Shontae (Leave Me Alone and Nobody Gets Hurt)
Shontae has seven psychiatric diagnoses and takes five different medications. She has been suspended from school many times because of her aggressive behavior. Shontae has no friends. She refuses to participate in class and is failing many subjects, yet Shontae carries books everywhere she goes. She began receiving homebound instruction after striking a teacher and pushing the principal. Shontae’s message to the world: “Leave me alone and nobody gets hurt.”
Everyone was afraid of Shontae. Nobody could guess Shontae’s closely protected secret: she was afraid of them. Out of concern for the safety of others, her school reluctantly allowed her to return to the building as long as she was accompanied by a Mentor every day, all day. Shontae’s PASSWORD Mentor wasn’t afraid of her or her temper tantrums. For one year, he talked her through her bad moods and got her ready to learn every day. He showed interest in her, not just her disruptive behavior. He worked to earn her trust. Shontae began to see that she wasn’t in this thing alone. She began to believe that she could be successful. She joined the school softball team. She became known as the girl who hit the homerun instead of the girl who hit the teacher. Trust, one of Shontae’s passwords.
