Many of our students, while excited at first, also have some lingering self-doubt about their ability to succeed. Many of our new students have struggled in high-school and have been repeatedly told that they won't amount to much of anything. In order to turn this perception around, we have to help them believe in their own potential. If they don't believe in themselves, we'll do it for them. We tell all of our students that if we did not believe that they could succeed in our school, they would not have been accepted. Additionally, we take great pride in celebrating success -- no matter how minor. If a student is habitually late, we celebrate the day that they showed up on time. Over time, because we refuse to give up on them, they begin to realize that perhaps they can make it. It takes a great deal of energy and follow-up, but re-framing students expectations of themselves can be change -- but only when we sincerely believe in them.