Michael Sanford is Jaden's principal.

For me growing up, you know, my dad was incarcerated, so I really didn't build a relationship with my dad till I was 14.

Thinking about our boys here, sixth through eighth, you may not have that presence in your home, but you know you come to school every day, and them having that access to Black men who care about them, who's not afraid to let them cry or hold them accountable, put their arms around him, hug him, those things are so important for a young Black boy in their formative years, and it shapes how they not only view themselves, how they treat other people, how they treat women, right? How...

Their relationship to the world.

Their experiences is all rooted in, really, their experience when they come to school.

It's where they spend the majority of their time.

It just changes the game.

Principal Michael Sanford says it's worth every penny.

Can all public schools afford to spend so much time building such deep relationships with boys? Principal Sanford understands that teacher labor contracts or financial strain may stand in the way, but he says it's worth every effort, especially for the most difficult students.

Because there is something there that maybe someone else has not tapped into yet, or maybe they haven't even tapped into yet.

And if we could find that thing, you start to see change, and you start to even see how they respond to other people because of you.

That's what you saw today.

Here's how Boys Latin principal Michael Sanford puts it.

When a kid is able, they know they can come to you, talk to you about something if they need it, you are consistent, you're that figure that sometimes is lacking in their lives and that really causes them to go in the wrong path.

But if we could show up every day and let them know, "You know what? Our school might be right here, but this is not where your life has to stop."

Can all public schools afford to spend so much time building such deep relationships with boys? Principal Sanford understands that teacher labor contracts or financial strain may stand in the way, but he says it's worth every effort, especially for the most difficult students.

Because there is something there that maybe someone else has not tapped into yet, or maybe they haven't even tapped into yet, and if we could find that thing, you start to see change, and you start to even see how they respond to other people because of you.

That's what you saw today.

Here's how Boys Latin principal Michael Sanford puts it.

When a kid is able, they know they can come to you, talk to you about something that they needed, you are consistent, you're that figure that sometimes is lacking in their lives, and that really causes them to go in the wrong path.

But if we could show up every day and let them know, "You know what? Our school might be right here, but this is not where your life has to stop."