Calvin was considered one of the faster kids in the day care, but
his real strength is in the distance races because, in my opinion, he can
remain focused on the task at hand far longer than the other kids seem able
to do. All of his teachers admire his ability to complete what he starts,
whether it's drawing a picture, cleaning up his toys, or running a race.
Yoko tells me that, when it comes time for elementary school, many parents
send their children to juku (cram school) -- not to study, but to
learn to sit still, be quiet, and focus on a single subject for more than
a few minutes!
In the 'marathon', Calvin came in fourth in his class, and did well in
the relay, though his team came in third. |
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Calvin's final music concert at the day care before moving on to elementary
school. Calvin is in the back row, center.
I've never seen these lung-powered, hand-held keyboards anywhere else
but in Japan, and in Japan, every kid has one. |
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Calvin, the original web-footed water boy, had no problems adjusting
to swimming classes. They said 'jump in', and he did, with a smile on his
face. He couldn't believe that they were actually going to let him play
in all that water!
Although I have questions about the pace of the lessons -- eight months
into the lessons, they are still using kickboards and haven't 'swum' a stroke
-- Calvin is setting his own pace, zooming through each test to the point
that he has left all of his original classmates far behind. |
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