She made it!

Faith has graduated from "boot academy." While it doesn't mean she got her GED, it does mean that she completed the residential portion of the program. She received a certificate stating this accomplishment.

Since we've come to the conclusion that she guessed her way through the GED, she will more than likely fail [and, if she doesn't, she might want to write a book on her "technique"]. The results will come later this summer, as the tests have to be hand-graded.

Her other mentor, Andrea, will take over from here. Sort of. She'll be the one to keep up face-to-face contact since she lives near Faith. I'll still keep in contact via email/snail-mail/phone. I probably won't see her again until she comes up this way to pick up her test results.

I'm praying she makes good choices from here on out. Since her "little incident" during her first home visit, I have little confidence that she will stay put and follow a successful path. For me, her graduation was bittersweet b/c I really don't think this experience has changed her. It is like she put her blinders on and made a conscience decision not to let it all sink in. Guessing through the GED was just icing on the cake. It was like she was sabotaging herself—children and teens with RAD [Reactive Attachment Disorder] do not seem to benefit much from these boot camp programs and their scare tactics. Anyone out there have success with putting their RAD child in a boot camp environment? And just what do you do with these kids once they are 18?