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A change of environment, if it's possible, can have a dramatic effect. When I was growing up, I went to the same day camp every summer, all summer, from the age of 4 all the way to 14. There were a whole group of us like that, and I grew up with them just like I did the kids in school.
For some reason, I was horribly bullied in school and had exactly 0 friends (my best/only friend was a younger girl who lived across the street and went to private school), but I was one of the most popular kids at camp. These trends continued all throughout both. I have tried and tried so very hard to figure out WHY that was. At school I was definitely one of "the smart ones," so that bred the typical resentment of bullies, but I was also really good at swimming, gymnastics, etc. at camp and it didn't seem to matter.
About the only conclusion I've been able to come to is that it was random. Certain chance encounters early on in both set me up as a victim and a leader, respectively, and I couldn't change them once they'd been formed--both because I couldn't change the other kids' impressions and also because I couldn't change my own attitude about where I fit in the social ladder.
If it's at all possible, I'd definitely see if he can switch schools. Transfers happened all the time in my district, and especially after your letter, I would think they'd be more than willing to work with you.
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