Ryan is new to the Communities In Schools of North Texas Afterschool Centers on Education (CISNT ACE) program at Evers Park Elementary in Denton, TX this year. When he first started, he struggled to understand the purpose of CIS. This translated into struggles in the classroom. When his coach told me about some of the things she was noticing, I realized that Ryan needed an opportunity to work one-on-one. I love even the smallest opportunity to work with students. So, I decided to pull Ryan from his group and just hang out with him for a bit.
I found Ryan to be very honest and understanding of his behaviors. I remember telling him, “You are the only one who can make the change. If you want to do better, you have to make that choice.” We reviewed our CIS expectations, and he returned to his group. I continue to follow up with Ryan. His new normal is not what I nor the Evers Park staff expected.
Ryan now excels in our program. He completely changed his behavior, which culminated into changing his perspective of CIS and school in general. We have Golden Eagles at the end of our week, and those students get to spend time playing with our Spheros and Ollies, which are robots controlled by our iPads. Ryan makes it a goal every week to be a Golden Eagle even though he knows we try to give everyone an opportunity before doing repeats.
Ryan comes in my office every day to tell me hello, to tell me goodbye, or to just check in on me. When he sees me during school hours, he never fails to flash a smile and give me a small wave. The school day staff has also noticed a drastic difference in Ryan. Ryan is considerate, helpful, and respectful. Ryan’s progress has shown the Evers Park Elementary CIS staff what a solid support system can do for a student. These are the kind of stories that make CIS.
