At Heart House, Asma found a space where she feels safe, supported, and free to express herself. After a class discussion on poetry, Asma started asking her teachers for more poems to read and became curious about different types of writing.

She slowly began bringing in her own work to share and would ask for feedback from her teachers. She even started writing at home, joined a writing club at school, and formed her own poetry group with a few friends.

Not long after that, Asma shared a poem she wrote called, “My Feelings.”

This was not for a class assignment and she chose the topic herself. The poem exhibited self-reflection as she explored how she was feeling and how she expressed those emotions. Her teachers encouraged her writing by providing more books and guidance. Soon, she brought in more poetry, ranging from comparing humans to flowers to the changing of leaves. By the end of the year, Asma had an entire folder dedicated to poetry that she had worked on at home and in her clubs.

Asma’s transformation is due in part to the dedication of her Heart House teachers, who weave Social Emotional Learning and literacy into every lesson. These practices help students explore their emotions, build confidence, and find their voice. For Asma, it has meant learning to express herself creatively and realizing that what she thinks and feels truly matters.

Human have feelings like flower!
“Human have Happy, excited, good feelings.

When I am feeling all this feelings

I just think of a Rose.

Human have sad, nervous, broken heart feelings like flowers do.

When I have all this feelings, I just think of Rose.”