GUILELESS

Nicholas Joshi Alumkal is truly one of the most remarkable people whom I have ever met. He is a third-grader mind you, but he is wise beyond his years and without pretense.

This morning was particularly challenging but was illustrative of Nicholas' wisdom and maturity. We have been preparing Cate's Arbor admission application, and this morning Cate expressed reservations about leaving her current Montessori school for Arbor next year. It was dramatic to say the least.

After she calmed down, I dropped Cate off at school, and Nicholas and I headed to Arbor.

I asked Nicholas why he thought Cate was so upset, and he said he thought she was afraid of the transition and the new challenges that Arbor would pose. He, himself, will be entering the third phase of Arbor next year, the Intermediate classroom of 4th and 5th graders.

Nicholas matter-of-factly said, "Dad, I would be lying if I said I am not scared about moving to Intermediates." He said that he was worried about the workload, which is rumored to be quite a bit more than 3rd grade, and he was concerned about many of the responsibilities that are unique to the Intermediate classroom. However, he said he knew that the school would look out for him and that many, many kids before him had done well in those grades. Later that day, Nicholas shared these feelings and thoughts with Cate, whom I hope was comforted by her brother's revelation.

There are very few things or people in life that are exactly what they appear to be. What one sees is what one gets with Nicholas. With Nicholas, one gets an exceptional boy indeed!