Chapter 136: Courses to Make Up
In the fourth week of September, Lin Mengxi's school held a parent-teacher meeting for new students.
After first-year students have adapted to school for a period of time, teachers will propose some improvement plans based on each student's performance. In addition to discussing the general direction at the parent-teacher meeting, there will also be some targeted opinions for a few students.
This parent-teacher meeting will not only be attended by parents of students in the gifted class, but also by parents of all first-grade students in the elementary school.
On the day of the parent-teacher meeting, school was over at noon and the children were picked up at 12 o'clock. All parents had to arrive at school at 1:30 in the afternoon and enter the classroom according to their children's class to attend the meeting.
Lin Ruoyan took her son home for lunch. When she left in the afternoon, her son was free to make his own arrangements at home, whether playing or studying, without the need for adults to worry about him. If there was anything that worried her, it was that without her supervision, her son would study too hard and forget about time, not paying attention to eating, drinking, or having fun.
She got off the car at the school gate about ten minutes early. Not knowing how long the parent-teacher conference would take, she simply asked the driver to go back to the courtyard and wait. If she needed a car, she could call ahead and it wouldn't take long.
At this time, parents who arrived early had already gathered at the doors of the first-grade classes.
Ou Xiaoxue's mother was sharp-eyed and immediately spotted Lin Ruoyan. She smiled and greeted her, "Mother Lin Mengxi, are you here for the parent-teacher conference too? Which class is your child in?"
"In Class 10." Lin Ruoyan said while looking for the classroom sign.
When she picked up her child, she was only at the school gate. She didn't know the exact location of her son's school. She asked her son before coming and roughly knew that it was on the first floor of this building.
Mother Ou had only heard that Lin Mengxi was in a gifted class, but now that it was confirmed, she couldn't help but show an envious expression: "It's Class 10, a gifted class! Mengxi is so outstanding."
Lin Ruoyan didn't get too proud of it. Her son was a genius, and he had already written the original book. She just maintained a normal expression and said modestly, "It's all the child's own hard work. I didn't help much."
Mother Ou wondered, "My son is a genius, and I'm definitely not as simple as I appear." Could there be other factors influencing the selection process for the gifted class? The Lins had clearly left the re-examination room quickly when they met that day. What talent had they demonstrated to secure admission so quickly?
Lin Ruoyan asked politely, "Which class is Xiaoxue in?"
Mother Ou replied, "In Class 1. We're registered here, enrolled early, and had previously taken the entrance exam for the gifted class, so we were assigned to the first class. I heard that the teachers in Class 1 all have a lot of teaching experience, having just finished teaching a graduating class from sixth grade. They're very strict..."
Lin Ruoyan smiled as she listened to Mother Ou say that her daughter's class was good, the teacher was good, Ou Xiaoxue had good grades, and was appointed class monitor.
Lin Ruoyan had never heard her son mention being a class leader, so she didn't know how to respond. After all, the teachers and textbooks in their gifted class were different from those in other classes, so she really couldn't compare them.
Fortunately, the time was almost up, so she left with a few polite words and entered Class 10 classroom.
The children's names were posted on the desks in the classroom. Lin Mengxi was shorter and sat in the first row of the fifth column. Lin Ruoyan was petite and about 1.6 meters tall, and sitting in this position, she had no visibility of the back row.
At this time, the male parent in the second row behind her said embarrassedly: "Sorry, can you move forward a little? My seat is too small and I can't sit in it."
She looked back and saw that the male head of the family was strong and muscular, 1.9 meters tall, and when he squeezed into the elementary school student's chair, she felt that the furniture was in danger.
Lin Ruoyan quickly moved her set of tables and chairs forward a long way, so that the male parent behind her could squeeze in.
However, looking around, the majority of parents attending the meeting were women, all dressed modestly. Lin Ruoyan had come to school last time, and this time, she had deliberately prepared understated clothes and shoes that weren't easily branded. She even forgoes a bag or jewelry, as her family couldn't afford those. At first glance, aside from being prettier and younger, with her hair styled and makeup more refined, she looked like the other parents.
She wasn't even wearing a watch, just checking the time on her phone. She'd gotten a set of pens and notebooks from the company before—they were all standard office supplies, nothing special.
She sat there upright, like a student listening attentively in a university lecture, ready to take notes of the key points of the teacher's explanation at any time.
After the head teacher, Mr. Deng, entered the classroom, he glanced around and his eyes were fixed on Lin Ruoyan.
It wasn't because Lin Ruoyan was the prettiest or had the best attitude, but because Lin Mengxi had been exceptional since she started. Well, the students in this class were all exceptional. Unlike other first-graders, they were smart and clever, and some were extremely energetic, even inventing things during recess.
Only Lin Mengxi seemed to be very sociable, but in fact she was much more mature than other children. It was obvious that she was only tolerant in order to fit in.
The current textbooks used by this class are no longer able to keep up with Lin Mengxi's speed of learning. Every teacher who has taught him believes that Lin Mengxi will likely complete all the elementary school courses in one or two years, and will have no problem mastering the content of middle and high school in the remaining two or three years.
The original teaching plan for the gifted class was to allow children participating in this program to take the college entrance examination at around the age of fourteen. For Lin Mengxi, it could be one or two years earlier.
Furthermore, a child's rapid maturation can lead to other problems. Their physical development can't keep up with their intellectual and psychological development. So, today, after discussing the usual topics, we'd like to have a private chat with Lin Mengxi's parents.
When Teacher Deng saw Lin Ruoyan, the only thing he could think of besides the child prodigy was the stunning courtyard. Fortunately, the Lin family wasn't short of money, so in addition to Lin Mengxi's regular schoolwork, she could spend her free time studying in the computer classroom donated by Lin Ruoyan, and then go home to catch up on any other subjects she was lacking.
Take sports for example.
Well, other children in other classes might be asked to take extra classes like Chinese. Gifted classes even start early, so even if they can't keep up, they still have to make use of their spare time to study. Only Lin Mengxi excels in all the brain-intensive courses, but struggles in physical education. Her height and weight aren't up to standard, and she barely passes the running and skipping test, far behind the other more active children in the class.
Lin Ruoyan meticulously took notes on the key points presented by her homeroom teacher and subsequent subject teachers. She was one of the very few parents who were asked to attend a private meeting. Their children were struggling to keep up, and Lin Ruoyan listened attentively, anxiously worried her son might fall behind. She debated whether to continue putting so much pressure on him, and whether, if the teacher recommended a change, should she transfer him to a regular class?
Finally, it was her turn. Teacher Deng said earnestly, "Mr. Lin Mengxi, you should hire an amateur tutor for your child."
"Oh, isn't it because he can't keep up that he needs to be persuaded to change?" Lin Ruoyan asked in confusion.
Teacher Deng laughed and said, "How is that possible? Lin Mengxi does very well in almost all subjects and has great potential. He just needs to improve his physical education. I suggest that parents encourage him to exercise more after school every day. Don't let him stay home reading all the time. You must ensure that he gets an extra hour of exercise after school."
Lin Ruoyan took note of Teacher Deng's request and was the last one to leave Class 10. When she walked out of the building, she found that Mother Ou had not left either. It seemed that she had been waiting for her. There was also a female parent waiting with her.
Mother Ou greeted Lin Ruoyan and introduced another person, "Mother Lu, this is the mother of Lin Mengxi I just mentioned to you. Her son is in the gifted class. The child is a genius. When he was young, he went to the same kindergarten as our Xiaoxue."
The previous few encounters made Lin Ruoyan feel that Mother Ou was a sensible and capable person. Could it be that this time she had something to say that made her bring people here to wait?
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