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OPEN HEART - OPEN MIND: SUCCESS STORIES  Nightmares of 9/11 Travis, a sixth grader, was deeply affected by the events of September 11th. Known among his peers as the boy "who did not talk" because of his severe shyness and withdrawn behavior, he was traumatized by the World Trade Center tragedy. Two days after the attack, his mother asked for Partnership with Children's help. Travis had lost his appetite and had recurring nightmares of the terrorist attack. He continually talked to his mother about his fear that the country was going to war and was unable to sleep unless his mother remained in the same room with him. A bright, but fragile child, Travis needed help to work through his feelings and move forward. Travis' mother was in agreement that he would benefit from weekly counseling sessions with a Partnership with Children social worker. In these sessions he explored his anxious feelings as well as his isolation both in the classroom and in the home. Initially the discussions focused on details about September 11th, including information Travis heard on the media. He even presented his counselor with a mathematical equation he found on the internet that he believed revealed the secrets behind the plan of attack. Over time, Travis grew more comfortable and trusting in counseling and started to talk about his interests including baseball cards and super heroes. He became more verbal in class and with his peers. To improve his social skills, Travis joined the Partnership with Children Newspaper group. Travis received individual and group counseling until his graduation to seventh grade. He learned how to express his feelings of fear and anxiety and develop age appropriate peer relationships. Now a seventh grader, he is still sometimes hesitant to communicate with his teacher, but is involved and excited to be part of the new school environment. A Healing Relationship 
At ten Jasmine was living in a housing project next to school with her grandmother. Her father and a younger sister had died, and now her mother had disappeared. The grandmother herself was abusing alcohol and often left Jasmine to care for herself and her younger sister.
Jasmine's aggressive outbursts alienated her from her classmates, leaving her more and more isolated. And, Jasmine was performing below grade level in reading and math and unable to write a complete sentence of two or three letter words. Jasmine's teacher turned to Partnership with Children, who worked to help Jasmine open up about her many losses, fears and anger. They helped her begin to trust and to open her mind to the possibilities life still held for her. After just a year, Jasmine's reading scores increased over ten points and she improved dramatically in her writing skills. Just as important, Jasmine began to reach out to others and to use her new found charm, energy and talent to earn a starring role in the school play and to be chosen as one of eight peer mediators at the school. Using Strengths, Giving Choices Myra was a bright but troubled fourth grader in Brooklyn. She was shy but often acted out in class for attention, and was placed in individual counseling with Partnership with Children. Myra lived in a foster home with seven other children, and while her foster mother was a stable, reliable force in her life, she often did not acknowledge Myra's strengths. Myra kept a diary which she wrote in every day, and was one of the top writers in her class. Her counselor felt the Partnership with Children run Newspaper Group would show Myra that her talent was recognized. The activity oriented, academic focus of the group could also help Myra interact with her peers in meaningful ways. At first, Myra exhibited the same acting out behavior in Newspaper Group that she did in class. She was the only 4th grader in a group of 5th and 6th graders. Partnership with Children had taken a chance putting Myra in the group because her writing ability was on par with the older children. It was soon clear that her immaturity was leading to more problems. Myra sparred verbally with one 6th grader, and even after peer mediation between the two, her behavior did not change. Once Partnership with Children engaged Myra in discussion about her feelings, she admitted that she felt nervous and afraid others would make fun of her, so she used anger as a defense mechanism. Myra, who as a foster child was especially powerless, was given the choice to stay in the group or not--she decided to stay. Myra developed a very positive relationship with a 6th grader in the group. When her mother died later that year, PWC helped her process her grief. Once a child that never revealed her feelings, she was now able to express her sorrow. It was clear that with Partnership with Children's help Myra now felt a sense of belonging she had not experienced before. Getting to the Core Tekesia, a shy fifth grader in Brooklyn, struggled with her studies and had trouble making friends. A doctor determined that Tekesia's frequent complaints of stomachaches and headaches which caused her to miss class often had no medical reason. Tekesia received little support from her parents, who lived apart. Tekesia had already been held back a grade once and was slipping further behind. She was also more than a grade behind in math. A Partnership with Children psychological evaluation revealed that Tekesia was not learning disabled, although she had some problems with spatial reasoning that could be improved by occupational therapy. At the request of the school principal, Partnership with Children counseled Tekesia and offered the extra support and care she needed. Tekesia discussed many issues in her life, including peer pressure, drugs and the problems of growing up. Tekesia participated in arts and literacy activities designed to build her confidence. In a few months, she began to improve. By the end of the year, Tekesia's somatic symptoms were gone and she had formed happy, healthy friendships with several girls in her class. She also began to excel in school. At the conclusion of the year, with her parents looking on, Tekesia received the award for Most Improved Academically in her class from the Deputy Superintendent of District 13. A Guide to Success At age 12, Javier had repeated fourth grade for the third time at a school in Manhattan's Lower East Side. He rarely completed assignments and had great difficulty concentrating in class. He was also very passive and did not relate well to his peers. Javier had a rather unstable home life. His family came to NYC from Puerto Rico, moving from shelter to shelter before finally settling in an apartment. Javier's parents, although fluent in Spanish, had difficulty assisting him with his English language academic work. Partnership with Children began individual counseling with Javier to provide the extra care and encouragement he desperately needed. Partnership with Children developed a behavior management plan for Javier to help him keep track of assignments and exams. Partnership with Children used play therapy to build his confidence, help him express his thoughts and feelings, and improve his problem solving skills. By the end of the year, Javier had become much more focused on his schoolwork. He was proud to be promoted to the fifth grade. Javier is now a visibly happier and more confident child. His teacher and principal are ecstatic about the dramatic improvement. Javier says he now knows that if he works hard and reaches out to his teachers and counselors he can succeed in school. The Class Clown Michael was an extremely bright and creative fourth grader stifled by a severe learning disability. While numbers came naturally to Michael, reading did not. He just couldn't cope with the frustration that came whenever books were put in front of him. It was hard to make learning his first priority, especially when he also had to deal with his father's potentially fatal illness and his parents' constant quarrels. In his frustration, Michael began to act out, becoming the class clown. Partnership with Children gave Michael a place where he could explore his feelings and express his sadness, fear and anger at his family and his learning disability. Partnership with Children's home visits helped his parents and Michael discover, with some help, how smart he really could be. A tutor helped him focus on developing his reading skills and learn to overcome his disability. Through it all, Michael retained his charm but learned not to rely on it. In seventh grade, Michael wrote a thank you letter to Partnership with Children saying: "When my father was sick . . . they told me to stay connected to my heart and they told me that I will always have a shoulder to cry on. I will never forget what you have taught me." The Power of Feelings In fifth grade José spent half his schools days at home with asthma. His doctor suspected this was due more to his fear and isolation at school than the severity of his illness. His worried mother was ready to give up and home school José. Such a step would mean she might never return to work or ever stop being dependent on public assistance. Then José was referred to Partnership with Children, who helped José see how his fears and anger about being sick actually made him feel more ill. Understanding the connection between his feelings and his asthma empowered him to really want his own good health. Partnership with Children also encouraged him to overcome his isolation through counseling and by getting him involved in activities at school - even speaking at a school assembly. By his second year with Partnership with Children, José was earning 100% monthly attendance awards and his grades were up. By the time he had completed Junior High School, José was an "A" student and his mother had gone back to work full time. Today, José is enjoying his successes as a college student. These are the stories of real Partnership with Children girls and boys. Their names have been changed to protect their privacy. | ||||||||||||
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Success Stories
