There was a spark in the air as the children hung up their coats and found their way to the circle. Having your parents watch you was very exciting, and the children seemed to have extra energy and were more than a little bit chatty. The buzz of chatter, and the scraping of chairs and extra loud squeals of delight were no match for Annika. Her heart broke for the children whose parents would be unable to attend today. She hugged away frowns and tears and assured them they could take work home to show their parents tonight. She handled all of that with calm and ease. They were children, after all, and excitement was part of the job description.

Eventually, even the most rambunctious of the group found their way to the circle, and to Annika’s delight, they were right on schedule. Everyone sat quietly for the morning announcements and the special welcome for the parents. She began her address to the students just as the parents filed in and took their seats in the back of the room. Annika relished the fact that not one of the students turned their heads to look. They went over the date, the weather and the lessons for the day. She gave each student a schedule of their day, so they would know which station to go to and so they wouldn’t be with the same children all day.

She dismissed them to their first lesson, and each child took his or her chair with him to the desks that were at the stations. At the reading-writing station, two students accidentally banged chairs. It happened at least once a day and was never really a problem. Both children giggled and apologized and went about their business. Annika sighed. Perfect.

She assessed the room and found one child struggling with his chair. It happened every day, and Annika let him be, because he always made it and consequently felt good about himself. Today, the child’s mother stood and helped him bring the chair over.

“I can do it, Mom,” Jeff insisted, throwing the other children a furtive glance, as none of the other parents were helping their children.

Annika stepped in. “Mrs. Delancey, Jeff moves his chair every day and is quite successful. I’m sure if you watched, you’d be proud.”

“Ms. Mehta.” Mrs. Delancey’s eyes were hard. “If you’re telling me that Jeff struggles like this every day, and no one helps him, I am appalled. It’s too big for him.”

“Mrs. Delancey, please, give him a chance. If we find he’s still struggling, I’ll move the chair myself.”