Joel was so used to having the wrong answer whenever the teacher called on him that he rarely raised his hand. School was a source of anxiety, a power play between frustration and perseverance that left him drained at the end of the day. He was enrolled in Children of the City to bring his academic skills up to par, but his counselor quickly discovered low self-esteem was Joel’s real nemesis. Whenever he got the wrong answer he would feel so ashamed that he just shut down for the rest of the day. He would isolate himself from his peers and teachers. By the end of six weeks of support from his COC tutor the frustration decreased drastically, and he began to understand that it’s okay to grapple and struggle with something new. His latest academic report describes Joel as “an enthusiastic learner” and “a joy to have in class.”