Eleven-year old Josh came into the Tennyson Center Residential Treatment program as a frustrated, hurt and angry boy. In class, his anger would quickly escalate and become uncontrollable. He would throw papers, swear, scream and disrupt the class any way possible. Josh's anger was so violent that he would often need to be physically restrained to prevent him from hurting himself or the other children.

Prior to coming to Tennyson Center for Children, his unpredictable behavior was blamed on the emotional turmoil that had filled his young life. You see, Josh had experienced severe neglect by his parents before being abandoned by both his mother AND his father.

At Tennyson Center for Children, Josh began to place trust in a teacher...one who was not only determined to help him deal with his pain and anger, but one in whom Josh found a friend. Her name was Karen and, through a development of mutual trust and understanding, she began to realize just how deep the emotional scars were inside Josh. But there was more. Soon after arriving at Tennyson Center, it became evident that Josh was unable to read or write.

Every day this little boy lived with the pain of knowing that his parents just cast him aside...and a firm belief that he was not loved. Additionally, Josh was convinced that he was "stupid", after the humiliation of being teased by students at the public school he attended for not being able to read or write. His self-esteem was dangerously low. Eventually, he had stopped caring altogether and lost the motivation to even try.

Karen and the rest of the team helping Josh finally knew where to begin to help get Josh back on track. Within a matter of months, Josh was reading along with other kids his age and was quickly learning how to write as well. He began to shake the feeling that he was "stupid" and that something was wrong with his brain. For the first time in his life, he felt loved. And, through all of this, his self-esteem began to re-develop.

Today, Josh has the courage to read in front of large audiences; he loves to write...and his favorite thing to write is poetry. He learned to read and write because of the determination and care of our dedicated staff. Most importantly, though, instilled in Josh was something he'd never experienced before...an almost insatiable desire to learn.

Learning to read has broken down the communication barrier that made Josh feel so isolated and alone. Now, Josh knows the importance of communication...of sharing his feelings with others, of releasing his anger and pain through his poetry. He's a completely different boy from the lost child who first came to Tennyson Center.

Recently, as Josh left Tennyson Center to live with his grandparents, one of the staff asked him if he was sad to be leaving the home and friends he had known for over a year. He smiled and replied, "A little. But that's OK, cuz ya know what? I'm gonna be just fine!"

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