Christmas Came Early!

This is the best story! I just HAVE to share it!

About 6 weeks ago, I got wind of a situation where everyone involved was at the end of their rope, and that sucker was unraveling...fast! This is the story of a kiddo I'll call Frank.

Frank has been dealt a rough hand. He has a pair of 2's. The awesome thing about a pair of 2's is that it can become something else. Check it out!

Frank is absolutely slammed with learning disabilities. He is 15 and can't read. Not only is learning a real challenge for him, he doesn't really play well with others. So even if someone is trying to help him, he is a tough kid to help. Frank was failing almost every subject a year ago when his parents pulled him out of school, just shy of finishing up his first semester of 9th grade. They moved to Vegas, and instead of enrolling Frank in school, they made him work construction.

Fast forward to August...Frank's family moved back to town, reenrolling him in school where he is basically right back where he started more than a year ago. Frank is less than thrilled to be starting all over without any credits, still unable to read, and still not really feeling like his pair of 2's is worth staying in the game. As if that weren't enough, Frank's father was deported, and his mother chose to go with him. Frank was left with his 19 year-old sister. I don't know Frank's sister, but even the most responsible 19 year-old is not any kind of equipped to raise a 15 year old, particularly one with the massive amount of investment this kiddo desperately needs. And Frank knows that too. That's probably why he's turned to some gang-affiliated friends to make sure someone is going to stick with him.

Frank probably doesn't realize it, but life dealt him a wild card or two. Frank has two teachers who got together and asked for help. They ended up with an intensive intervention plan that Frank couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried. He landed himself with 50 minutes of daily reading instruction, and no one really thought it would work, including Frank.

Imagine Frank's surprise 6 weeks later when he found himself holding a full house! Frank's teachers were probably the most shocked! Now he's not reading on grade level, but he's improving at a drastic rate because two people showed up, followed the plan, and expected him do his part to follow it too.

I don't know about you, but this was just about the best Christmas present I can imagine! I'm feeling grateful that I got to be a tiny piece of the solution. This story is far from over, but at least there's some hope glimmering for everyone who was staring at a pair of 2's and a hopeless-looking situation.

So here's to hope! And a Merry Christmas.