<p>Giraffe – Classicalmama offers excellent counsel, as usual. I would emphasize the point she made about the importance of joining clubs or other groups. The sooner a tight network of friends is established, the faster the homesickness goes away. Also, there may be a specific student, or couple of students, who have bothered him at some level. More than likely though, this is normal transition angst between the comfort and familiarity of his home environment to one where he is establishing himself as an independent human being, comfortable in his own skin, in control of his environment. </p>
<p>I would not say to him “we’ll discuss how this is going at the end of the year.” If he hears those words out of your mouth, he’ll think of school as temporary and he’ll be less likely to assimilate. Lastly, many schools, Thacher included, do not report freshman year grades. Their theory is that freshman year is all about coming to grips with college level burdens (academics, time management etc) and should not be held against a 14 year old.</p>