My boy is growing up...
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And I couldn't be more proud.
At our elementary school, there is a student council. 6th graders are elected to the officer positions and classes with grades 4-6 elect 2 class representatives each. In the past, when there has been a combination class, students elect one person from each grade to be a representative from their classroom.
This year, my oldest son is a fifth grader in a 5/6 combination class. His teacher, who is new this year, instructed the class to vote for any two candidates, regardless of which grade they were in. The first vote resulted in a 6th grade girl in first place and a tie for second place between my son and a sixth grade boy. My son lost in the revote.
He came home incredibly upset because he felt it was unfair that no fifth grader is representing the class. His shoulders were slumped and he had tears in his eyes as he explained why it wasn't right. I told him he had a choice to make: suck it up and accept it and move on, or try to make a case to the teacher as to why it wasn't right. I suggested writing a letter since it's often easier to express yourself with everything you want to say on paper.
He went straight to his room and went to work. He came downstairs and his whole demeanor was different. He no longer looked like a victim...he looked in control. He handed me his letter, and I want to share it with you:
Dear Ms. M,
I am writing this letter because of recent events involving the voting of class representative. I would like to point out that through the years, 4-6 grades have all been represented by at least 1 person. This year there are 8 6th grade members of the student council, 0 5th graders, and 2 4th graders. I would like to go back to how all the grades, 4-6 were represented by at least one person but this year, 5th grade doesn't have any. Another thing I would like to point out is that there are 18 6th graders, and only 9 5th graders, so the fact that we could vote for whoever instead of 1 5th grader and 1 6th grader would make it hard for any 5th grader to win. I am asking you to bring 0 5th graders up to 1 5th grader by making me, the 1st place 5th grader, a class representative.
Hope you give this some consideration,
Alec
I was blown away when I read his letter. He gave it to his teacher and she told him that she would have to talk to the principal about it. The principal agreed with my son, and he is now a student council rep.
I am so proud of the way he handled this. He fought his battle and won. It's amazing just how fast they grow.
Thanks for letting me brag. 
That is wonderful!!! You have every right to be proud of him. Could you have a future lawyer living under your roof? Maybe Ginny's been giving him letter-writing pointers behind your back. ;)
This will be a lesson he remembers for a long time!
That is so great. It is nice to hear of someone standing up for what they believe in and then the powers that be actually listen and do the right thing! Kudos for your son and kudos to the staff!
^5 to A!!
Wow, that is great! Congratulations to your son.
I am so impressed, first because he didn't "hmm ha" about writing the letter and most of all because he went right to work and did it...and then he even was listened to and action was taken. That is really awesome!
Wow! What a mature boy! Kudos to him!
Emily had to make some corrections on a biology test today, and when she made the correction for one of the answers, she found it was the same answer as on her computer sheet. She went up and told the teacher and got 2 more points back! So, the scantron had made a mistake.
I was proud of her for speaking up for herself.
Holy smokes! You tell that boy of yours that HIGH SCHOOL kids don't even write that well!!! And, I love that attitude of his!! Way to keep your chin up, kiddo!!
I just love how mature the letter is. He doesn't have a whiny tone in it, at all, even if he felt like whining, deep inside.
That boy has a very bright future ahead of him!
Brag on!!!! You have every right. I could not imagine one of my boys writing that, let alone me. I would probably cry if they told me no. Good for him, he deserves to be a representative.
Thank you all so much! I am truly proud of how maturely he handled this and he did it completely on his own. I think you are right, Tink. He will remember this one for a long time.
I don't think I could have written a better letter!
I'm so impressed with that note, you've definitely done something right with that boy.
You totally have the right to brag!!
I'm so glad it worked out for him and that the teachers and principal listened to him and gave him a chance, that's wonderful!!
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