Children who struggle in school are often labeled lazy, defiant, or unwilling to learn. Zakiya White explains why those judgments frequently overlook the real barriers children are facing.

As Academic Supervisor at A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay, Zakiya helps children in foster care navigate interrupted schooling, trauma, learning gaps, teacher relationships, and the uncertainty surrounding their futures. She shares how her own childhood difficulty with reading inspired her to become an educator—and why one patient reading coach transformed her fear into determination.

Zakiya also reveals why relationships form the foundation of learning. For some children, emotional safety and trust must come before academic progress can begin. Instead of lowering expectations, she sets a different high bar for every child based on their individual needs and circumstances.

This conversation challenges misconceptions about foster children, examines how trauma appears in the classroom, and shows why education can become something permanent in a life filled with change.

🌟 Top 3 Highlights:

🧠 Why difficult classroom behavior may reveal an unmet need rather than a bad child

🏠 How safety, trust, and belonging influence a child’s ability to learn

📚 Why knowledge can provide stability that no placement change can take away