In this article, the author, a team teacher in a multi-age elementary school classroom, relates the story of Nya, a new student in her third-grade class. Nya was drug-affected, and her family had moved around a lot, so she tended not to stay in one school for very long. As a result, her reading level was that of a beginning first grader, and she had little confidence in her learning abilities. The author describes the measures she took in the classroom to let Nya know that not only was she was capable of learning, but that she also could become a valued member of a community.