Starfish: The best thing that happened at Collins was City Year

For about a week now, a student and I have passed a notebook back and forth to each other. We've written about his dreams, his background, his future, and his feelings towards Collins. In our latest exchange, I asked him what it is like being a student at Collins. This is an excerpt from his response:

I can't take the b.s. everyday at Collins. It's a day of fear, you never know who, what, when, something is going to just happen. The best thing that happened at Collins was City Year. I feel like I am finally getting help. I am being noticed. 

M is one of the hardest working students I have. He is one of my coursework focus students and I create weekly grade reports that helps him visualize his progress in class. Ever since the first grade report, he has taken his role as a student very seriously. Before, I would often times catch him dozing off in class and dropping further and further behind because he wasn't understanding the material and didn't ask for help. Now, he works hard everyday and is on task. He calls me over in class when he's having trouble with a concept and wants me to check his work to make sure he is understanding correctly. He's understanding the importance of investing in his education daily and has really come to appreciate the help City Year offers him.