LeBron James Writes Message To One Of His 'I Promise' School Students

LeBron James posted a short clip from his docuseries "I Promise" on Instagram showing one of the students on the show, Randy, sobbing as vice principal Mr. Lysiak tried to comfort him.

James can relate to many of the students' struggles.

He moved a half dozen times and missed over 100 days of school during the fourth grade as he and his mother struggled with homelessness.

James recently took to Instagram to post a message of support for Randy, a third grader, whose family is also struggling with homelessness, moving between shelters and hotels. Mr. Lysiak recently had to hold Randy for 1 hour and 45 minutes to calm him down.

"Man I know and can feel these feelings 😤😭😡… just know we all got you Randy. 🙏🏾 #WeAreFamily ❤️ @ipromiseschool," James wrote.

James created the I Promise School in 2018 to help at-risk students who were on the verge of falling through the cracks of the public school system. The school began with third and fourth grades and expects to expand to include first through eighth grades by 2022.

Students in the bottom 25th percentile were placed in a lottery system to gain entry to the school. In less than a year, 90 percent of the students met or exceeded their reading and math scores, outpacing their peers throughout the district, according to The New York Times.

Many of the students have trauma in their home lives.

One child hadn't seen his mother in nine years. Another child had to hide while a SWAT team raided his uncle's home for drugs.

During the first month at "I Promise School," the teachers quickly realized that instead of teaching they needed to focus on building trust. They have a circle multiple times a day where they encourage children to get in touch with their emotions and express their needs.

"LeBron, I see him in these kids in a sense," James' mother, Gloria, said in the docuseries. "An initial maybe lack of hope in their future."

James went on to become a three-time NBA champion and four-time MVP.