An East Academy Success Story
David was frightened to be away from his mother. Every day he came into kindergarten saying, “I’m going to have a great day.” And by 9 a.m., he’d be in tears.
He was frightened that something terrible would happen to his mother while he was at school. The year before his mother had battled cancer, and although in recovery, David feared she would be gone at the end of the day.
We knew he was extremely bright, but we never knew just when his fears would turn to frustrated screams, tantrums, and soulful sobbing. One minute he could be happily working in a group; the next, he would be screaming at the top of his lungs.
Like others in his class who, from time to time, needed a safe place to be when they were upset, we created a “crying tent” for kids to go when their fears or frustrations got the best of them.
It’s a tent which hangs from the ceiling and falls to the floor. Inside are pillows, photos from home, stuffed animals, storybooks and a big box of Kleenex. David spent many moments calming down and thinking about his sadness last year at East Academy, resting in the tent and being cared for by his teachers who talked with him about his fears.
And as the days went by in his small class of 12 students, David learned it was okay to feel sad; he learned it was okay to go off to the tent to have a good cry, to think about things, look at his mother’s photo, and finally, to get ready to start again. So did others.
By the winter, David hardly used the crying tent any more. He felt safe and secure at his school. He knew that his parents were working hard with his teachers to be on his side, to help him, so he could be stable and strong, and ready to learn.
On Awards Day in May 2008, his parents were shocked when, before a packed house of 300 parents and friends, David received the Head of School Award, an honor given to only one student in his class.
David could easily have been labeled a “problem child.” But we choose to meet every single child where they are, gather information from their home life so we can understand what is behind their moods, or tempers, or anger. Then we work to make certain they are cared for — because we know they can’t be ready to learn until they feel safe, and loved. And turning them on to school is our mission.
David will move on to First Grade this year as a solid reader, a great math student, an amazing artist, and a performer extraordinaire. He had a terrific academic year as he learned to deal with his frustrations and fears. It could have been a very, very different year for him. But he had the great gift of East Academy in his life.
David is our work, yours and mine. Thank you for caring about David and his life. Together, we changed it. And that changes our community, one child after another.
