Some Calls Make Your Day

Some calls you forget in minutes.

Others linger for a day or two.

And then there are calls that make you pause—

Calls that remind you why you do what you do.

Today, I got one of those.

A call from the parents of Niyaan, a boy I have been working with for the past four months—three times a week, every single week.

But this wasn’t just an update.

This was a moment of realization.

A moment where I saw, once again, how the right approach can reshape a child’s belief in themselves.

A moment that made it all worth the while.

A Child Who Had Stopped Believing in Himself

When Niyaan first came to me, his parents had no real expectations.

They were exhausted.

They had done everything they could.

Tuition three to four times a week—no real progress.
Extra school support—still falling behind.
Endless practice and reminders—nothing was clicking.

The feedback was always the same.

“He has recall issues.”

“He can’t understand.”

“He struggles too much.”

They weren’t asking for a miracle.

They just wanted Niyaan to be able to read and comprehend.

That was all.

They weren’t thinking about writing.

They weren’t thinking about confidence.

They weren’t thinking about emotional growth.

They just wanted him to function.

They weren’t even sure that was possible.

But I was.

Because the real problem wasn’t Niyaan’s learning ability.

The real problem was trust.

He didn’t trust his mind to work for him.

He didn’t trust that he could find the answer.

He didn’t trust that he was capable of more.

That was where we needed to begin.

The Trust Deficit: How He Had Been Conditioned to Fail

This wasn’t just about academics.

Niyaan had spent years absorbing the message that he wasn’t good enough.

Teachers dismissed him.
Classmates bullied him.
He never stood up for himself.
He accepted his struggles as his reality.

He had been taught to depend on others.

If he didn’t understand something, he waited for someone to explain it.

If he didn’t know an answer, he gave up before even trying.

If he faced a challenge, he assumed he would fail.

He didn’t believe in his own ability to figure things out.

That had to change before anything else could.

The Shift: Building Self-Trust Through Small Wins

For the first month, I didn’t focus on big results.

I focused on small victories.

Because before Niyaan could master reading or writing, he had to master something much deeper—believing in his own ability to improve.

Step 1: Giving Him Control Over His Learning

Instead of giving him answers, I made him responsible for finding them.

If he got stuck on a word, I didn’t say it for him. I asked, “What do you think?”
If he made a mistake, I didn’t correct him. I asked, “Does that make sense?”
If he hesitated, I didn’t rush in to help. I said, “Take your time. You’ve got this.”

He was forced to think, process, and trust his own ability to solve problems.

And slowly, he started realizing he could.

Step 2: Creating Success He Could See and Feel

A child who has been failing for years won’t believe in change just because you say it’s possible.

He needed proof.

So I designed tasks that guaranteed success.

One-word comprehension questions instead of long explanations.
Short writing tasks with instant positive feedback.
Timed reading challenges that felt like games, not work.

Every single session had one goal—he had to leave feeling successful.

Not perfect. Not effortless. But capable.

Step 3: Rewiring His Response to Struggles

Every time he faced a challenge, he had two choices:

Give up, like he always did.

Find a way forward.

I refused to let him choose the first.

If he sighed and put his pencil down, I’d say, “Pause. What can we try next?”
If he said, “I don’t know,” I’d say, “What do you know?”
If he looked defeated, I’d remind him, “You’ve figured out harder things before.”

And the more he practiced pushing through discomfort, the more his brain started believing he could.

That was when everything changed.

The Moment the School Took Notice

By January, Niyaan’s confidence had grown so much that even his school noticed.

The same school that once dismissed his struggles—the one that constantly labeled him as needing “special accommodations”—suddenly saw something different.

They made a bold decision.

They would allow him to take his exams in class—without extra support.

For the first time ever, they believed he could do it on his own.

And what happened?

He scored nearly 70 percent—by himself.

No extra help.

No modifications.

Just him, proving that he was always capable.

The Bigger Picture: Growth Beyond Academics

But the real transformation wasn’t just in his grades. It was in who Niyaan was becoming.

The boy who once stayed silent in class was now answering questions.

The boy who feared failure was now competing in school events—and winning.

The boy who waited for others to take care of things was now stepping up to help at home.

This wasn’t just about learning.

This was about becoming.

And in the end, that’s what truly matters.

Because when a child believes in themselves, there are no limits to what they can achieve.

Thank you for Reading

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Some Calls Change Your Day.