I would like to start this letter by saying "Thank You" for the wonderful success my son experienced on his visiting day at Delphi Academy yesterday.

My son attended private schools until he was in 4th grade, when we moved and I had to enroll him in public school. At first, he seemed fine and he enjoyed the larger school, but very soon his motivation dropped, right along with his self-esteem. His grades dropped from straight A's to C's and then D's.

When I asked him what was wrong, he'd say he was bored and had nothing to do during class. I communicated my concerns with various teachers and was told that due to very large class sizes that several "quicker" students were often left with nothing to do. Their suggestion was to have Cameron slow down a bit and wait for the rest of the class; they suggested he could read a book while he waited. No, I am not kidding; that was their solution to my son "fitting in."

Thank goodness I finally found Delphi Academy. When I first suggested to my son that he might benefit from a change of schools, he said he was very scared of being the "new kid" again and had no desire to do a visiting day. But once he could see that this would allow him to make decisions based on what he observed and experienced for himself, he agreed to come in. That was the best decision either one of us have ever made!

During our drive in on his scheduled day, Cameron became anxious and said he hoped that the day went by quickly. Arriving early, we walked around the school and he shuffled along, looking at the floor. When I saw him again at lunch time, he was looking and sounding more like the boy I knew; he talked about the teachers and students he'd met, and he said, "Mom, the teachers actually encourage the students to keep going! They don't tell them to stop and wait for the other students." He was brightening up by the minute!

When I picked him up at the end of the school day, the transformation was amazing! This was the lively, animated version of my son that I remembered from his earlier years. He was talking a mile a minute, explaining how cool his teachers were, how awesome Science class was, and how he had passed the entrance exam! He continued to chatter during our drive home, and once we got home he shared his day step-by-step with the whole family.

I can't wait for the continuing transformation as he goes through the Delphi program as an enrolled student! I am so grateful that we have found Delphi and now I have my son back! I truly feel that it may have saved my son's life in many ways.

D.C.