If You Judge a Fish by its Ability to Climb a Tree...

Before I had met the kids, I assumed that they would be proficient at english because my buddy from last year was very bright. Unfortunately, I overestimated their capabilities, so I ended up thinking that my kids were not very smart. Their writing was indeed subpar, but it was unfair for me to simply dismiss them as unintelligent, especially since I can be overly critical of writing. I had a single story of my buddies' intelligence based entirely on how well they could formulate a sentence, so of course it wasn't very fair. I have no idea whether English is their first or second language and I have no idea how they're doing in other subjects. Even though I was initially frustrated with my buddies' writing, I have been able to maintain a levelheaded and supportive attitude towards them, and they have really been improving. I've come to realize that if you give someone the chance, they will often rapidly improve and exceed your expectations. I think this idea has been influenced by the way my parents raised me, because they have always believed in me even when I haven't believed in myself.