We have a lovely 12-year-old girl in our care at the Ranch. She is kind and thoughtful and the first to step up and help. She is smart. She has eyes as dark as coal and beautiful, long reddish-brown hair. She has a loud laugh that you don't expect to come out of such a petite person.
She also has an explosive temper. When corrected or challenged she lashes out with her fists as well as her words. She has explosive energy and sometimes just needs to move, run, and jump.
As with all our kids here at the Ranch, she is a combination of who she was meant to be, with all of her kindness and care, and who she was forced to be by the trauma she endured. The abuse she experienced when she wasn't "perfect" taught her young brain to push people away whenever she feels unsure. Her lack of physical movement as a developing child led to a need for deep sensory stimulation, along with frequent large muscle group activity.
Those needs make education in a traditional setting very difficult. At Dakota Memorial School, the Ranch's on-campus, fully accredited, trauma-informed school, our educators understand her needs.
Before coming to the Ranch, this child had only received failing grades in school. When her guardian attended her recent Parent Teacher Conferences, she was told, "She is crushing it academically with A's across the board. In the moment she is very reactive and doesn't think clearly, but when calm, she is great at self-reflection and can talk openly with her teacher about it. She often gets heightened in reading class unprovoked and usually will reset herself."
The behaviors that resulted in her being removed from other schools are not obstacles at Dakota Memorial. They are simply part of who she is, and we have learned she "is great at self-reflection" and "usually resets herself."
She is earning A's and learning and healing and finding success. She is finding and becoming her best self. It's hard work, but she's doing it.
You are part of her care. Without your support, we could not provide our educators with the tools and learning and training necessary to be prepared and effective with children like this lovely 12-year-old. And that would be a loss to the world.
Please keep our kids and staff in your prayers.
In His love,
Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
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