With Kindness

While in elementary school, Taqia's troubled behavior started to affect her academic performance. At school, she gained a reputation for being a difficult student, and, at home, her mother noticed significant changes that made her more challenging to manage. Taqia began to fall so far behind academically that she was in danger of not graduating on time. Clearly something had to be done.

The school principal referred Taqia's case to New York City Mission Society and arranged a meeting with her mother and a Mission Society Site Coordinator to determine the best way to intervene. As a result, our staff participated in meetings with Taqia four days a week to provide help with late or incomplete homework and encouraged her to create a personal journal. Little by little, she began to catch up with her homework, and her journal writing helped her to articulate her feelings and gain more self-confidence, critical thinking and conflict resolution skills. She also participated in Mission Society's after-school program for an additional hour each day. The extra school work and one-on-one assistance changed Taqia's direction which became evident through her improved school work and behavior.

Mission Society intervenes at critical stages in the lives of children to keep them on the road to success. Taqia is one child among thousands of children who we have helped to improve their academic performance and guide them through their personal struggles. Last June, we celebrated Taqia's graduation, and we look forward to seeing all that she will achieve in middle school. We are proud of Taqia and the work of our staff, who made a difference in the life of one child.