When Desmond was first referred to the Communities In Schools of North Texas program in 2nd grade, he had poor classroom conduct and struggled to control his anger. Desmond received frequent discipline referrals for his behavior and had to spend a lot of time out of class. Each time Desmond got into trouble, his mother received a call to come up to the school. The frequency of the calls and need for her to leave work was starting to affect her job.
Desmond’s CIS Site Coordinator, Ms. Green, says, “Desmond is super intelligent, but his self esteem was taking a hit due to the struggles he was having in class.”
Ms. Green started to meet with Desmond weekly to provide social-emotional support and met with him more frequently when he was having behavioral issues. She quickly discovered that he had a love for art. He loved to draw, create his own games, and write autobiographies. He was also very interested in African American leaders. Ms. Green started to use Desmond’s love of art to make a connection with him when he was angry. Together, they created a “Wakanda Forever” hand signal so that Desmond could express how his day was going without having to speak. Ms. Green also discussed leadership qualities with him and decided to put him in the CIS boys leadership group at her campus in 3rd grade. Desmond enjoyed the group and enjoyed meeting with his mentor, but was still having difficulties with his anger.
Ms. Green says, “Desmond would often tell me ‘I just want to be normal.’ It would break my heart, because I could tell he was trying to do better.”
This year, as Desmond’s 4th grade year began, Ms. Green saw a change in him. He was much calmer and communicating his emotions more clearly. He continued in the leadership group, becoming “one of the best participants in the group.” The number of discipline referrals he received decreased drastically, from 10 in one semester to just one. His mother is no longer receiving the frequent phone calls at work from the school and she says his behavior at home has significantly improved. Additionally, Desmond is on the honor roll and has great attendance. Even the school counselors and administrators all have remarked on the progress he has made.
When Ms. Green asked Desmond how he felt CIS contributed to his positive growth, he said that setting goals for behavior and having teachers and mentors that believed in him all helped him become a better student. When Ms. Green sat down to write her nomination for CIS Student of the Year, she knew Desmond was the perfect choice and that he deserved to be celebrated for all of the progress that he had made over the past three years. After he was told that he had been nominated for the CIS Student of the Year, Desmond said, “Even if I don’t win, I’m honored to be nominated, because I was a mess before!”
Communities In Schools of North Texas believes that all children need and deserve a one-to-one relationship with a caring adult and that all kids – no matter their barriers – have limitless potential, just waiting to be unleashed. For Desmond, his CIS Site Coordinator and CIS mentor became his community of support – his safe place, working every day to empower him to stay in school and achieve in life. CISNT is so proud of Desmond’s progress and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for him!
