Approximately 9 years ago, I wrote to you as an upset mother but
today I am writing as a very proud and happy mother.
Dear Editor,
Approximately 9 years ago, I wrote to you as an upset mother but today I am writing as a very proud and happy mother. I am so proud of my son who, as a sophomore at Christopher High School, passed the California state exit exam on the first try and he also had the second highest score in the math section among his peers.
Now, many people would say, “so what … my kid did that, too, what is the big deal?” Well, for us, his family, it is a very big deal. It is a great accomplishment for him and it was not easily obtained.
Nine years ago, I wrote very upset that our local Catholic school essentially gave up on him in the first grade and we had to move him into public school. He obviously has done well and we have been happy with GUSD. There were a few hard times and not every teacher was perfect but, for the most part, the good has outweighed the bad.
I currently give a lot of credit to CHS Principal John Perales. He opened CHS two years ago with a great group of teachers and an air of acceptance. He picked teachers willing to work with and help children like my son. My son has learning issues and it is easiest to say that he is high functioning autistic, but despite these issues, he is very smart, well behaved and just a good kid who deserved more than he got at times.
We found, within GUSD, teachers that were willing to work WITH him and teach him in a way that worked for him. They made adjustments when needed or modified things if that was needed. I never wanted my son to get an easy pass. I just wanted him to get the same experience the other kids had, be taught the same information and be given a chance to show that he could do more than some gave him credit for.
My son does not fit the “cookie cutter” model and that is all the Catholic education was looking for. It is a shame that such a rich church, from money given to them by their parishioners, does nothing to support these children in their own parishes.
In the end, I just want to thank all the good teachers, aids and principals, especially those in the public school system, who really do make a difference. They did for my son and I am very thankful. He still has two years at CHS but I know that we, his whole family, have a graduation day to look forward to and to be proud, once again, when we see him get his diploma.
Christi Martin, Gilroy
