On the need for empowerment - Zinata's case

As I catch up with blogging, I would like to share a story about a particular student which I have gotten to know over the past couple of months. As such, this story will have several installments. So here it is....

I began noticing Zinata last semester in Mr. Mullins' Gen Chem class, a body of students he often describes as his brightest yet toughest students. Indeed, it is at times baffling to see the discrepancy between their inability to remain in their seats and their uncanny analytical abilities when one eventually manages to command their attention. Zinata's is one of those bright yet unruly students who stand out in that particular class. Her story however embodies all the struggles most of our students face and reinforces the need for empowerment.

Zinata is a bright girl in 11th grade who moved to the U.S. from Cameroon a couple of years ago with her family - mother and siblings. As far as I can tell, her academic struggles result from cultural adjustment as well as from many of the systemic failures we've all come to recognize and are trying to remedy. A couple of months ago, I stayed for a while after class, assisting Mr. Mullins with some of the students who were seeking extra help. Zinata was one of them and as I was helping her figuring out some chemistry problems, I took the opportunity to engage her into a more personal discussion about her high school experience and her goals and ambitions (to be continued...)