Their leader shut the door behind them, evading the inquiring eyes and ears in the hallway. I cannot stress how small this office is. We were packed in like concertgoers at a mosh pit. Or perhaps, for me, like a celebrity being stormed by paparazzi.
"Ms. B, you're back. Good. Where is [the AP]?"
"She should be back soon, is everything okay?"
"NO!" a minimum of 6 kids exclaimed.
"Miss, you aren't going to believe what happened at lunch, let me tell you," the students started speaking a hybrid of Spanish and English, layering stories over stories. The assistant principal arrived, creating an eruption of even more chaos.
"I cannot possibly talk to all these students by myself," she made knowing eye contact with me, like, you're involved now, Bennett.
I nodded. "Let's find another space."
In the walk down the hallway, I had a moment of clarity. This is the perfect time to practice what I've been learning.
We walked into the room, and all the students began talking at once again. "Everybody circle up," I said. "Whoever has this stuffed whale is the only one who can speak. One at a time. Everybody take a breath." We breathed. "Now, who would like to start? Tell us, what happened?"