It's school conference time here in Minnesota.  Here in Minnesota where it has snowed twice already in mid-October.  For those not from around here that is early even by our standards.  I was a little bitter about it when the snow fell on October 10th, but I've since adjusted my perspective.  I'll just plan to be in Cebu during January and February.

A pretty cool thing happened in Raymund's parent-teacher conference.  I was talking to his teacher about all the standard progress things, when we began to discuss a "floating" teacher who helps drill down on specific things with Raymund and other kids.  I asked if she was connected with the ELL program (English Language Learner).  Raymund's teacher looked at me kind of perplexed and told me it was standard for all the kids to do this.  Then she asked, "was Raymund in ELL?"

That was the best question I've gotten at any conference.  Raymund has lived in the U.S. since July 27, 2007.  The language he learned in his childhood was Cebuano.  In fact, when he sees something startling or funny he'll still point and say "A LA" loudly in classic Filipino fashion.  But he has become quite an English speaker.  Last week he corrected an older sibling on their incorrect usage of the past tense.  He actually said "past tense" and Theresa and I about fell out of our chairs.

It's cool to see the progress their making.  It's not fast, or always easy, but it comes.  It's coming for all of them.  We do this thing around the house now where I ask them to think of taking "10 Extra Seconds."  It's an idea that if they're in a room, and something is messy or out of place, they take the 10 extra seconds to make it right regardless of whether or not they did it.  They will announce their acts of "10 Extra Seconds" to me when I come home.  To think these are the same kids who couldn't close a screen door behind them, or understand complete sentences, when they got here.  I've seen plenty of biological kids blow it on the screen door thing...and it's pretty cool to see how far our kids have come.