comes to classroom paperwork and homework. Recently he received less than favorable grades in some of his best subjects. We were concerned that there was no communication ahead of time from the classroom teachers. We were shocked to see these grades without any advanced warning. We soon discovered that because of his disorganization, James often misplaced his school work. Instead of working with James to improve his organization skills he was simply given failing grades. At Kline School James is one of ten students in his class. He will be given individual attention and opportunities to develop strategies to improve his organization. James will also develop advanced technology skills at Kline School as each student has his/her own laptop in the classroom as uses the computer for every subject. In public school learning how to use the computer is left to an elective class. We believe that James will learn the necessary study skills at Kline School that will enhance his education now and in the future.
November 2007
James is enjoying middle school, especially all of the attention he is getting from the girls! Yes, I'm afraid James has discovered girls, or I guess I should say they have discovered him! He receives phone calls and e-mails on a daily basis from girls at school. Just imagine, this is only the beginning---James is only in sixth grade! James continues to be a little disorganized with his school work but other than that he is doing quite well. All of the teachers who we have met only have positive comments about James' classroom behavior and progress. We are very proud of James and his transition from a Russian orphanage to one family and then to our family. James is a great example of how a child from a disrupted adoption can settle in and successfully find his place in another adoptive family. We continue to be delighted to have James as our son!
September 2007
James loved Catalina Sea Camp this summer. He spent three weeks at this sleep-over camp held on the beach in Catalina. James learned how to snorkel and surf. James also tried his hand at sailing and wind surfing. James was very excited about his experience with underwater photography and seafood cooking. The first words out of James' mouth when we picked-up the boys from the boat was "I
DEFINITELY want to go back next year!!" We are excited that James had a good time at this camp and the many others he attended such as Sports Camp, Camp Bravo, Pali Adventures, and Camp Titan. George and Saul attended many of these camps with James. We heard many positive comments from the camp counselors about how the boys supported and encouraged each other. Its nice to hear that the boys stick-up and help each other even when they are away from the rest of the family!
June 2007
James is excited about graduating from elementary school. He will begin middle school in September. This summer James is participating in a number of day and sleep-over camps. James is always full of energy and the camp experience is perfect for him. James spent a week at Camp Titan, came home for one night then was off to Camp Bravo for a week! James is eager to meet new friends, sleep in the cabins, and try new activities. Having a "forever family" has allowed James to have life experiences that weren't available to him in a Russian orphanage. James is the type of person who loves to experience all that life has to offer and participate in every experience with gusto!
April 2007
James continues to make good progress at school. James no longer gets anxious about completing his homework and his class work. James still struggles with distractibility in most environments We are attempting to figure out the best way to address his ADD/HD which can be interfering with his ability to stay focused. In the meantime James is excited about graduating from elementary school and beginning middle school.
This month we will also file for James' adoption. We are just waiting for one more piece of paperwork to clear before we can get a court date. We are looking forward to making James an official member of the Silcock family.
February 2007
James has started taking guitar lessons once a week with three of the other boys. Although he started two lessons behind, he has almost caught up with his brothers. James received a guitar for Christmas and is excited about learning how to play. We often hear James, in his bedroom, practicing by himself. The music teacher we have selected is really kid driven in his instruction. While James is learning how to read music, James is also learning each lesson how to play the basics of specific songs that he has selected.
We appreciate the fact that James' guitar lessons have been funded for the next two months thanks to a generous donation from Bruno Derval and The Moise and Carol Ann Emquies Trust.
We are excited to see James' progress and to watch him develop his natural musical talents.
December 2006
James is doing remarkably well in school. This has been
James' first public school experience and the teachers
report that James is fitting-in beautifully. James does
struggle a little to keep up academically although he tries
very hard. In the beginning of the school year, James
thought homework was optional! Once we got over that
misperception, James' homework completion has much improved.
After school James love to be active. He can spend hours at
the skateboard park or will attend up to two hours of Tae
Kwon Do. The busier James is, the happier he is! James has
also become our resident skateboard repairman. With at least
30 skateboards at home, we are often in need of skateboard
repair. Thankfully, James can fix almost any skateboard
problem.
October 2006
James has made an amazing transition to our family. He is full of energy but is able to follow the family rules very well. James is attending public school for the first time since he came to America. James likes school and is especially gifted in math. James also enjoys the various activities he participates in with his brothers. He especially enjoys skate board lessons and Tae Kwon Do classes. James is also on a roller skating team and took second place in a recent competition. Currently James is in the cast of the MYART production of "Peter Pan."
July 2006
