In these days of tremendous political pressure for results measured by standardized tests, time constraints can make social and emotional learning (SEL) a difficult undertaking for many classroom teachers. It seemed that after-school programs would be effective learning environments for supplying the missing piece in children's education. In this article, the author discusses the WINGS for Kids after-school program which provides a framework of strategies, practices, and materials for social and emotional learning to help transform the attitudes and behaviors of youth who have low self-esteem, few resources, and little interest in learning. Founded in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1996 as a nonprofit organization and developed in partnerships that field-tested and strengthened these educational interventions in summer camps and elementary schools serving predominantly poor, African American youth as well as an after-school program for adolescents housed in an abandoned firehouse, WINGS grew out of the author's personal conviction that children were missing an important piece in their education. This article describes how WINGS helped Derek, a third grader who disrupted class, neglected homework, and defied his teachers. By acquiring social and emotional skills in small lessons woven throughout his afterschool activities, Derek improved his academic performance and his ability to distinguish right from wrong. His story demonstrates the power of social and emotional learning to shape the ethical as well as the personal and academic lives of children. (Contains 2 notes.)