Since I last posted things have been going much better. Jinbao is getting used to being called Mannix and we are getting used to calling him that. He is picking up more English everyday. He was tested in school for reading comprehension to get a baseline and I though he would score a "0". I was really surprised when he scored on a second grade level. I think in school in China he learned how to write and spell in English but never had the chance to practice actually saying the words or hearing how they actually sound. He pronounces many of his English words like they would be pronounced in pinyin because he knows how to spell them. So when we are stuck trying to figure out what he is saying I have him spell it instead, then have him repeat the proper way to say it. Mannix likes to read and picks books way above his reading level but, would be interesting for his age level. He slowly goes through them and types any words he does not understand into the translator. Then he replays them in english and practices saying them. He is very diligent about doing his homework but does complain about going to school. I think he likes the teachers and learning, it's just dealing with the bullies that bothers him. One day he was so upset I just drove straight to our local Chinese take out and had Raymond, the guy who works there, talk to him. He spent a couple of hours with Mannix and helped him feel much better. Mannix tends to be very suspicious and defensive and there are cultural differences that he misunderstands causing him to misinterpret situations. Raymond helped him understand some of these differences. He also offered to let Mannix hang out with him every once in a while at the restaurant. He gave Mannix a Chinese bible and invited him to the Chinese church. We went to the church a couple of times and he was so happy to be able to spend some time with very sweet people who speak his language. An added bonus was that Matthew and Makenna really enjoyed it. We will try to go when we can but can't go every Sunday because it is not close to home.
Last week the problem with the bullies came to a head. I had previously been told that the school would keep the boys away from Mannix, however, they put him at the same lunch table with them. I received a message from the principal without details and Andrew was waiting for a call back when I went to pick up Mannix and saw he had a fat lip. We were able to get a step by step story from Mannix even though he was getting frustrated with the language barrier. I wrote an email to the principal with the story and told him that Mannix is learning to trust us as his parents so it is very important that we protect him from being hurt. I told him I was keeping him home until they could assure me he would be safe and if they couldn't assure me, then help me find another school he could go to. The principal watched the video of the cafeteria and was able to see that everything matched the story Mannix told us. Mannix's face lit up when we told him the principal believed his story! He went back to school and told me the boy that punched him in the mouth is not there anymore.
Boy scouts has also started and Matthew's troop has welcomed him with open arms. A couple of the boy scouts go to the same school and eat breakfast with him in the morning. They are also watching out for him at school. He went on his first camping trip this weekend and had a great time fishing, learning about sea turtles, owls, and sleeping in a tent for the first time. He was amazed with the ocean.
Sometimes he can behave very responsibly, then sometimes like a 6 year old constantly wanting attention and interrupting. It can wear us down but we are trying to have patience. He does not like being disciplined but is learning to accept it now. He is beginning to understand that we are doing it because we love him and are teaching him to become a responsible person.
He is starting to smile more and sometimes I hear him chanting, "I'm so happy. I'm so happy." He also had to answer a question on his homework about a big event that happened in his life. He said,"I came to America. I like it. I really, really like it."
Thanks for following! Donna
No comments:
Post a Comment